You are what you believe

There has been ongoing correspondence in national newspapers regarding self-decribed Messianic “Jews”, who are claiming to be Jews by virtue of the fact that they mimic some Jewish practices whilst holding Christian beliefs. This appears to have generated some confusion, but I can clear up the mess because the situation is quite simple.

If a Protestant converts to Catholicism, then they are now Catholic.

If a Hindu converts to being a Muslim, then they are now Muslim.

If a Sikh converts to Buddhism, then they are now Buddhist.

If one converts to another religion, that is now your religion. If one believes Jesus Christ to be the Messiah, accepts him as your personal saviour and worships as such, then one is a Christian. It does not matter what religion your ancestors practiced, your religion is what you now believe and practise. The Jews for Jesus organization created in the 1970’s to target Jews for conversion, fully encapsulates the argument in its very name; case closed. So, hopefully Jews for Jesus will now change their name to reflect what they should be proud to be, "Christians hoping to proselytise Jews for Jesus". Not as catchy, but accurate.
I suppose you can create an entirely new religion in the manner of Scientology and the Moonies, but at least they have the grace not to claim that they are representative of another religion. They are their own religions, as per the definition being belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power.

Lord knows what to do with the religious classification of atheists though.