Premium Essay

Monotheistic Religion

Submitted By
Words 997
Pages 4
Jews are strictly monotheistic believing in the one transcendent God of all Nations that is beyond the comprehension of man. The Shema declares, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Judaism understands the God created everything, he is “the Lord, and there is non else. I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil.” (Isaiah 45: 6-7) God is continually engaged in his creation, thus creation is ceaseless. God is perceived to have divine power, empowering the children of Israel, thus he is omnipotent yielding his power with humility, allowing the children of Israel (Jewish believers) to choose between good and evil. God is omnipresent and ubiquitous existing everywhere, present in every …show more content…
Jews are forbidden to represent God in any physical form due to monotheistic providence of the one creator of all living things and who demands ethical behaviours from all humans. A person who accepts idolatry is blaspheming Hashem as the Torah firmly concludes “You should not make yourself an Idol or an image” and “One who sacrifices to a God except to Hashem only shall be destroyed”. The sin of the Golden calf was not due to individuals choosing to worship another deity, but by representing God in a physical form. However when the Bible speaks of the hand of God or humanistic emotions, we understand it to be applying metaphorical human characteristics to better comprehend the eternal …show more content…
Humans are given ‘free will’ with the soul motivating man to seek good, the fundamentals of Judaism. However man has a dual nature with an inclination of either pursuing “life and prosperity” or “death and adversity” (Deuteronomy 30: 15,19). The universe's purpose is to allow ‘man’ to improve himself, enhance creation through actions practicing virtue and justice in God's image. By doing good deeds and obeying God’s will they will enter his presence, following the Noahide Laws. These laws forbid adultery, blasphemy, murder, theft, sexual misconduct, cruelty to animals and a demand for justice to ensure people live in harmony, as these are perceived as a barrier to a real relationship with God. These laws validate that God is a God of all humankind, by abiding these laws and serving God ‘man’ can live in a harmonious nature close to

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Monotheistic Religion

...The followers of the three monotheistic religions are often called, as a whole, “the people of the book” because of their almost genetic way of passing down and ‘mutating’ each other’s stories and scriptures–or ‘genes’–over the millennia. This way of referring to these groups implies that they treat each other like family, but they don’t always act as such. Current conflicts between Muslim extremists and the Jews they kill or drive out of their newly seized lands have raised doubts about the moral compasses possessed by such extremists and how those beliefs could have descended from their abrahamic ancestor (Pullella). In the realm of Judaism and Islam, the religious moral compass’s magnetic north is weighted based on the definitions of...

Words: 1033 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Religion Monotheistic Religion

...1. Is the religion monotheistic or polytheistic? What are the deities called? A: Islam is strictly monotheistic. There is no way around it. They only worship one god and that is who they stick with. Some sects of islam might be polytheism but the original religion is all about one god. There true god is Allah and that is the one that they worship and follow. Islam does not have any deities because they don’t believe in other gods and they only worship and are loyal to one god, Allah. 2. Who found the religion? When? A: Muhammad was the one who founded the religion. He was the prophet and the one that everyone referred to as the founder. It was founded in the year 622 CE. Islam means submission. The teaching of Muhammad is what brought...

Words: 879 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Monotheistic Religions

...will find religions have similarities despite individual practices.” Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all relate to each other, yet all have distinct differences. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three monotheistic religions that share many beliefs. Jews and Muslims stress the singularity and unity of God, addressing one all-powerful God and through him all things are made. Christians share this belief, however, difficulty arises when identifying Christianity as monotheistic when trying to understand or decipher God as the Holy Trinity and Jesus as the Son of God. According to all three religions, God is the origin of existence and He alone provides basic rules for guidance. Universally, God is merciful and through God one is given strength to be more like what one ought to be (Christ, Muhammad, etc.). All three religions believe humans are superior creatures on Earth and were made in God’s vision, created with mystery, allowing for growth and discovery. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam claim to have received the final revelation; through a scholarly standpoint one can see the three are intertwined; sharing origins, history, beliefs, and future. Judaism and Christianity both acknowledge the Bible, Prophets, and Jesus; despite the conflicting views of Jesus as the Son of God and Jesus being a “false Prophet.” Islam acknowledges Muhammad and the Qur’an as the final revelation, yet Muslims acknowledge Jesus as a Prophet. Ultimately these three monotheistic religions believe...

Words: 357 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Major Monotheistic Religions

...Christianity A major monotheistic religion with the singular deity being “God”, in their text however he is believed to have three forms known as the Holy Trinity. This now major religion sprouted from traditional Judaism. Similar to the Jewish, most Christians practice religion in a large building, for Christians it is called a church, where they gather together to worship as a congregation. The accredited founders of their Bible, Peter and Paul, took a majority of the Jewish text and eventually added their own writings along with texts written by other disciples. While the Old Testament, the Jewish text, is filled with teachings of many wise men throughout biblical history, the New Testament is made up of letters and writings of the disciples, Luke,...

Words: 540 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sikhism: Monotheistic Religion

...REVIEW! Unlike other early religions , Sikhism is a monotheistic religion. Nanak does not allow the practice of casts system , however, modern Sikhs are divided along cast’s lines. Sikhs encourages its believers to be active in the community. The most important holy site of the Siks is the Temple of Amritsar EVALUATE: I. TRUE OR FALSE: Write the word TRUE if the statement is correct. If the statement is incorrect, write the word FALSE. _________1.Traditional Sikhs believed in the caste system. _________2. Sikhism believed in may gods or Politheistic religion. _________3. Sikh is active in gaining new converts to practice the religion. _________4. Divorce is allowed the Sikh religion _________5. Gurdwaras are open to all people from...

Words: 1297 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Christian Bible: Monotheistic Religion

...REVIEW Christianity is a monotheistic religion which can be traced to Judaism The Christian Bible is composed of the New Testament and the Old Testament. Jesus is believed to be the Messiah of the anointed one base on the predictions of the Old Testament. Christianity is the large religion in the world today. EVALUATE: I. Fill in the Blanks with the correct word. Choose your answer from the boxes. A. Jesus Christ Bethlehem Judea Christianity Nazareth 6 B.C.E.- 29 C.E. Jesus of _________________ was born in _________________a province of ___________ . He was born at around______________. He founded the religion called __________________. B. Apostles Creed Son of God Holy Spirit Heaven God the Father Judgment Day...

Words: 836 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

What Are The Three Monotheistic Religions

...Public Relations and Religion The media is a dangerous place when it comes to informing the public about accurate information regarding news, culture, events, and history. As an executive media specialist at CNN I decided to sit down and go over a very pressing topic with other specialists about three monotheistic religions that are skewed across the media. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are three major monotheistic religions in the world. It is important that each of these religions are accurately portrayed across the media because there is a growing dissonance over truly understanding a religion and the followers it has. Today I will be discussing in this report four key points about these three religions. I will be explaining each religion...

Words: 1198 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Zoroastrianism: Definitive Monotheistic Religions

...Zoroastrianism is believed to be one of the world's primitive monotheistic religions. Founded by the Prophet Zoroaster in prehistoric Iran about 3500 years ago. It embraced many Iranian gods merging both polytheism views and monotheistic doctrines. It is believed that many Zoroastrianism views were introduced later into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Views and understanding that is said to originate through Zoroastrianism. Some of the views that Zoroastrianism holds that can also be found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is the view of one god who is all just and compassion. Also the battle between God and Satan. Another influence that is said to have come from Zoroastrianism that other monotheistic religions also picked up was the...

Words: 258 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Monotheistic Religion

...The religion known as Christianity began in Judea, which is present day Israel. After the religion began, it spread around the world mostly due to the Roman Empire and apostles such as Paul (Early Christians, n.d.). Holy sites in Christianity include Jerusalem, where Jesus Christ died and rose again on the cross and Bethlehem, which is the place where Jesus was born. Another holy site is Nazareth, which is where Jesus Christ grew up as a child and today where the largest Christian church in the Middle East is located. Rites of Passages/Rituals A confirmation in Christianity is where an already baptized person strengthens their relationship with God and becomes a full member of the Christian community. During this ceremony, the individual...

Words: 1224 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Monotheistic Religions

...Student’s Name Instructor Name Class Monotheistic Religions Over the years religion and political issues have coincided, one influencing the whole result of the other as it is evident presently. In line with this pattern, every day political decisions run parallel to the people's religious convictions. The results of the interaction between religion and politics can be seen reflected through the news and different media outlets. It should be noted that no nation has been spared of the effects of religious politics because religious legislative issues inside of a nation might significantly influence issues in another nation with a totally diverse point of view toward religion, governmental issues, and the issues being referred to. Thus, there is an ever-increasing need to make a global "analytic map of faith," with the capacity to adequately explain the location and influence of these religions on human behavior. Such map proves to be a significant tool to explain why a particular religion is associated with specific behaviors or actions. Religious beliefs are diverse across the globe. Although majority of people are of the belief in the presence of one supreme God (Monotheism) others believe that there are multiple gods. Another sect believes in no God at all (atheism). Owing to this diversity, setting up a global analytical map of faith proves to be a challenging task. Nevertheless, the three popular monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) are a superb benchmark...

Words: 2081 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Monotheistic Religion

...Monotheistic Religions Paper HUM/130 Dr. Donald Howard David Carradine June 10, 2012 Describe how Judaism understands God. “The term "God" which is used in reference to the Creator is considered sacred, thus according to Orthodox Jews at least, all care and respect should be undertaken towards any paper or scroll which has the term printed upon it. In obedience to Gods Commandment the Jewish faith does not allow any image or icon of God. Consequently the only way that is left to "see" God is through verbal imagery. The issue of conflict between God's Commandment and the use of images within the Torah, which is regarded as God's word, can be explained satisfactorily by Jewish teaching in my opinion. Also it is acceptable within reason to use imagery regarding God, so long as proper decorum, respect, reverence and strict guidelines and understanding are followed by believers. It must be understood however that although the Jewish understanding of God may permit the use of imagery, God must never be represented by any direct image. The roots of this belief, predominant in Jewish beliefs, stems from the book of Exodus, "You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth”. You shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Exodus 20: 3-5). This is an absolute vital Commandment in God's eyes. His law is not to be taken lightly for fear of the consequences; later in Exodus we are sufficiently...

Words: 1334 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Christianity Is A Monotheistic Religion

...Christianity is a monotheistic religion based around Jesus, who is believed to be the son of God. He was born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary. Christians follow the laws of the Bible which has two parts-the Old and New Testaments which are broken up into chapters called books. The Old Testaments starts with the creation of the universe and ends right before Jesus enters the world. The New Testament is about Jesus’ life. Christians believe Jesus died on the cross to save our sins; this was called the Crucifixion. Today there are over 1 billion Christians made up of many different denominations of the Christian church. The 3 largest denominations are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. Catholicism is the largest group of Christians...

Words: 266 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Judaism: A Monotheistic Religion In The World

...Judaism is a monotheistic religion of the Jews and it is the oldest religion in the world. Judaism began about 4000 years ago in the Middle East. Judaism became about with the relationship between God and Abraham. Abraham is the father of Judaism and he brought about the central idea of the belief of Judaism. Judaism has many beliefs but they have some main beliefs. The main beliefs of Judaism are the Ten Commandments, the Thirteen Principles of Faith, Human Nature. God promised Abraham and his wife Sarah that he would have kids as plentiful as the stars in the sky and they would live on their own land which is called the Promise Land. God’s promise did become true. Abraham had a son named Isaac and Jacob who were called the Israelites. God...

Words: 843 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Appendix H Monotheistic Religions

...Axia College Material Appendix H Monotheistic Religion Elements Matrix | Judaism | Christianity | Islam | Countries of origin | * Judaism started at Mount Sinai in Arabia according to history; however, Israel was to be the homeland of the Jews. | * Originated in eastern Mediterranean throughout the life of Jesus Christ, in addition to it becoming the major religion of the Roman Empire by the end of the 4th century | * Islam derived from Mecca before the prophet Muhammad journeyed to Medina. * Arabia which is recognized as being the country of derivation; even so, In addition, Islam was developed inside of Egypt and Iran. | Historical figures and events | * Abraham, first Patriarch of the Israelites, was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s demand. * God commanded Abraham to discontinue this sacrifice because he had proven his fear of God, and this took place just before the sacrifice. * King David * Fall of Jerusalem * Holocaust | * Birth of Jesus Christ * Jesus Christ, known to be the son of God and the savior of humanity, was viewed as a political threat to the Roman Empire. * Crucifixion of Jesus | * Muhammad is known as the prophet of God. He becomes The Prophet at age 40. * Abraham, Ismail, and Hagar built the Ka’bah, the holiest of temples, in Mecca. * Muhammad documented the words of Gabriel the angel, and those words became the first words of the Qu’ran. * Muhammad conferred a truce...

Words: 724 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Jewish Faith: A Monotheistic Religion

...Members of the Jewish faith live by several principals relating to monotheism. They believe God exists, He is one, and is eternal, the Alpha and the Omega. Despite the Jewish bible referencing the existence of other Gods, I still believe it is a monotheistic religion. In two of the referenced scriptures, Jacob is speaking to his household and others of the Jewish faith: "So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments;" Genesis 35:2 Jacob is telling them to get rid of the foreign gods and their God is the greatest of all Gods. In a sense Jacob is acknowledging there are other faiths who believe differently, but the Jewish faith is the...

Words: 294 - Pages: 2