I have asked two questions on Mi Yodeya regarding discrepancies between claims found in Torah and what we think we know about the world.
One is a small one: Rivers in Genesis
And one is a huge one: How to reconcile Biblical Flood story vs science and history?
How would you explain to someone who does not a priori take for granted that the Torah was given on mount Sinai and that the Rabbis (continuing the Pharisaic tradition in the exile) are the one and only authoritative group of people to interpret what it says, that Judaism does not have a double standard with respect to every other religion?
Here is what I mean. Given almost any other religion - let's say Christianity for example, orthodox Jews don't believe in it for one of two reasons:
1) They didn't investigate it, and therefore they don't care enough or know enough about it.
2) The rabbis found some objection, typically a discrepancy with what it says in Torah, and therefore this objection renders the religion a false one.
Now, Protestant Christianity warns that without proper acceptance of the salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus, a person is likely to go to an eternal hell which, unlike the Jewish hell, lasts forever. It would seem that Pascal's wager would at least make one consider Christianity if one considers Judaism's blessings and curses section in Deuteronomy. If one indeed wishes to "choose life" then one should also be concerned with Christianity, it seems.
And yet, it is largely dismissed by orthodox Jews. I am using Christianity as an example, but we may as well use Islam, which shares a belief in one God but has different requirements in order to get into heaven (depending on who you ask).
So my question, simply put, is this: if orthodox Judaism does not consider any scientific objections or theological objections fatal to its belief system, how come it considers the most introductory objections to Christianity already completely fatal? Isn't this a double standard? As one specific example out of many:
Skepticism vs Judaism: "Do you really think after the flood that killed everyone on earth, animals teleported to Australia, two guys built egypt, and all ecosystems started with 2 predators and 2 prey 4k years ago?" "It's possible, why not. God can do anything, it says in the Mishnah that ..."
Judaism vs Christianity: "Do you really think that God can have three different persons? Do you think he would make the Messiah die on the cross for everyone's sins and change the covenant after telling us that the law is forever?" "Well you see, the Law wasn't abolished, it was fulfilled, and as far as the Messiah and sins, you see you have no temple and no messiah for 2,000 years, maybe you missed him?" "Yeah but the rabbis tell us this is wrong." "Well yeah, Jewish leadership sinned in previous generations so God passed the baton onto the Christian sect, who have the true authority to interpret scripture now."
Basically, the reaction of Jews to the second conversation would be "yeah, ok". But remember - the stakes are greater if they are wrong. If the atheist is wrong, and Orthodox Judaism turns out to be the correct view of the world, he just gets a few months in Gehinnom or his soul is annihilated just as he expects anyway. If the Jew is wrong about Christianity, it would really suck. So what justifies this double standard, if a priori we are not assuming Orthodox Judaism of the Talmud is correct and just being rational?