I have really learned a lot on this thread, and it is fascinating. Thank you to those who explained things to me, and I love to hear about Jewish experiences in other countries/types of governments.
I have a couple questions, related to a couple things you mentioned, ready now. Given what you said about not studying other religions, do any Orthodox Jewish scholars (at universities for instance) study other world religions in the context of writing about or researching world history? It kind of sounds like this kind of thing would not be allowed, but what if the study/writing/research is done with the purpose of better understanding causes and effects in history, especially Jewish history across the millennia?
For the non-Jewish people who follow the seven Noachide laws, are they allowed to go further and take up some more of the Jewish obligations, for example keeping the Sabbath?
Regarding weddings, can an Orthodox Jew attend (I don’t mean partake in any of the ritual aspects of, but be present and silent at) an extended family member’s or friend’s wedding if it occurs in a church?
I understand what you said about there being no one deity who satisfies all of the world’s people’s idea of what a deity is. That being said, when people of different faith backgrounds gather at a vigil, for instance, and a representative of each group speaks in general terms about the love of G-d for people and praying for others’ comfort in times of grief and sorrow, does this kind of event jeopardize the separateness of which you spoke?
Wow, now I see that I asked a lot of different questions — sorry original poster!! I will either start a new thread, or if anyone who wants to discuss these questions feels so inclined, please feel free to open a new thread, and I’ll be by to chat! 🙂