Wk5ProjTaylorN RELG 2001C

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Dec 6, 2023

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A Comparison of World Religions Nicole Taylor Walden University RELG 2001C Dr. Jamey Heit November 14, 2021

A Comparison of World Religions Religion is a “set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to belief and worship of a controlling force such as a personal god or another supernatural being” (Very Well Mind, 2021). Not all religions focus on a god or super natural forces, however; Judaism is one religion that does focus on a god, and is one of the world’s oldest religions dating back some 4000 years ago. “ Followers of Judaism believe in one God who revealed himself through ancient prophets. The history of Judaism is essential to understanding the Jewish faith, which has a rich heritage of law, culture and tradition” (History, 2021). Growing up as a Christian, we incorporated the God of the Jews, but Christianity took it a step further, and believed God sent his son named Jesus to redeem the world from its sins. Jewish people do not believe Jesus came to redeem the world from its sins, they believe he was a prophet. I believe people participate in religion to help with ethical logic, make sense of day to day living and believe in a higher power that fulfills a personal void. Jewish people participate in Judaism because “they believe God appointed the Jews to be his chosen people in order to set an example of holiness and ethical behavior to the world ” (BBC, 2021). Thousands of years ago the Jews was motivated to participate in Judaism because they were persecuted and lived as slaves in Egypt, and was not allowed to worship God. “Their leader was a prophet called Moses, Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the Holy Land that God had promised them” (BBC, 2021) so they could worship God without being persecuted. The Jews remember their escape from Egypt by celebrating every year in the festival of the Passover. T oday the Jews participate in Judaism because it is a family-based religion that makes them feel apart of not just their families but all Jews from around the world.

The point of studying religion is to explore a variety of understanding. Studying religion is a primary way for people to explore the human understanding of why we exist. Researching religion helps one have a chance to learn how others understand why we exist and our purpose in life. The Jews study Judaism because “because it communicates ultimate truth—truth about God, truth about the world, and most important, truth about how God wants the holy community of Israel to live” (My Jewish Learning, 2021). The modern scholar now researches for information and not necessarily the truth. The modern scholar usually wants to study religion for their own self-gratification, and usually get information from unreliable sources. The contemporary scholar recognizes any ancient document must be study with extra care, and aim for more reliable sources. Religious studies are conceptually exciting because it provides access to the puzzle (mystery) of religion. Some lessons we can take from studying religion is understanding life, death, what is love/hate, as well as understanding what it is to be human. Some lessons we can take from studying Judaism is “ there is one God, incorporeal and eternal, who wants all people to do what is just and merciful. All people are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect” (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2014). We can also take from Judaism praying about decisions that will affect your daily life, getting to know different cultures by understanding something simple as food and why that religion eat certain foods, global complexity, understanding on how your government feels about certain religion rules. What I took from studying Judaism is education. The Jewish faith is big on education, so their practices are learned and understood. I also learned the Jewish faith believes Jesus is a prophet because their Messiah has yet to come, but will come to redeem the world in the future.

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