SOMEBODY emailed me w/ invalid email address. Following is response that would have been emailed, but is now posted publicly instead:
- When and what did George say about this issue?
2. This is NOT the same as the examples you gave. Being Catholic or being black is a single-issue topic. There is no "black" religion and there is no "Catholic" race. However, according to modern dictionaries, being Jewish can be classified as two different issues that can have the same answer, but not necessarily.
a. Practicing the religion of Judaism b. Descended from the ancient peoples/tribes of Israel.
A person can easily be one of the above but not the other. Of course, a person can be neither of the above or both of the above, but a person can be black for example, and descended from the ancient peoples of Africa but yet be Jewish because of religion. A person can be descended from ancient peoples of Israel, yet not practice the religion of Judaisom.
Hence, when a person, let's say Elaine, says that she's not Jewish and does not elaborate, one has now way of determining from that statement alone that she is referring to a. or b. listed above, or both.
I happen to believe that Elaine is not Jewish. But there is not definite proof as of yet.