What is a Jew, race or religion?

[Pix]

As best as I can understand from the answers here...

Jews get treated the same whether they're religious or not (as other people see it as a race rather than religion) and therefore have an inclination to band together against common enemies whether the kin are religious or not (and thus they start acting more ethnic than religious). Therefore a Jew who became an atheist is still treated as a Jew by others and his Jewish relations still got his back in a hostile world which he can count on in an emergency. Therefore he is still part of the culture while not practicing or even believing in Judaism. Am I understanding this right?

'Course that's kinda funny to me because virtually all of my family is Southern Baptist (ranging from the devout to those who only attend weddings, funerals, and odd Christmas & open their Bible mostly to find someone's birthday written in the front than reading any verses) which I've rejected and even though Southern Baptists don't have it hard in Texas our extended family does circle the wagon against outsiders who attack or menace any of us. So maybe I'm Southern Baptist...:tongue:

[James]

I kinda think its both a race and religion, James

[thawoods]

Judaism is a religion..hence Jews can be (like Catholics, Mulsim, etc) from any race possible.

As to the racial group that originated Judaism, that would be Hebrews/Israelites, a racial subdivision of the larger Semitic group (hence the baaaaaadly used word anti-semitism)

Arabs are within the Semitic group as well, and yet people relate Semitic with Jew, just like they think Turks are arabs because they're muslims, when in reality they are part of the Altaic group of races, largely unrelated to arabs...

people always make this confusion about religion/race further enhanced for example by Nazi rethoric aiming to whipe out the Jewish "race"...a race clearly non existent...

I second that.

[VileKyle]

According to South Park, I'm a Jew. So by that definition, Jews are twisted insomniacs with sweaty hands. Sorry guys. I'm screwing it all up for you.

[NightSwan]

I don't think the term "race" should be applied to any group of people and I hate using it, but technically, it's both.
Race isn't a good word. A person being Jewish or not has to do with a bunch of laws that for some reason people keep to today.
In a Jewish community, you are a Jew if you can check any of the following:
a) Both parents are considered Jewish by said community.
b) Said person's mother is Jewish.
c) The person went through the procedure called "Giyur" where you convert to Judaism. *
*You'll still be looked down upon by the very religious.

So you can be either born a Jew or become one.
It's pretty confusing at time, tbh, because what other people is identified by their religion?

Anyways, as a technically Jewish person with both parents technically being Jews, I think this is nonsense. I think like all major religions it should remain separate from the flesh and slowly die away, like I hope all religions will, eventually.
Oh, and when I say technically, I mean that we're considered Jewish through and through, but we don't practice Judaism (or any other religion) and neither do we believe in a deity.