Judiasm
Judaism was a parent of Christianity, and we probably know more
about it than any other religion, excluding our own, right off the top of our
heads. The ancestors of the Jews, called the Israelites, established a
kingdom in Canaan-the land of Milk and Honey. The Israelites first began
to see themselves in a special relationship with their God at about 1000
B.C.E. God had selected them to be a Chosen People. God had offered the
Chosen People a covenant, or special agreement. In this covenant, the
Israelites promised to worship only God, and in return God promised them
preservation throughout history and the land of Canaan. Canaan was later
called Judah, Israel, and Palestine.
Central to the understanding of the Jewish convenant is the
prosperous herdsman who heard and followed God’s call, Abraham.
Abraham answered God’s call and led his family from Ur of the Chaldees to
Canaan. Abraham mad a son, Isaac, and a grandson Jacob who also
inherited the convenant. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were called the
patriarchs, or the founders of Judiasm.
Moses, being one of the great religious leaders in history, God
revealed his name Yahweh to him. Yahweh means “to be” in Hebrew. The
events recorded in Exodus indicate that through Moses a new and deeper
understanding of God was revealed. The worship of Yahweh was unknown
before Moses. The Israelites as a whole began to realize that the God of
Moses was a very “jealous God,” who would not tolerate worship of any
other god.
As the book of Exodus opens, we find that the Israelites are slaves in
the land of Egypt. Exodus became the heart and soul of Judaism. Moses
is the key character in Exodus and one of great religious leaders in history.
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... branches. It has the full tradition of
Judaism. It calls itself the “Torah-True Judaism” because of its strict
adherence to the law of Moses. This stance seems to influence and shape
tis approach to theology. The second branch of Judaism is Reform. The
Reform branch is extremely liberal and call their houses of worship
“temples” and have begun to ordain female rabbis. They believe that the
Mosaic law should not be followed to closely. The reform Jews still only
believe in one God. The last branch of Judaism is the conservative branch
which lies in the middle of the Orthodox and the reform branches. They
retain the essentials of Judaism and hold that personal conscience must
be the final rule of life, and the always try to apply the Jewish tradition to
modern day life. Sometimes the conservative Jews are often times
professionals in the arts.
Hebrew religion began to give rise to Judaism after the destruction of the temple and the exile of Judah in 586 BC. The term "Jew," in its biblical use, is almost exclusively postexilic. The Jewish religion of the biblical period evolved through such historical stages as the intertestamental, rabbinic, and medieval to the modern period of the nineteenth century with Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism.
Religion has existed since the dawn of civilization and over time has evolved into the religions we have today. Today the most prominent religions are monotheistic, having one omnipotent god, and despite having many differences they share basic tenets of respect and kindness. Religions, such as Judaism, give explanations for the unknown, provide hope, and bring about a sense of community.
There are thousands of religions in this world, and of those, Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative. Throughout history Hasidism has not drifted from the rules and rituals of the 18th century. From the clothing, to the food, everything involved in Hasidic daily life is geared towards becoming closer to God. Around the world there are numerous Hasidic groups, and the largest population is in New York. Hasidic people live in small towns filled with members of the same group, and they all look towards their rebbe for guidance. The rebbe or the rabbi is the teacher of his followers and is responsible for inspiring his people. For Hasidic people everyday they must live by the 613 commandments of the Torah. Hasidic history, study, clothing, food, and communities prove that Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative and orthodox branch of religion for its time.
Mithraism is the ancient Roman mystery cult of the god Mithras. Roman worship of Mithras began sometime during the early Roman empire, perhaps during the late first century of the Common Era (hereafter CE), and flourished from the second through the fourth centuries CE. While it is fairly certain that Romans encountered worship of the deity Mithras as part of Zoroastrianism in the eastern provinces of the empire, particularly in Asia Minor (now modern Turkey), the exact origins of cult practices in the Roman cult of Mithras remain controversial (see below). The evidence for this cult is mostly archaeological, consisting of the remains of mithraic temples, dedicatory inscriptions, and iconographic representations of the god and other aspects of the cult in stone sculpture, sculpted stone relief, wall painting, and mosaic. There is very little literary evidence pertaining to the cult.
Judaism, the religion of the Jews, is one of the oldest religions in the world. Judaism in fact, is the oldest of the three major religions that believe in a single God. The other two, Christianity and Islam have been strongly influence by Judaism, which is a big part of western civilization today. In the beginning, Jews were a tribe, a band of nomads, more than likely shepherds that may have died out if they would have remained merely shepherds. Jews were one of many “nations” to be found in the ancient Near East.
The Roman Catholic Church dominated religion for many years in Europe and became an extremely powerful institution. Over the years, the Roman church became corrupt and immoral in many ways. The development of the Protestant Reformation, Lutheranism, was greatly influenced by political events in the years proceeding the 16th century. The declared aim of the original reformer, Martin Luther, was to restore the Christian faith as it had been at its formation, while salvaging what he considered valuable from the Roman Catholic tradition that had developed during the previous centuries. Luther broke the unity of the Catholic Church forever by exposing their faults and misguided notions. Lutheranism spread quickly due to the availability of the Christian Faith, as well as the close relationship between religion and the state.
Judaism, which originated in the middle east, is one of the oldest religions in the world. Judaism is the religion from where Catholicism and Islam have their roots. The main difference between Judaism and the previously mentioned religions is that Judaism is based on the old testament entirely excluding the new testaments in its teachings. Jews believe that they are the people chosen by God and that because of the covenant they have the duty, more than any other group of people, to keep the law of God. The law of God in Judaism comes in the form of the Torah. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, which are said to have been written by Moses, form the Torah.
life: the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule states “do unto others as you would have them do unto
but within individual schools of though opinions still differ. Jewish ethics is centered around ‘being godly’ however ‘godliness’ can only be expressed through interactions on a human level. The highest ideal of Judaism therefore is to protect human life. Saving human life takes priority over any other commandment. Jewish religion has a great desire to reduce or eliminate human suffering.
Theodicy, when it is stripped down to its base, is the human response to the question of the reasons a good God would permit the manifestation of evil. From the 1700s to the early 19th century, literary works of art in the form of novels have attempted to provide an answer to the complexity. With the turn of each century authors produced new and different rationales and viable solutions to the problem of evil. Two authors in particular, Rousseau and Flaubert attempted to tackle this topic in their renowned works of literature. Many cultural shifts were present at and during the time of these works, which had a significant impact on the theories and presentation within them.
Therefore, I need to obey God’s commandments and walk in his ways to achieve the eternal life as God promised the blessings to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Calvinism is the theological system of John Calvin who exerted international influence on the development of the doctrine of the Protestant Reformation (Warfield, 2004). Calvin and his followers marked by strong emphasis on the sovereignty of God, the depravity of mankind, and the doctrine of predestination. This system was developed as a biblical Christianity. It has stirred countries such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, England and America. Calvinist theology spread rapidly, and became the basis for many protestant denominations. These included the Swiss Reformed Church, The Dutch Reformed Church, The English Puritans, The French Huguenots, The Presbyterian and Congregational Churches, The Baptist Churches, and through them the Pentecostal Churches and Assemblies of God. Jansenism, a Catholic form of Calvinism, was condemned as heretical in 1653.
believe that God is the center of the whole universe and everyone should listen to the God.
Mankind should live according to his origin. Mankind should follow God’s commandments by reaching and educating all men on earth, telling them of their origin, and showing proof of God’s will in their lives. They should also be told that their decisions should be made on this side of eternity.
The three most predominant religions of our culture- Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, all have commandments or principles that they provide to their followers or believers. These commandments or...