...Judaism has millions of followers around the world. There are basically three major movements in the U.S. today: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. Some people also include a fourth movement, the Reconstructionist movement, although that movement is substantially smaller than the other three (Bender). In this essay I will examine in detail the differences between the four main branches of Judaism as practiced in the United States. The Orthodoxy is made up of several different groups. It includes the modern Orthodox, who has largely integrated into modern society while maintaining observance of Halakhah (Bender). The Chasidim, who live separately and dress distinctively (Bender). Yeshivish Orthodox, who are neither Chasidic nor modern (Bender). The Orthodox movements are all very similar in belief, and the differences are difficult for anyone who is not Orthodox to understand. They all believe that G-d gave Moses the whole Torah at Mount Sinai (Rich). This includes both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. They also believe that the Torah is true, and that it has come down to the believers intact and unchanged. Reform Judaism does not believe that the Torah was written by G-d. Many non-observant, nominal, and agnostic Jews identify themselves as Reform because it is the most liberal movement, but that is not really a fair reflection on the movement as a whole (Bender). They also believe that the Bible was written by separate sources and redacted together (Rich). Reform...
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...Judaism is a religion I knew absolutely nothing about before reading for this assignment. I am still trying to grasp everything and this was a little more complicated to understand then Islam. I did find many things interesting considering the only information I knew, was of the Jews and the Holocaust. This helped me to understand what a Jew was and the religion of Judaism. Judaism contains the idea that there is one belief, and that belief is that of one God, one ultimate creator of all things. From Huston Smith’s Book The World’s Religions, I gathered that Judaism is about praising one creator. The creator they worship is God and they give him full respect and responsibility for everything. I really like the point he makes about how we all derive from someone else. He talks of us being a product of our parents and our parents from their parents. This line of generations would go back for decades but eventually someone (God) had to create a human(s) to get the grandparents and parents. This illustrates that there is one original creator. With this point, Smith brought up the question of God creating the whole universe…this was really turning in my head. From previous schooling, I have been informed about the big bang theory and this “theory” explains that the universe was created by a collision of stars and gases. One of the hardest things for me to do in this class is going to be to separate the science, or the proof, from the accepted religious beliefs of that faith. ...
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...religious dialogue. Their theories turn out to be quite similar, with Cohn-Sherbok’s proposal actually fitting into one of the categories Gilkey proposes. Like many other theories of religious pluralism, their ideas tend to conflict with established religious ideas and may not be feasible for actual use in interfaith conversation. However, Gilkey finally concludes that in order to figure out a pluralist model for religious dialogue, it must first be observed in practice, rather than putting forth proposals that are conflicted in reflection. In the end, the best step towards religious pluralism is in practice, rather than in thought and reflection. Cohn-Sherbok, from the Judaic perspective, starts with the basics, with the history of Jewish inclusivism, before he turns to show how that could turn into pluralism. He explains how, before the Holocaust, Judaism has had a comparatively tolerant attitude towards other religions, while still believing that Judaism was the one true faith. They did not condemn other religions for their practices, as their prophets said that in the end of days all people would accept their God (Cohn-Sherbok, 121). After the Holocaust however, Jewish thinkers distanced themselves from Christianity (Cohn-Sherbok, 123) Unlike the exclusivist view of Christianity, Jews have a long tradition of toleration, with the belief that God’s will extends to other faiths, even while they are the chosen people (Cohn-Sherbok, 124). Even with a history of relative religious...
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...Introduction to Theology 13 December, 2015 Reflection: The Sermon On The Mount Abstract The purpose of this research is to examine the significance of the Sermon of the Mount and how it relates to me personally. It is important to recognize that the principles underpinning Judaism is not a single belief instead a variety of belief systems. Through my research, I have drawn parallels and differences between Judaism and Christianity with respect to their belief system, and worldview. The paper affirms that Judaism has had a profound influence on the overall lifestyle, social interactions, cultural practices, and the religious history for the Jewish community. Introduction What does Judaism mean in the life of a Jewish person? In order to properly analyze “Judaism” one must first understand both the origin and the significance of the term Judaism. The term was first used in the intertestamental period by Greek-speaking Jews to distinguish their religion from Hellenism. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Judaism is defined as “a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions.” Simply put, Judaism is the intricate religious and cultural history for the diverse people known as the Jewish community. Judaism plays a significant role and is influential on...
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...Tishrei symbolizes God is judging everyone and the world. The letters of Tishrei in Hebrew spells the word beginning. The month of Tishrei is the month that felt like the beginning of a new year to many Jews. In the Bible, Tishrei is the month of the strong. In the Jewish calendar, there are many holidays in the month of Tishrei than any other month, such as Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot. All the holidays are holy and important to the Jewish religion. In this paper, the Jewish holy day, Sukkot will be described, and include the time of year, the historical origin, the associated religious practices, and Theological or cultural differences that might lead to differences in the observance of the holy day by the various branches of Judaism Sukkot In the month of Tishrei, Sukkot is the harvest holiday. Sukkot is on the 15th day of Tishrei, which is five days after Yom Kippur. The Israelis celebrated Sukkot for seven days however; the Jews outside of Israel celebrated for eight days. Sukkot is a Hebrew word meaning, huts, or booths. On this day the Jewish would give thanks for the fall harvest. Sukkot also refers to the 40 years the Jewish wandered in the desert after Sinai. Sukkot reminds the Jews how God provided and protected them in the wilderness. According to history, Sukkot...
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...Bioethics Reflection In my opinion, religion and beliefs are an important part of a person’s individuality. Beliefs can control how a person perceives what is moral and ethically right. Belief systems, whether they are Christian, Judaism, Buddhism, or others, can influence how an individual acts, speaks, and makes certain decisions. There is a line between religion and medicine and it is drawn mostly by today’s society. Today society has taken religion out of the schools, out of the government, and many other places. It is important to realize the significance of religion for individuals no matter where or what they do. This discussion focused on the overlap of religion and medicine and whether they should even overlap at all. In my opinion, if you are a Christian or of another religion, that will govern how you do things and how you perceive what are the right decisions to make. It is evident that each person thinks differently from others and I believe that this is due to certain beliefs that are a part of that individual. Doctors have extremely important roles in society. They have actual lives in their hands meaning they must do all things that are in their power to keep a person alive. Regardless of how a person believes, a doctor or other medical professional should use all the knowledge and information they have to best treat a patient in need of care. In this case study, I believe that the doctor was doing all that he could to give the best care to his patient...
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...in the Tanakh May 1, 2009 Professor Name World Religions Introduction The Christ of Christianity made radical claims in regards to his relationship to Judaism. Jesus was no timid Jewish rabbi. He claimed that he was the fulfillment of the entire Jewish Tanakh! Luke quotes the Christ as saying, “all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44) Jesus reinterpreted Jewish symbols and re-applied them to himself. (Wilson, 55) The many followers of Jesus today are still offending Jews by claiming that the Jewish religion is incomplete and no longer salvific without the incorporation of the Christ. Modern Jews reject the application of the prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Tanakh that the Christians typically apply. However, there is strong evidence that Jews in ancient Pre-Rabbinic Judaism interpreted significant amounts of historical portions of the Tanakh to be subtle prophecies (Edersheim, 163). The Christians claim that God left subtle footprints of the Messiah in many non-explicitly Messianic portions of the Tanakh and even in ancient Jewish tradition and society. The more convincing of these claimed prophetic footprints will be presented and evaluated. The Hebrew Deliverer Archetype According to Milton Steinberg in Basic Judaism, modern Jews who anticipate an individual human Messiah believe that when he comes, he will do all of the things expected of him in one event. No ‘second coming’...
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...Reform Judaism Tamara Rice Instructor: Eric Speir REL 212 March 11th, 2012 Background Over a month ago when I selected the topic of Judaism as the subject for my field research paper, I thought that the outcome would be cut and dry. I knew that Judaism served as the foundation for my own faith (Christianity) and that Jews honored the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. I also had in my mind the imagery of the Star of David, the Torah scroll and the male rabbi in the synagogue donning a prayer shawl over his shoulders and a kippah on the crown of his head. I believed that I had the general concepts of the Jewish faith in my mind; I just needed to witness a virtual worship service and fill in some of the minor details while gathering some additional intelligence on some misconceptions. So I decided to go over to the Ustream for “Shir Hadash” and witness a Community Shabbat (Sabbath) Service (Ustream, 2011). What I discovered watching the 2.5 hour Shabbat service followed by some additional research gave me a rude awakening. The impression of Judaism that I’ve carried with me up to this point is what is known as Orthodox Judaism. The Jews that I’ve witnessed in tight-knit communities in places such as Brooklyn, New York and Oak Park, Michigan were towns filled with Orthodox Jews. In addition to Orthodox Judaism, there is also Conservative Judaism. Conservative Judaism reverences traditional Jewish practices in America, but...
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...Salvio Silva REL 2250- Religions of the World- Fall Term I 2014 Professor Cassie Lipowitz September 28, 2014 Reflection Paper, Assignment #5 Judaism It is a fact that Human Beings depend on interaction with others to survive. In order to preserve the quality of such interaction, it is essential that moral awareness be part of society in general. It is also a fact that moral rules need to be established to keep us functioning as society. Basically, we all need to understand, and be aware of how far we can go to avoid damaging other people. Moral rules are necessary and exist to remind us of what is right and what is wrong. At the same time, they also protect us from being threaten by others possible intentions. Smith states in his book, The World’s Religions, that the Hebrew Bible contains 613 commandments to guarantee the integrity of the vital relationship among human beings. The commandments mentioned, cover four important factors of Human Beings lives believed to be the basic factors that dictates it. Without monitoring them, Human race existence would be jeopardized. It is interesting how force, wealth, sex and speech do have a huge impact in the way we rule our lives. It is doubtless that no having a moral control of each of these factors would probably make our lives impossible. I do believe in the importance of such guidelines. Although I agree with its accuracy because they can serve us as a reference, or a reminder of how to act in an ethical way, society itself...
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...C Septima Luke, Roshon Broomfield, and Anthony Lopez HUM/100 July 19, 2012 Preston Rodrigue Art Commission Statement Team C is developing a piece of art representing developments in world events and cultural patterns, past, and present in Judaism and Christianity. Jews and Christians will view this piece at the Christian and Jewish Interfaith Cultural and Historical Center; this piece will appropriately represent both faiths. Team C will discuss beliefs on how the piece will reflect Jewish and Christian concepts of humanity's relationship to the world and deity also how the piece will enhance intellectual and physical environments. Representations of developments in world events and cultural patterns past and present in Judaism and Christianity The designed piece placed in the new the Christian and Jewish Interfaith Cultural and Historical Center will promote unity among the Jews and Christians. A number of sensitive issues separated these two faiths. However, this piece will force both Jewish and Christian leaders to look past their differences and conflicts and seek a common ground. Doing this will give their children and followers a solid foundation to pursue their own religious journeys based on learning both Judaism and Christianity, respect for other religions, and a personal sense of spirituality and ethical values. Appropriate location for proposed piece Placing this piece in the entrance of the Christian and Jewish Interfaith Cultural and Historical Center...
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...A Concise Introduction to Islam: by Richard T. Nolan "ISLAM" is derived from the Arabic root salaama meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. Islam stands for making peace by submitting to the will of God and obeying His law. Jews and Christians view Islam as the latest of the world's great religions. However, worldwide Muslims (sometimes written "Moslems") understand their universal religion as the "final religion" and the "primal religion." As "final," Islam is God's final revelation of prophetic religion, in fulfillment of all that had preceded. Moses was given the Law; David was given the Psalms; Jesus was given the Gospel. Judaism offers God's message of justice, and Christianity proclaims the love of God. To Mohammed (570-632 A.D.; spelled in a variety of ways) the God of Abraham and Jesus revealed the Qur'an (Arabic for "recital," sometimes written Koran). The Qur'an, written in Arabic, is the Sacred Scripture of Islam, the perfection of all previous divine revelations, and is to be understood literally as the direct words of God. In this sense of scriptural literalism, all Muslims may be called "fundamentalists." However, when referring to the aggressive behaviors of a few, "militants" and "extremists" are better categories. Muslims believe in all prophets of the Bible. The Qur'an itself mentions the Torah and the Gospel as scriptures revealed by God to Moses and Jesus. However, the Qur'an indicates that over time, changes were made to the actual biblical texts...
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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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...Reflection and Insights on Personal Faith Oklahoma Wesleyan University Reflection and Insights on Personal Faith Imagine a faith so strong you believe in something you have never actually visualized. A faith that is so strong that you feel overwhelmed and calm at the same time. Faith that has grown over the last five weeks to a level that makes you believe you can share your knowledge of God with other people. Sharing knowledge of the Bible and God’s message prior to the last five weeks was a definite insecurity for me prior to this class. I will try to put into words how this class has benefitted my personal faith and some things that have been difficult to completely understand. The Bible begins with the book of Genesis. According to Life Application Study Bible, the definition of Genesis is the “beginnings” or “origins” (NIV). Genesis is the beginning of the creation of the world. Genesis is the “story of God’s purpose and plan for his creation” (NIV). Genesis is where faith also begins. Believers have blind faith in God that the heavens, earth, man, animals, Satan and sin were created, but not witnessed. To support this faith in God, we have the Bible. The Bible and growing up in a Christian household with parents who are true believers and followers of God, helps support my belief and knowledge in God. In Genesis, we learn that our actions and decisions have consequences. For example, Adam and Eve whom God created in His own image (NIV) were created...
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...Theo 104-D66 LUO 26 January 2015 Reflection Paper 2 Introduction: My second reflection paper will address the subject of Angels and Demons. Having little life experience with Christianity until being baptized in April of 2014, angels and demons were only in movies and not to be considered real or anything to really think about. Liberty University classes have opened my mind to a new world, church is not just for attending on Sunday and socializing with other like minded Christians but it is to contemplate a world beyond what is seen by man. Angels and Demons are real and with some serious study of the subject a person can see it all around and it having been all around since the beginning of time. Theological Definition of Angels: There are ten major theological areas of study and angels are part of that ten, this study is called “Angelology”. Scholars have many views about angels and some even ignore the subject all together but they are clearly documented in the Bible. According to Roman Catholic doctrine God is so powerful and at the sight of him a human will perish and that God created angels to serve as his liaison with the mortal world and act in God’s name, and since they do not have the tendencies of human flesh they serve as the bridge that separates the Holiness of God from the people of this earth. (KJV, Hebrews 1:14) Angels are essentially “ministering spirits”. Biblical Definition of Angels: Angels are mentioned in over thirty books of the Bible...
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...Abstract A reflection on religious monuments and their implements in their connection to their faith and use of prayer. This reflection uses Christian, Islamic, and Jewish religions as examples of study in the Medieval era. Welding Sacer and Profanus Religion is sacred, the cradle of the sacer, the faith that we intertwine within our reality, our profanus. It’s within our churches, our cathedrals, our temples, our synagogues, or our mosques that we connect the sacer and the profanus, the home of our prayers. Among the diversity of religions and beliefs there brings a multitude of holy sectors, each with their own composition of devoted art and architecture, their own contrivance to communicate and praise the godly. The construction of these sectors are genuine, their tiles and grooves not just contributing to an aesthetic but pious, they are symbolic of their faith. Synagogue is a word derivative of the Hebrew meaning for a house of gathering, it’s a shelter for gathered prayer and discussion (Soltes, 10, 5:25). Judaism practices the five books of Moses, the Torah, the Jewish Bible (Soltes, 10, 1:35). They pray facing Jerusalem, synagogue structure oriented to this, for they consider it the ultimate connection between profanus and sacer (Soltes, 10, 6:50). In particular synagogues, such as the Synagogue of Capernaum (4th century B.C.) we can see three doorways. These three entrances can refer to previous liturgical divisions, or are in remembrance of the three courtyards of...
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