Ben Shapiro is one of the leading podcasters in Conservative Inc, a shorthand for the industry of right-of-center media. On top of that, Shaprio is one of the leading figures at the Daily Wire, which produces several podcasts. In the past, I’ve written and talked about how Shapiro is a controlled opposition, someone beholdent to social media censorship which showcased in his liberal leanings during Covid. Most recently Ben Shapiro has been opposing mass deportations. Nevertheless, driving Ben Shapiro’s political deficiencies has always been his religious deficiencies, in that he rejects Christ. At a recent Q&A hosted by YAF, Ben Shaprio took a question from a Christian on the differences between Christianity and Judaism, and Ben Shapiro gave a dishonest answer.
The questioner asked Shapiro about the use of the term “Judeo-Christian” even though Judaism makes blasphemous claims about Christ in the Talmud. “Given these irreconcilable differences, why do you insist on using this oxymoronic term?”
Ben Shapiro responds first by dismissing his “really bad read of the Talmud.” So while Ben Shapiro dismisses the premise in order to deflect, he contradicts himself later. He would logically concede that “citations of texts that are written in the year 500 CE at a time when Jews were being persecuted by Christians in the Roman Empire” as justification for blasphemy.
Moreover, the Talmud is not Scripture. It’s a compilation of writings from several authors over many centuries. Because it’s not inspired, there are going to be contradictions and internal inconsistencies. Rather than explain this, Ben Shapiro operates under the assumption that views in the Talmud are not wildly held by Jews.
I can cite sections in the New Testament that I find personally problematic. I can certainly cite segments in the in the Quran that I find personally problematic. The truth is I could probably find place in the Old Testament that I find personally problematic.
Yet Christians do believe the Old and New Testaments and do not regard any section as problematic. Ben Shapiro despite claiming the Old Testament as a Jewish holy text, appears unfamiliar with the text or does not want to reference Isaiah. He has not done the reading.
Judaism is the foundation of Christianity. Jesus himself acknowledged this. The New Testament acknowledges this. The notion that Judaism and Christianity are somehow completely delinked and teach two completely separate lessons ignores the fact that the Old Testament is part and parcel of the New Testament.
Ben Shapiro argues that Christianity and Judaism are linked, which Jews ultimately do not consistently believe, and historically is not true. Ancient Judaism and Modern Judaism are entirely different religions. The Talmud is the aberration of the Old Testament, not a continuation. Moreover, without the Temple and sacrifices, the religion is fundamentally not the same. This happened because of the events foretold by Christ in 70 AD.
I’m not sure that there’s anybody in America, personally speaking, whose pushed people back to church than me. I really don’t know that there is anybody who’s done that. I tell Christians literally all the time to go to church. I tell Christians all the time to re-engage with their faith. I think it is deeply deeply important that they do. I don’t try to convert people to Judaism because that’s actually forbidden in Jewish law. I’m not supposed to convert people to Judaism.
Echoing Dennis Prager and Rick Warren, Ben Shapiro claims he has sent more people to church than anyone which is unprovable. But if one has an ego large enough, they will certainly make similar claims.
Ben Shapiro concludes the diatribe by claiming that “Judeo-Christian values of the nation are quite real” and “Judaism and Christianity have an awful lot in common.”
But if we don’t agree on Scripture, God, or salvation, what common values are there?
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2 Responses
Vox Day has been familiar with Ben Shapiro since they were both columnists at World Net Daily, and has long held a very negative opinion of him. His most recent post on the Littlest Chickenhawk: https://voxday.net/2024/05/02/ben-shapiro-is-a-sneaky-rat/
The two religions have opposite orientations with respect to the moral and ceremonial laws. To the Jews only the ceremonial law matters (and twisting stuff about not miatreating “sojourners” into massive anti-White replacement migration). There is ZERO sexual morality in Judaism. Christianity only cares about the moral law and primarily sexual morality. Thus they are incompatible. They may both start with the same defunct Torah, but they value opposite parts. Judaism is 100% about making loopholea diminishing the moral law, especially on sexuality, while strengthening to the point of absurdity how strict the ceremonial law is to bw kept. While Christianity does the opposite in declaring the whole ceremonial law nailed to the cross and strengthens the moral law, especially on sexuality.