Wk5ProjTaylorN RELG 2001C
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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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Judaism has given contemporary society 10 ideas. They are “1. Monotheism, 2. The
Weekend, 3. Census, 4. Asylum, 5. Equality under the Law, 6. Court System, 7. Animal Rights,
8. Crop Rotation, 9. Monetary Damages, 10. Public Schools” (AISH, 2021). Judaism introduced
Monotheism to contemporary society by suggesting “the powerful notion that one God created
and rules the universe” (AISH, 2021). This was major because before Monotheism was
introduced it was thought an angry god “was seen to govern events at random, and had to be
appeased often in horrible ways, like child sacrifice” (AISH, 2021). Judaism introduced the
“concept of the Sabbath, the concept of a seven-day week is universal” (AISH, 2021). The
Census was introduced “
2,400 years earlier the Torah records a census of the Jewish people
(Exodus 30). After leaving Egypt, Moses organized a poll of the Jewish people” (AISH, 2021).
Asylum was introduced because the Jews “guaranteed protection from relatives of those they
were accused of killing and were safe from vigilante justice” (AISH, 2021). The Jews also
introduced Equality under Law by “proclaiming the dignity of every person: men and women,
rich and poor” (AISH, 2021). The Court System “Moses established four levels of courts, from
local precincts where people could go to petty disputes, all the way up to high courts that
oversaw the lower courts and decided the most difficult cases. The Torah and Talmud are full of
detailed instructions on treating animals with kindness” (AISH, 2021). Crop rotation even
today’s society reminds us God controls our land and lives. Monetary damages were introduced
to modern society because “Jewish law, in contrast, codified various categories of monetary
damages for a range of crimes, allowing those convicted of theft or negligence to pay off their
debt and resume ordinary life” (AISH, 2021). Finally, Public Schools was introduced to modern
society from the Jews, “in 64 CE, Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Gamla ruled that every Jewish child aged
six and up should attend school, whether their parents could afford to send them or not” (AISH,
2021).
Judaism is a positive cultural presence because “Judaism marked the beginning of a
revolutionary idea that laid the groundwork for social reform: humans have the ability and
therefore the responsibility to stop injustices in the world. The Jews were the first to decide that
it was their responsibility as the Chosen People to fight against inequality in the world. This
mentality revolutionized social reform and brought it into existence as a way for human beings to
positively shape their world. The ideas laid by the Jews continued to impact people for centuries
and are especially relevant in the modern world” (Fisher Publication, 2015).
Reference
AISH. 2021.
10 Ideas Judaism Gave the World.
Retrieved from
https://www.aish.com/sp/ph/10-Ideas-Judaism-Gave-the-World.html
BBC. 2021.
Moses.
Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/moses_1.shtml
BBC. 2021.
Religions.
Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/beliefs/beliefs_1.shtml
Fisher Publication. 2015.
The Impact of Judaism on Social Reform.
Retrieved from
https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1417&context=verbum
History. 2021.
Judaism.
Retrieved from
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/judaism
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2014.
About the Jewish Religion.
Retrieved from
https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/spotlight/pages/about%20the%20jewish
%20religion.aspx
My Jewish Learning. 2021.
Why do Jews Study Talmud?
Retrieved from
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/why-do-jews-study-talmud/#main
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Very Well Mind. 2021.
What is Religion?
Retrieved from
https://www.verywellmind.com/religion-improves-health-2224007