To Yuyutsu.

Two last things to correct. Mplease consider them both so that you're not blinded in misunderstanding and misdirection.

1). My prayers were not answered because of my understanding and knowledge of God. They were answered because God chose to answer them. A few times surprising me by what He does.

2). In spite of the Jewish Scholare, prophets weren't learned men that held a degree of enlightenment. They were chosen by God for a purpose and a message. Some held an office in the temple and were more priestly in their demeaned, others were not. So the claim that the Torah was passed down by mouth to the prophets is rubbish. They were chosen, nothing more nothing less. Nothing anyone can say was earned.

Just for your information. Hope it reaches you and clarifies the views you hold. The truth is good, but God can reach us in spite of us reaching and knowing the truth or not. He can answer prayers and choose ministers for his services without there being a factor of enlightenment involved.

Also if you read the Old Testament and the New Testiment, the Old does point to Jesus as detailed in the New. It's not a matter of scholarly dispute. Just read it and see for yourself.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

«1). My prayers were not answered because of my understanding and knowledge of God.»

No, but the sincerity in your efforts to learn and explore the truth helped your chances for God to choose to answer your prayers. In the least, it allowed you to recognise it when your prayers were answered.

«So the claim that the Torah was passed down by mouth to the prophets is rubbish.»

Please don't shoot the messenger, I was only reporting what orthodox Judaism believes in, thus why your suggestion could not be applied, that: "As to the Jewish faith I would give the same filter as I give Christian perspectives. Test it against what is written in the bible". Orthodox Rabbis already claim openly that some of the actual Torah differs slightly from the literal reading of the pentateuch, yet that this was God's original intention which He then transmitted to Moses. Jesus must have also been aware of this view.

There's a Jewish sect, the Karaites (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaite_Judaism) who similarly believe that the Jewish oral tradition is rubbish. However, they were excommunicated and very few remain.

«God can reach us in spite of us reaching and knowing the truth or not»

Definitely. In any case, information does not amount to knowledge. There can be information without knowledge as well as knowledge without information.

«the topic of truth shouldn't be about an unreachable point of enlightenment.»

Truth is not a topic. Truth is real even if one cannot understand it: nobody does anyway because the mind cannot fathom Truth. Yet your heart can love the Truth and if you do, then you start with practical little things such as "Yes, I stole the milk", through "Yes, I molested these two choir-boys" and as you persist with unwavering honesty, eventually you end up with the ultimate Truth, God.

[continued...]

[...continued]

«The foundation from God is like that. Reliable and true.»

Absolutely.

«I'll hold the words of God in the Christian and Jewish scriptures at a higher standard of reliability»

The question remains, how can one tell which words within what is commonly considered as scripture, are indeed the words of God.

A more intriguing question is, even if a given verse contains the words of God, does it necessarily mean that it represents a physical or historical reality? Not necessarily so because God can work in mysterious ways.

I will not go into the NT as I do not consider myself knowledgeable enough, but extensive research by Jewish scholars shows that the books of the OT were tampered with. Again and again I stress: this is no grounds to shatter your Christian faith - I pray that your faith remains strong. Trust in God, even if you cannot trust books. Worship God, through Jesus if you are a Christian, not the books.

«if you read the Old Testament and the New Testiment, the Old does point to Jesus as detailed in the New.»

There is no need to engage with this scholarly dispute or to decide on this question, because even if this is the case, it only refers to a few verses; and even if those verses are God-inspired, this does not imply that all the text around them also is.