Are They Still Jews?

Are they still Jews when they take up against God? 
Or have they fallen to the worldly side of Isaac, where they indulge in the world like Esau, or come to hate the world because it’s God’s creation as did Amalek?

So asks Spotter in the conclusion to his a comment at the provocatively titled The Death Wish of the Jewish Intellectual Left by Barry Rubin.

Spotter explores the reasoning to the conclusion of his comment in a manner that I approve, but using less words than I (sigh) would.

If you disagree, let me hear it. Typically the "Jewish" left will try to hide behind their Jewish origins, and will berate such distinctions as made here as antisemitic on its face.

But there is nothing antisemitic against calling out pretenders to a very specific ethic even if they don't realize they are pretenders. To be Jewish is much more being a promoter of the ethic from which Jew is derived than being from a race or tribe. Esau and Amalek were from the tribe of Isaac, but it did not make them Jews.

This sort of thing can be found in every Leftist designated group. For example,  blacks who think Jesse Jackson is their leader because the Leftist media calls him that are doing the bidding of the Left, favoring Jackson and not really themselves or society.

Women who let men haters dominate sexual issues, and make a mountain out of a mole hill, will see men not treating them as well as the majority would otherwise. That is because when men find they are damned if they do and damned if they don't, they rather keep their distance.

And so it is here. When other Jews let those among them who've fallen away from the God-centric ethic get away with still identifying with Judaism, they are being useful idiots to the Left which ultimately hates anything to do with God.

Now I know many Jews will be abraded by this post. Many because real antisemites love to make hay out of Jews having a very tough ethical row to hoe and often falling short; so Jews are understandably reflexively anxious about any criticism of any who call themselves Jews. Some because they believe once a Jew always a Jew, and one who has fallen away will be welcomed back. The prodigal son thing. But some who've fallen away will be thinking they're being insulted like a black might be for being called white. But a great deal of it is due to natural stubbornness when not due to more sinister reasons. The bible says you are a stiff necked people, and that is good to a point. Those who stick to the covenant with God, even a little, are doing what He expects. But once you've decided to go away from God, you can be just as stiff necked.

As Spotter points out in a very short space, if you have no need for God, or if you actually hate either Him or even the concept of Him, there are legitimate grounds to ask "are you really Jewish, or merely of Jewish descent."