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Hi Rabbi,
My father converted to Judaism, when he married my mother, before I was born. My mother says that at the time, he was disillusioned with Christianity and was enthusiastic about converting to Judaism.
Over the years, my father fell out of Judaism and was seduced back into Avodah Zarah.
Now he is the the twilight of his life, facing his mortality, and has become very zealous about his Christianity.
It has become very unpleasant to be around him. He has to bring up his Avodah Zarah all the time.
I love him and care about his neshamah. I try to show him why Christianity is false, even though I have had a few minor wins, it generally doesn't go anywhere. He is too brainwashed and immersed in impurity.
I am concerned that I am violating the commandment to honour my parents. When we discuss these topics, I have to contradict him. I know this is against halacha.
Also, we both have fiery temperaments, so the conversation usually gets very heated. Some of the ideas of Christianity are so offensive, I sometimes can't control my anger.
On the other hand I know we have an obligation to rebuke and fight Hashem's battles. Maybe if I persist, I can get him to do teshuva and save his neshamah. Am I sinning if I try debate him and show him the light?
I know you would advise me not to rebuke a parent and to rather get him to watch one of your videos with me. This won't work. The problem is that the church has brainwashed him with a million antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Rabbis.
If I show him a Rabbi that teaches against Jesus, he will just say its because they are "controlled by Satan", "the Rabbis corrupt the Torah", "the Jews have veils and scales over their eyes" and all that nonsense.
My only hope is to show him from the pasuk in the Tanakh why Christianity is false.
What do I do? Do I persist and try to save his neshamah? Or should I stop because the interactions get too fiery and I have to contradict my father in the process.
What do I do with the relationship? It's unpleasant to spend time with him. He brings up the Avodah Zarah all the time, so we argue a lot. Many times, I have asked him nicely to stop. I have asked that we don't talk about religion and that we keep to subjects bring us together. He doesn't respect my wishes. He still brings up his Avodah Zarah all the time.
Do distance myself from him? Not so easy. I love my father. He was a good father to me. He is the twilight of his life, it would really hurt me if he departed and our relationship ended on icy and distant terms. Is distancing myself from him also a violation of the commandment to honour a parent?
My father is a good man. He's actually a very holy person. He loves God. The problem is that he has been lead astray and brainwashed by rashayim.
Please help. This is tearing me apart. I don't want sin by dishonouring my father but I don't want my father to go to gehinnom either. I know that not rebuking a sinner and showing favour to idol worship is also a sin. What is the correct course of action?
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