Throughout the history of religion, there have been several faith-based groups with differing beliefs on God, the afterlife, and the behavior which one must portray whilst alive to guarantee their desired placement after their own physical, though not spiritual, death. Arguably, the two largest of these groups would be Christianity and Judaism. Although in many ways the two religions are a stark contrast of one another, the core beliefs of the two are however strikingly similar. Here we will compare and contrast the two belief systems.
Christianity
The main focus of believers of Christianity is salvation. It is thought that sin amongst humans is inevitable as we are born into this world with the hereditary stain of original sin. In traditional Christian teaching, original sin is the result of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God when they ate a forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. “Augustine taught that humanity was created good, but through the fall of Adam and Eve (described in Genesis 3) human nature became corrupted, and suffering and death entered the world. Augustine argued that original sin enfeebled the will, and that this enfeebled will is shared by all persons. All humans inherit Adam’s guilt, and we are all in a state of sin from the moment of conception” (Granten, 2009, p. 98). Because it is also believed that God punishes sin, humans, without salvation, are vulnerable to such punishment and damnation. In turn, Christians need God’s forgiveness to ensure that upon their physical death, their souls will be guaranteed admittance into the afterlife rather than condemned to an eternal hell, forever separated from God. Thus, creating the ultimate need and want for salvation. Salvation can be defined as deliverance of sin and its consequences. This divine action can only be given based on one’s lifetime relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is