Is the word "Jew" thought of as demeaning? Cos I usually use it just to mean Jewish person, but some people say it's used to be insulting. [Spirituality & Religion]

It's usage as I have friends who are Jewish and they use the term "Jew" all the time when referring to elements of their cultural history or referring to people that they know who are of the same faith or cultural tradition as it can refer to the religion or culture as in the case of a secular Jewish person.