Mikraites attempt to follow an old book, the Old Testament, as an alternative to modern culture. The word "
Mikra" means Old Testament in Hebrew. Unlike the New Testament and the Quran, the Old Testament does not require faith. It only requires moral action. This makes Mikraite a real alternative to faith-based religions. We also think that the fact that modern culture hates the Old Testament more than any other book is a good sign that the Old Testament is a very good book.
The Old Testament specifically supports trust ("You must not act deceptively or lie to one another." - Leviticus 19:11) and cooperation ("love your neighbor as yourself" - Leviticus 19:18, "If you come across your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it." - Exodus 23:4-5). We are a very small group, but we are serious about helping each other succeed in business and in personal life. You will not find anything like this level of cooperation in modern culture.
We have chosen a set of six required practices which we believe will select for good people and exclude bad people.
1. Make the Mikraite Declaration.
2. Keep the Sabbath.
3. Help Each Other
4. Keep Passover.
5. Dress modestly.
6. Have no tattoos.
We are not like Rabbinic Judaism which is based on the Talmud. Rabbinic Judaism defines members by who your mother is. We define a Mikraite as one who follows the required practices. Unlike Rabbinic Judaism, we consider God to be reasonable and understandable. Deuteronomy 6:24 makes clear that the commandments are for our benefit, and therefore we can analyze the commandments based on how they benefit us.
If this sounds interesting to you, please join us for an
Old Testament reading.