...Hunter Moore 4/2/18 Religion 140-609Field Experience Essay How the Demographics of Messianic Judaism Influence How It’s Practiced A common assertion among Gentiles, non-Jewish people, is that Judaism pertains to primarily Orthodox Judaism. Contrarily, Judaism is not confined to a single form and is manifested in many different ways in present day America. One of these sects is Messianic Judaism. The belief that Jesus is the Messiah differentiates Messianic Judaism from other forms of the religion. An average Messianic Jewish congregation is composed of a large demographic of people that come from both traditional Jewish heritage and non-Jewish backgrounds. This variety in background and demographic produces a discrepancy in how the congregation...
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...Women in Judaism did have important roles in the Jewish culture before modernity took over. In the last few decades, female rabbis have been ordained from Reform schools along with other types like Conservative and Reconstructionist. In traditional sense, Jewish male assumed the role of rabbis but now in the modern times, women are starting to assume the role of rabbis just like the males. Female rabbis are establishing themselves in important roles in Judaism besides being a mother, wife and homemaker. The first woman rabbi was ordained in the United States in 1972 at the Reform Judaism Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since 1972, there has been over 150 female rabbis ordained through Reform Judaism which led to Reconstructionist...
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...150 April 12, 2015 World Religion Paper For my world religion paper, I have decided to write it on the religion of Judaism. To begin, I will cover the components of their religion such as: their core belief systems, who they consider their deity, how they worship their deity, and how they live their lives. I will conclude my paper by reflecting on what I have learned and how that may impact my life and what changes I may make in the future because of it. I intend to learn about this previously foreign religion to me to develop a better understanding of this major religion. This knowledge can help me better understand how millions of people live their lives to make sure I am as respectful as possible and hopefully learn something new when approached with an open mind. This paper is a learning process for me and I will try to stay as unbiased as possible when searching for references. Judaism is the eleventh most popular religion in the world with over fourteen million followers. This religion dates back over four-thousand years ago to the year 2000 B.C.E. This religion is practiced in over fifty counties and is even increasing in popularity. In 2014 there were half of a million more Jewish people in the world than the previous year which continues the exponential expansion of this religion. Judaism is a very intricate religion with interesting beliefs, morals, and traditions with global impacts and conflicts around the world. Judaism is strictly monotheistic religion with...
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...Jewish bible. Include its estimated date of being written and what is contained in each section. 2. Describe the major similarities and differences between the four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist). How are these four groups distinct from one another? Denominations of Judaism: Jewish movements, often referred to as denominations, branches or sects of Judaism, differ from each other in some beliefs and thus in the way they observe Judaism. Differences between Jewish movements, in contrast to differences between Christian denominations, derive from interpreting Jewish scriptures in more progressive/liberal or more traditional/conservative ways rather then from theological differences. 1. Orthodox Judaism: Orthodox Jews believe that God gave Moses the whole Torah (Written and Oral) at Mount Sinai. Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah contains 613 mitzvot (commandments) that are binding upon Jews. Modern Orthodox Jews strictly observe halakhah (Jewish Law), but still integrate into modern society. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, which includes Chasidic Jews, strictly observe Jewish laws and do not integrate into modern society by dressing distinctively and living separately. 2. Conservative Judaism: Conservative Judaism maintains that...
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...Holidays Paper REL/134 Professor Sellers The Jewish community and religious practices has always been one of the religions that I have been curious about. From looking on the outside in, I have always felt that they are a tight knit community along with their religious practices and I am glad that we are learning about the history of Judaism. In this paper we will discuss the time of year of the holy days, the historical origin of the holy days and the practices associated with the days, and the theological or cultural differences that might lead to differences in the observance of the holy day by the various branches of Judaism. When I think of holy days I compare them to the practices of my Christian beliefs. In Christian beliefs, Sunday, is the day that we relax with family friends while focusing on God. Along with that we celebrate other holidays such as Christmas and Easter which are the birth and resurrection days of Jesus Christ. In Judaism, the time of the week they observe as the holiday starts on sunset Friday and last until sunset Saturday at sunset. The reason why Jewish people have given this day as a time of rest is a symbol and reminder of how God created the earth and on the Sabbath day he rested. I remember my grandmother cooking Sundays dinner on Saturday’s and I always thought the reason for that was because after we had a long day of church we could come in and just warm the food up quickly so that we all could eat. Reading the practices of Judaism, I noticed...
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...Closer look into Judaism and Christianity GE117: Composition I Why talk about religion? Religion is important and plays a major role in everyone’s life and is sometimes the basis of an individual’s moral values. My last job put me under the influence of an older Jewish gentleman and we became fast friends. We would often take lunch together and I would usually question, out of pure curiosity, some of his mannerisms that I found interesting. Through him I was introduced to what are known as the Jewish articles of faith. They seem to be a sort of basis to the religion or key attributes that all Jews share. These principals have some similarities to the concepts I was taught and that they are not as different as we believe. The majority of my Christian upbringing comprised mostly of reciting the books of the Bible by memory, learning to give a proper devotion, and how to pray. Through continuous reading and studying of the Bible we also learned of Jesus and how only through him we can receive the grace of GOD the Almighty and the gift of eternal life. Judaism does not include this. Jews believe in GOD as a unitary being unlike the Christian view of GOD being composed of three separate, but in all essence the same being: GOD the Father, GOD the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Most everyone I know believes in this doctrine and I think it is the most accepted doctrine circulating in the Christian community. Throughout history there have been meeting to determine what...
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...religion, believers worship several gods. Judaism; a religion of the Jews is strongly believed to be a monotheistic religion. The Bible gives evidence of polytheism in this religion. Because of this, there has always been a debate on where to place the religion. The intent of this paper is to explore more on the religion with an attempt to answer the most contentious questions. (1). How can it be explained that Judaism is a monotheistic religion but clearly acknowledges other gods? Judaism is a monotheistic religion despite the polytheistic evidences given in the Hebrew Bible. According to the Jewish history, the conquerors of Babylon who set the Jews free were powerful monotheists. They believed that the name used to refer to God did not matter as long as one worships him. In the Bible, many names are used to refer to God. This has always caused a contention as to whether Judaism is monotheistic or polytheistic. The Jews believe that each name used in the Bible is with reference to the same one God. This shows that Judaism is purely monotheistic. Although Judaism originally avowed the monotheistic conception of God, this conception later failed to get perfection in the religion. This is because of the Polytheistic practices of the Jewish people. The evidences from the bible therefore only warn them against polytheistic practices. (2).What relation does Abraham play in understanding the nature of morality within Judaism? Judaism customarily emphasizes on ethical monotheism...
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...Jewish Holy Days Paper REL 134 June 5, 2012 Mark Tate Jewish Holy Day Judaism goes back about two thousand years or longer, depending on one’s point of view. Knowing the history and holy days in Judaism will help understand the religion and the culture. There are several different holy days in the Jewish community such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover and Shavuot. The selected holy day for this paper is Shavuot. This paper will cover time of the year of Shavuot, historical origins. Also the religious practices associated with Shavuot and the theological or cultural differences that might lead to differences in the observance of Shavuot but the various branches of Judaism will be covered in the paper. Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, is the second of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance. The other two major festivals are Passover and Sukkot. Shavuot does not have a particular calendar date but to a counting from the Passover. The length of the months used to be a variable and is determined by observation and there are two new moons between Passover and Shavuot. This year in 2012, Shavuot started at sunset on May 26, 2012 through nightfall on May 28, 2012. For the following year, Shavuot will begin sunset on May 14, 2013 through May 16, 2012. During Shavuot, work is not permitted at all. The customary is stay up the entire first night of Shavuot and study Torah and then pray as early as possible in the...
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...Jewish Holy Days Paper REL/134 Jewish Holy Days Paper The Jewish holy day, Yom Kippur, translates to “Day of Atonement”. This holiday occurs on the tenth day of Tishrei and is taken from the book of Leviticus. The Jewish community remains abstinent from all physical pleasures, and reflects on the sins committed in the past year. This holy day, along with other Jewish holy days, differ culturally because they do not fall on a specific day on the twelve month calendar used in America (Rich). Time of the Year Yom Kippur falls on the tenth day of Tishrei. Tishrei is the seventh month of the twelve month Jewish calendar (Yetzira). In the year 2013 Yom Kippur falls on September 13-14. In the year 2014, it falls on October 3-4 ("When is yom,"). This holy day is considered a Sabbath. “It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur” (Rich). Historical Origin Yom Kippur’s historical origin can be found in the book of Leviticus. “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls...It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath (Leviticus 23:26-27,32).” Moses first went to the top of Mt. Sinai and...
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...Judaism Charlotte Cole Hum 130 September 2, 2012 April Casperson Judaism Judaism is one of the oldest religions in existence and has been around even longer than Christianity although Christianity is considered as a branch of from Judaism after Jesus’ death and the resurrection Christians believe in. There are some similarities between the two, but there are also many interesting differences. I will be discussing the history of Judaism, reviewing information from a synagogue visit called Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village, CA along with an interview with a member from the synagogue Melanie Fine, and finally looking similarities and differences between Judaism and Christianity. During my research for this paper, along with the assignments in class, I have found Judaism that there was much about Judaism I did not know and many misconceptions I have had. I have learned a lot not only from this assignment but from the class in general. Judaism is based from many centuries of tradition and does not have an actual leader who makes decisions on how things are to be run nor does anyone decide if there are changes should be made. It is considered both a religious and ethnic group, which can be confusing for people who do not know very much about Judaism. Judaism was named as an ethnicity in the 1980s by the United States Supreme Court so they could be covered in the anti-discrimination laws that would protect them. Over the years the Jewish people have had many...
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...related to the study of religion. Week Two: Indigenous Sacred Ways • Describe the importance of relationships to indigenous religions. • Identify examples of roles and observances held sacred by indigenous peoples. Week Three: Hinduism • Describe the Hindu philosophical systems and forms of worship. • Explain the origins of Hinduism. Week Four: Buddhism • Explain the origins of Buddhism. • Describe Buddhism’s theological foundations and spiritual practices. Week Five: Daoism, Confucianism, and Judaism • Compare and contrast the theological foundations and spiritual practices of Daoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. • Explain the origins of Judaism. • Describe Judaism’s theological foundations and spiritual practices. Week Six: Christianity and Islam • Explain the origins of Christianity. • Explain the origins of Islam. Week Seven: Monotheistic Religions • Compare and contrast the theological foundations and spiritual practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Week Eight: New Religious Movements & Religion in the 21st Century • Compare and contrast new religious movements with well established religions. • Estimate the impact of religious pluralism and the interfaith movement on the future of organized religion. Week Nine: Making Connections • Communicate with people of different religions about their beliefs and practices. Course Materials Fisher, M. P. (2005). Living religions (6th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. McInerney...
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...Running head: A Brief Look into Jainism and Judaism A Brief Look into Jainism and Judaism Tammy Chace Strayer University REL212 Dr. Travien L. Capers July 31, 2013 A Brief Look into Jainism and Judaism While studying different religions I became fascinated with Jainism and I have always been interested in Judaism. In this paper we will take a look at the basic origin of each religion and several of their foundational spiritual beliefs. We will then look at a few spiritual practices of each religion. We will look at an example of how each religion is practiced today. Jainism Jainism dates backs to the 6th century B.C.E. in India. The religion derives its name from the jinas, meaning conquerors, a title given to twenty-four great teachers , through whom their faith was revealed. Mahavira, the last of the tirthankaras, is considered the founder of Jainism. The ultimate goal of Jainism is the liberation of one’s self from rebirth, which is attained through the elimination of accumulated karma. This occurs through both the disciplined cultivation of knowledge and control of bodily passions. When the passions have been utterly conquered and all karma has been removed, one becomes a Jina, or “conqueror", and is no longer subject to rebirth. Jainism conceives of a multi-layered universe containing both heavens and hells. Movement through these levels of the universe requires adherence to the Jainism doctrines emphasizing a peaceful and disciplined life. These principles...
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...old college student, and I am Jewish. Being a Jew means that I believe in Judaism, which is a monotheistic religion. According to Satlow, M. L. (2006) Judaism is an ancient religion that involves a broad spectrum of theological positions and practices, with the Torah as its foundational text. The Torah is part of the Hebrew Bible, a larger text, also known as the Tanakh. Judaism is not only a religious belief, but it also incorporates the culture of the Jewish community. There are also a few different approaches to Judaism that include: Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform Judaism of which I partake in, (Question 1) A typical day for me might sound a little surprising to most people who know little about Reform Judaism because they assume differences. My day consists of nearly the same activities of most other college students my age, except our religious beliefs may differ. (Question 2) I wake up and get ready for the day. I go to school and socialize with other students. After classes I come back home and do homework. I play video games, hangout with friends, work out at the gym, and get on social media. Every week I attend Shabbat services, which is similar to attending a church service, except there is no mention of Jesus, and sometimes the prayers are said in Hebrew. Other than that my day is not much different than many others. Sometimes my friends ask me questions about certain traditions of Judaism, and how I celebrate them. (Question 6) During specific holidays and events...
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...Israel to God. The last book, Ketuvim, contains poetry, theology and drama. The Hebrew Bible is thought of by Christians as the Old Testament. This is because all of the teachings found in it are before Jesus Christ. You can find the prophecy of Jesus’ birth in Isaiah 7:14 2. Describe the major similarities and differences between the four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist). How are these four groups distinct from one another? The similarity between all four is very simple. They are all very proud of their faith and view it not only as religion but as a life style that they identify themselves as Jewish before anything else. Each one does have strong values and want to better their religion. The differences seem to be more in where they interact with the world outside their communities. In Orthodox Judaism, you will find the traditionalists. They do not believe in altering the Torah in anyway. The other side of that is Reform Judaism. They want to adapt the rituals and laws to fit into the modern world. In between those two you have Conservative Judaism. Here there is an understanding that there is importance in both areas, upholding the...
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...Contemporary Issues within Judaism and other Religions Contemporary Issues within Judaism and other Religions Introduction for paper - We will take a look Historical connections and theological similarities There has been fighting within Israel since the beginning. The battle can be referred to as a Holy War. "Holy war," sanctioned or even commanded by God, is a common and recurring theme in the Hebrew Bible” ("Judaism101", 2011). Jews in Israel want to have their country as God intended them to have, their “Holy Land.” The Jewish Holy War continues because inhabitants of Israel fight amongst themselves about who is truly entitled to the Holy Land. Holy War for another religion that originated in the same area, Islam, is completely different. Holy War for Islam is more about completing a mission. Islam is a religion similar to Judaism; however Judaism began before Christianity and Islam. Judaism is one of the first modern religions that are monotheistic. Judaism, Islam and Christianity each have that characteristic in common. Jewish people believe the Torah is the chief book that should be followed for their religion. The Torah is similar to the Old Testament in the Christian bible. The Torah does not promote Jesus as the messiah as the New Testament does for Christians. On the other hand, some Jewish people actually do believe in Jesus. Many Jewish Jesus believers belong to the organization Jews for Jesus. The group Jews for Jesus believes and promotes...
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