Judaism

I learned a lot of facts about Judaism that I had previously been ignorant to. I had no idea that we (Christians & Jews) maintained the same bible (The Old Testament) but that we interpreted certain events differently, such as Adam and Eve. “In Judaism, each and every human being is free to choose good or evil because each person stands before God in the same relationship that Adam and Eve did” (Esposito 77). I was unaware that Judaism did not believe in “original sin.” I had no knowledge of the fact that Jews did not believe that Christ was resurrected from the dead. I found it interesting how Jews have split into separate groups – Reform Jews, who believe that Judaism is a cultural inheritance and that neither the laws nor beliefs are necessary. The Conservative Jews, who believe in strict obedience to most laws, but that belief in God is not the point. The Orthodox Jews, who believe in the literal reading of the Torah and strict obedience to the laws. Finally there are the ultra-Orthodox Jews, a radical group, that have attempted to separate from the non-Jewish and secular worlds because they refuse any type of compromise with modernity. “In the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox, their secular, Reform, and Conservative brethren are not really Jews, and Orthodox Jews are not orthodox enough” (Esposito 80). I found it amazing how the world was trying to get rid of the Jews but in doing so they helped them to survive by keeping them together. “Jews were forced to live in segregated quarters called ghettos” (Esposito 106).

I was also unaware as to the horrific past Jews have suffered. I knew of the Holocaust but I was unaware of the other atrocious historic events that have marred their life such as the Crusades where Jews were forced t...

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...vivid reminder of Christianity’s early hostility toward Islam” (Esposito 256-257). I found it even more distressing that the history of Christian deceit did not end their. Muslims remember hearing of freedom and independence but in all actuality, “…it was an independence of artificial creations” (Esposito 266). No one was really concerned with their independence as much as they were concerned with controlling their oil. Muslims also are unable to forget “…the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, now often called the Six-Day War” where “The Arabs experienced a massive loss of territory…” (Esposito 267).

It is amazing to me the history of these three religions and how completely uneducated most people are to all three of the religions. How can we be expected to be tolerant of one another and our differences if we do not fully understand and appreciate the history of each other?