
Once, the ‘Judeo-Christian tradition’ united Americans. Now it divides them - Udik
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/17/once-judeo-christian-tradition-united-americans-now-it-divides-them/
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bovermyer
"Judeo-Christian tradition" is a cultural label of dubious value and ambiguous
meaning. I don't see what we have to gain by using the term.

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Udik
What really strikes me as absurd about the insistence on "Judeo-Christian"
roots (apart from the obvious historical enmity between the two religions and
the difference in basic values), is the complete obliteration of the Greek and
Latin roots of the Western world.

Greeks invented western philosophy, the Romans invented western jurisprudence.
Insisting on Judaic roots (which are certainly in part conveyed, and
transformed, by Christianity) and disregarding the cultural importance of
Greece and Rome seems preposterous.

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Mediterraneo10
Because the Roman Empire eventually converted to Christianity, and many Greek
and Roman works were transmitted down the ages through monasteries, the term
"Judeo-Christian" does not necessarily deny the importance of Greek and Roman
thought. It just underlines that what certain people may feel was really
valuable from Antiquity, are those concepts that were compatible with
Christianity (or, considering how many Jewish intellectuals figures grappled
with Classical learning, Judaism).

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Udik
The fact that Greek and Roman texts were preserved in monasteries has nothing
to do with the cultural contribution of Christianity- it's more of a lucky
accident. A lot of Greek texts were translated and preserved by Arab scholars,
nobody speaks of "Arab roots" of our culture.

Christianity has had a profound and determinant influence on the Western
culture; so did Greek and Roman culture, which found a way to integrate with
Christianity while remaining mostly distinct from it.

Judaism? Not so much. If anything reached us of Judaism it was already
entirely contained and transformed by Christianity.

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compsciphd
there is no christianity without judaism. if christianity had a profound
impact, than by transitive property, judaism did as well.

the only way to argue your "If anything reached us of Judaism it was already
entirely contained and transformed by Christianity." is to argue a christian
supersessionist worldview (which was certainly the primary christian viewpoint
for the majority of its history)

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Udik
It's exactly that. Christianity was historically born out of Judaism but (to
simplify) in opposition to it. Any belief of Judaism that is not already
included in Christianity is not part of the West's cultural heritage, and
often in opposition to its values. Supersessionism was challenged only very
recently, and out of purely political, not religious or cultural, reasons.

Claiming Judeo-Christian roots is a bit like saying that you're genetically
the product of your father AND of your paternal great parents- pretty
pointless, especially when you fail to mention the maternal contribution.

