@ David_Jay
I find the Jewish culture and mind-set fascinating- so thank you for your overview on these points.
A few points you mentioned left me a little confused,
You say that Jews view the OT as liturgical, not historical. According to biblical scholars, there is no evidence outside the bible for the existence of Noah, Abraham, David or Solomon. No evidence of the exodus from Egypt. No evidence of Moses. Yet, don't the lives and deeds of these patriarchs form the bedrock of Judaism? So , scholars say these guys don't exist outside the bible and you say that Jews don't seem to care if they existed or not , then WHY bother living a Jewish life , either strictly, or not so strictly? I know Jews that won't listen to a football game on the radio during the Sabbath. There are many other rules that govern Jewish life that Jews are careful to observe. That tells me that some Jews at least, are fearful of displeasing God, even though he doesn't exist...does exist....doesn't....does?
You seem to imply that a reason to believe in God is simply because the Jews exist due to the covenant with God. That statement at first glance has a whiff of arrogance about it. It seems to paint the picture that the Jews believe themselves to be over and above any 'normal' religion and that the usual rules don't apply to them because they are automatically Gods chosen group. Yet, is this not simply a 'belief', just like the overlapping generation 'belief'? Just because you believe it, doesn't make it truth.
Lastly your statement, 'God won't pull any strings unless we allow it' left me speechless. That tells me Jews- like many other fundamentalist groups, consider themselves to be superior to other human beings because they are 'special' to the creator.
This has gone a bit off topic but @David_Jay's comments were very interesting.
As for the God of the OT allowing nasty things to happen, my short answer is that's how things were back then. God was simply worked into the text to suit the contemporary customs.
