This is not intended to be a complete introduction to Noahidism/Righteous Gentiles (or whatever you want to call it). [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/2120/|Click here] for a fairly decent introduction. Or, check out the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noahide_Laws|Wikipedia Entry for Noahide Laws.]
Instead, I've prepared a list of short responses on various subjects which have come up. Again, these are just my opinions, not even based on talking to a rabbi; I haven't found one (yet?) who was interested in talking with me.
Judaism has been against proselytizing for a long time, although many centuries ago the Jewish community was quite active in trying to convert others. As Judaism already has a way for non-Jews to participate without becoming converts, there's little motivation or reason for actively seeking proselytes. In fact, rabbis try very hard to discourage converts, because they want to make sure that every potential convert is sincere and highly motivated.
[http://b54.net/-bj|Click here|no cache] for an article from Beliefnet showing how some individuals are badly confused about what it means to be Jewish; this also helps to show why Jewish proselytism probably isn't a good idea. The authors of that article treat one's religion as if it were belonging to some sort of social club. (It's also interesting how many of the adjectives are blatantly loaded: Jews are a “privileged minority”, for example.)
==Is Noahidism truly a legitimate belief? Or is it merely a creation of, say, the Chabad Lubavitch?==
==Can one personally study the Torah and still be a [[TOG]]?==
[http://www.uglx.org/rgent-study|Click here|no cache] for a separate page devoted to the subject. (I felt it was worth a separate page because of its importance, the complexity of the question, and the fact that it's so heavily debated.)
==Orthodox? Conservative? Reform?==
The Conservative and Reform movements deny that the Torah was given by G-d. They do this because they have objections to some of the mitzvot given in the Torah.
Many Conservative/Reform practitioners vehemently disagree with this. They have any number of overly complicated explanations as to why they believe as they do, including [http://www.uglx.org/documentary-hypothesis|pseudo-scientific explanations of the origin of the Torah], claims that Judaism has evolved in various significant ways over the last 3000+ years, etc.
But when one considers that the only practical difference between the movements is which mitzvot are obeyed (and how), the real issue becomes crystal clear. If they didn't have a problem with the mitzvot as given, they'd stick with Judaism. But some of the mitzvot interfere with their desired lifestyle, so let's make those optional, right?
It's A Very Bad Idea to imitate the Jewish practices of laying tefillin, wearing a tallit or a kippah (though nobody's going to complain if you wear a hat), placing mezuzot on doorways, etc. If for no other reason, you wouldn't want someone to think you were Jewish when you weren't. But, more importantly, these practices are explicitly reserved for Jews.
==~~#FF0000:Holidays~~==
The usual disputes are related to observation of the Sabbath and holidays. Understandable, because participating in these rites would seem to align one closer with the Jewish community. My understanding is as I stated above, that it's permitted so long as it's entirely voluntary and sufficiently dissimilar from the Jewish ways of observing these holidays.
I haven't found much information specifically for [[TOG]]s on the web or elsewhere which I feel is totally trustworthy. For that matter, I doubt anything I write is totally trustworthy either, though I will say that what I write is both from a skeptical viewpoint and is as grounded in Torah as I can possibly make it.
I believe just about anything written on the [http://beingjewish.com/|Being Jewish] website is reliable, both from a Torah standpoint and from a ‘political’ standpoint. They do an excellent job of explaining why they believe as they do, instead of making blatant claims with nothing to back them up.
[http://jewsforjudaism.org/|Jews for Judaism] is pretty reliable as well, although I wouldn't pay a whole lot of attention to what's discussed on the message boards with regards to ‘Righteous Gentiles’. Their articles are especially helpful if you're wondering just what is wrong with christianity.
There are many other Jewish-related sites which can be helpful, such as [http://www.jewfaq.org/|Judaism 101\, [http://www.aish.com/|aish.com], [http://torah.org/|torah.org], [http://askmoses.com/|Ask Moses], etc. However, much of the information om those sites simply doesn't apply to [[TOG]]s, and it will take time and study to determine what's important and what isn't. But I believe most of everything they have to say specifically regarding Righteous Gentiles is correct.
==Jews And Hasidic Gentiles==
[http://www.noahide.com/|Jews And Hasidic Gentiles] is a Chabad-Lubavitch-sponsored website which discusses the “Hasidic Gentile” movement. They advocate obedience of the Seven Laws, but also encourage adhering to as many optional mitzvot as possible. It's a Hasidic spin on the Righteous Gentile movement.
It's extreme, as would be expected from Chabad Lubavitch, but their suggestions appear reasonably grounded in Jewish belief. They take an ‘in your face’ approach, but they've always been totally open and honest about that.
If you're looking for reasons to obey other mitzvot than those required by the Seven Laws, there's your answer. I also really like the name “Hasidic Gentiles” because it's clear, direct and easily understood, as is the advice which is given. They also have a useful prayer guide if you're looking for specific suggestions.
The site is, of course, affiliated with the controversial Chabad Lubavitch movement and espouses the beliefs of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. To get some idea of why the movement is controversial, read the Chabad article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chabad|Wikipedia]. It's fairly neutral in tone, which is a remarkably difficult task to achieve for such a controversial subject.
==Other sites==
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