This Jewish Preacher Confronts "Christian" History
  By Dr. David M. Berman                                                                                        www.wakeupandsmellthetruth.com

 One has to wonder why the truth about the history of the Catholic Church is always met with the "you are a Catholic Basher" retort.  I mean come on now.  All Catholics have to do is study history, and yet those of you who refuse to acknowledge Catholic history instead resort to the previous mentioned angry reply. This they do because the facts of history roar louder than a freight train in the middle of the night.
I became a Christian at age 19 after years of fierce opposition in my heart to anything "Christian". This was due to my knowledge of what "Christians" did to my people and my experience with what I thought Christians were. Later I discovered that they were not Christian at all. As many already know who read my articles; I am a Christian Jew. Some ask the question; how can you be a Christian and a Jew?" Well…remember that all the first Christians were Jews. In fact the debate early on was about allowing Gentiles to become Christians. Since most Americans (including the Church) have become quite biblically illiterate, I am never surprised by that silly question.
Why are Jews so uncomfortable (to say the least) with Christianity and the Catholic Church specifically? It is due to the long history of terrible persecution of Jews by the Catholic Church and others. Now at this point I will get the same reaction from those who deny the facts…here is comes…I can almost hear it; "You hate Catholics" You are filled with bigotry"….and on and on. Well the truth is that I do not hate Catholics at all. I am simply attempting to explain the reasons why Jews are averse to Christianity. Before I continue with the historical reasons why, let me speak of the spiritual reason. Many Jews are not open to Christianity simply because they are blind to the truth of the Old Testament prophetic passages of the coming Messiah. Jesus Christ fulfilled all the scriptural tests. Without a doubt he is the Lamb of God, Savior, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Scripture explains to us that many Jews rejected Jesus because of their own stiff necks.  In the seventh chapter of John's gospel, Jesus rebukes the Jewish leaders for their wrong thinking.  The great Deacon Stephen was quite clear about the Jewish leader's rejection of Christ as quoted in the following passage;
"Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth"  - Acts 7:52-54 
Ok… here is the time when my fellow Jewish brethren accuse me of being a "self hating Jew". Yikes..it is hard to keep up with the names I am called and express them at the proper time. I am neither a "Catholic basher" nor am I a  "self hating Jew".  We know ultimately that God is not finished with Israel. If you doubt my commitment to Israel, please read my article titled "This Messianic Jewish Preacher Supports Israel!" You can read that at the following link below;
http://christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/2205/Rev_Dr_David_M_Berman_ThD
Now back to the Question of why Jews are uncomfortable with Christianity. I can sum that up in one word; HISTORY. History is filled with reasons for Jews to distrust Christianity and Catholics specifically.
The Catholic Church claims to be the one true Church with Apostolic authority from Peter who they claim was the first Pope. The Catholic Church claims that their leader (Pope) is the "Vicar of Christ". With these claims comes great responsibility for what the "Vicar of Christ" says and does in the minds of Jewish people. If Jews are told that the Ultimate authority of Jesus Christ on earth is the Pope, it stands to reason that Jews will believe that Jesus hates them. Why you ask? Because the list of absolute terroristic proclamations and actions by the so called "Vicar of Christ" and the church he represents is overwhelming.  Why would anyone find it hard to understand that Jews would not trust Christians when the largest group claiming to be Christians has persecuted, killed, robbed, and pillaged my people for two thousand years? You say; "What are you talking about?" I am glad you asked that question.
Just a few examples:
589 In Christian Spain, the Third Council of Toledo ordered that children born of marriage between Jews and Christians be baptized by force. A policy of forced conversion of all Jews was initiated. Thousands fled, thousands of others "converted" by force.
1205 Pope Innocent III wrote to the archbishops of Sens and Paris that "The Jews, by their own guilt, are consigned to perpetual servitude because they crucified the Lord...As slaves rejected by God, in whose death they wickedly conspire, they shall by the effect of this very action, recognize themselves as the slaves of those whom Christ's death set free."
1215 The Fourth Lateran Council barred Jews from holding public office. Jews were ordered to wear distinctive clothing to set them apart from Christians. We all know how Hitler used that thinking in forcing the Jews to wear a Jewish star so all Germans would know who they were.
1229 The Spanish inquisition begins. In 1252 Pope Innocent IV authorizes the use of torture by the Inquisitors.
1267 The Synod of Vienna ordered Jews to wear horned hats. (who the Catholic Church holds as a model teacher of the priesthood) states that Jews should live in perpetual servitude.
1431 The Council of Basel forbade Jews to go to universities, prohibited them from acting as agents in the conclusion of contracts between Christians, and required that they attend church sermons.
1553 In August, Pope Julius III condemned the Talmud. One month later on Rosh Hashanah, Jewish books was burned. In 1555, the pope ordered Jews of the papal controlled states into ghettos. Jews were forbidden to own property and were compelled to wear yellow hats. In 1612, all the Jews of Tuscany, Padua, Verona, and Mantua had been forced into ghettos. Their gates were locked at night by Christian guards whose salaries the Jewish internees were required to pay.
1555 A Catholic Papal bull, "Cum nimis absurdum," made it obligatory for Jews to wear badges, and live in ghettos. Jews were not allowed to own property outside the ghetto. Over 3,000 people were forced to live in about 8 acres of land. All Jewish women had to wear a yellow veil or scarf. All Jewish men had to wear a piece of yellow cloth on their hat (another inspiration for Hitler)
For those of you who are upset at me for pointing out facts, please reconsider your emotions. I think if you are mad at me you will also have to be mad at Pope John Paul II who visited the Jewish state in 2000 and publicly apologized for the persecution of Jews by Catholics over the centuries, including the Holocaust, and depositing a note pleading for forgiveness in a crack in the Western Wall.
It was not only Catholics that have persecuted Jews in the name of Jesus. When we get to the Reformation, we see the insanity continues with the main reformer Martin Luther. Jews had been expelled from Spain in 1492. The Spanish inquisitions had been busy purging various Jewish areas of all Jews with torture, killing, and theft of personal property. Throughout Europe Catholics had been persecuting Jews. The Church authorities did nothing to stop the anti-semitism and instead they promoted it. Martin Luther published a pamphlet entitled "On Jews and Their Lies." In it, Luther said some intensely demonic things like the following;
The houses of Jews be "'razed and destroyed", the Talmud be taken away from them, and that Germany should, "'emulate the common sense of other nations such as France, Spain, Bohemia, etc., compute with them how much their usury has extorted from us, divide this amicably, but then eject them forever from the country.'"
How about another example of "Christian advice" from Martin Luther?
"'First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honor of our Lord and of Christendom, so that God might see that we are Christians, and do not condone or  knowingly tolerate such public lying, cursing, and blasphemy of his Son and of his Christians.'" (Germany held this deep in their psyche)
For those Catholics who are reading this, this is not Catholic Bashing, it is fact. For those of you who idolize Martin Luther as some sort of great man who stood for the Word of God, this is not reformer bashing, this is the truth. For those of you who are reading this that are Jews who are not Christians, you must be asking; "Why are you a Christian Jew if you know all of this history?" Well that is a great and understandable question. I will now answer it for you.
I understand exactly how Satan works to deceive people into believing that their actions are representative of Jesus. Jesus himself told us of the lies that Satan uses to lead mankind astray. When I look at what a Christian is, I do not look at people. I look at the words of Jesus. I also look at the words of the Apostles. The Word of God is my example. Jesus taught us very clearly how we are to treat people. He never taught us to kill people simply because they rejected him. In fact he taught us to love people even if they rejected him. Remember what he said on the cross? "Father forgive them." When I look at the history of the Catholic Church I see very clearly that the so called "Apostolic authority" and "Vicar of Christ" are neither. The history of the Catholic Church is abysmal at best and they should be ashamed to claim that their church is the infallible Church. They should be embarrassed to proclaim that the Pope is infallible when he speaks so called "Ex Cathedra." According to the "Catholic Encyclopedia this term means the following;
Literally "from the chair", a theological term which signifies authoritative teaching and is more particularly applied to the definitions given by the Roman Pontiff. Originally the name of the seat occupied by a professor or a bishop, cathedra was used later on to denote the magisterium, or teaching authority. The phrase ex cathedra occurs in the writings of the medieval theologians, and more frequently in the discussions which arose after the Reformation in regard to the papal prerogatives. But its present meaning was formally determined by the Vatican Council, Sess. IV, Const. de Ecclesiâ Christi, c. iv: "We teach and define that it is a dogma Divinely revealed that the Roman pontiff when he speaks ex cathedra, that is when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the Divine assistance promised to him in Blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed that his Church should be endowed in defining doctrine regarding faith or morals, and that therefore such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves and not from the consent of the Church irreformable." (under line emphasis mine).
No matter what excuse is used by the Catholic Church the bottom line is that the Papal decrees that we see above were given by ones who are held by Catholics to be the ultimate authority for "all Christians." Do you believe God had his "Vicar" tell Catholics to kill Jews? Wake up please!
My faith comes from the truth of the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures. I do not believe that anyone who uses the name of Jesus Christ to murder, torture, rape, and steal can in any way be called a Christian. Those who do such things in the name of Jesus are used by Satan to bring a reproach upon Jesus' wonderful name. Therefore I am not put off against Christianity because that is not Christianity. It must also be said that over the last two thousand years there have been many true Christians who have stood up for the Jewish people. For example we know of the Christians who hid Jews during the Holocaust. There are many wonderful gentile Christians that are kind and would never think of treating Jews in such a blasphemous manner.
Anti-Jewish proclamations are still made today by various groups such as the neo nazis, as well as many other organizations that rise up a cross and declare their absurdity in the name of Christianity. These groups are nothing more that tools of evil masquerading as some sort of holy order fighting for God. They are not Christian; they are usually a bunch of misfit malcontents looking for a reason to act out their inner battle with worthlessness. I hear it often from these groups who cry "Jewish conspiracy" every time anything bad happens.
Do you want to know what Christianity is? Read the words of Jesus and the entire New Testament and you will see what it is. I stand with the words of the great Jewish Scholar, the Apostle Paul; "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16 
I am a Christian Jew because Jesus Christ is the Messiah to the Jew first and also the gentiles.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace only to those who have received him by faith. My Jewish brethren, I ask you not to allow what people have done in the name of Jesus to harden your heart against our true Messiah.  I ask you to instead look at what Jesus Christ said and did in his own name for you and I, for Jesus did not kill those who did not accept him, instead he gave his own life for them. To my Christian gentile brethren, I ask you not to defend the indefensible history of the Catholic Church or applicable Protestant churches. Pray for Israel and long for the day when the chosen people come back fully to the one true Messiah, Jesus the Christ.
The Lord Bless all who read this, and cause understanding of real Christian truth.  The gospel is the message of salvation by faith through grace to the Jew and gentile, in the name of Jesus.  AMEN.