Criterion C: Summary of Significant Findings The interview with Rabbi Weiner proved to be very illuminating, and quite a bit about the meaning of ethics in Jewish monotheism was displayed. When asked why Jews place such importance on following the halakha, Rabbi Weiner said, “Ethics is the core of Judaism because of the Covenant that Abraham made with God. It’s not enough simply to believe in God, one must act in a moral manner in order to truly be considered ethical from a Jewish perspective.” (Weiner). He also described Jewish ethical monotheism as a sort of “Covenantal Ethics”, in which the many commandments given to the Jewish people by Adonai form the essence of Jewish worship and study (Weiner). A personal relationship and belief in …show more content…
As the prophet Micah says in the Tanakh, “He [Adonai] has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness...” (JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh, Micah 6:8). With the Jewish origin of ethical monotheism established, the other half of the research question could be explored. One verse from the Book of Romans in The New American Bible, sanctioned by the Catholic Church, provides a good example of a contrasting view of monotheism from that of Judaism. Paul remarks, “…we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (The New American Bible, Romans 3:28). Unlike in Judaism, the Catholic faith perceives a central belief in God to be more central to monotheistic belief than following holy laws. This perspective is stated very simply by Jesus Christ himself, as he says in the book of Mark, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (The New American …show more content…
The origin of ethical monotheism for all of the Abrahamic religions lies in Judaism, where Adonai is the one true God. While having a strong belief in God, as Rabbi Weiner said, certainly deepens the Jewish faith from a religious perspective, the halakha is what actually serves as the ethical center of Judaism. The hypothesis based off of early research predicted that this would be the case, but the interview with the Rabbi as well as an examination of the Tanakh confirmed this position. It is with Catholicism, however, that the significant findings contrast somewhat with the hypothesis. From the research, it was predicted that Catholics would generally place more importance on faith as their holy center than on law, which is indeed the case. Jesus Christ died for the sins of humanity, and it takes more than just ethical action to repay that debt. Yet, in the hypothesis, the role that Biblical ethics has on the Catholic faith was not foreseen. Catholics view Baptism as one of the most ethical actions a person can undertake in their lifetime; and, though this sacrament is indeed a matter of Biblical law rather than faith, it still greatly informs their monotheistic beliefs. Though Catholicism definitely places more value on a firm conviction in God than Judaism, it cannot simply be written off as a religion with no need for ethical
The moral law is a code of ethics which are intended to guide Jews into ethical choices in keeping their pride as God’s creation. Honouring one’s parents, for example, is ethical and a moral duty as it comes from the Ten Commandments known as the Mitzvot which derives from the Torah. Also the Halachah which also comes from the Torah represents the bond between tradition, ethics and morality. The Tradition holds the moral and ethical principles of the Halachah were given by Moses to the prophets of the Hebrew bible. This influence demonstrates to Jewish adherent that they need to ensure that those in need receive the help and support from other Jewish individuals. Hence, this is how the moral law prescribed by God is a key principal belief in Judaism and in the lives of Jewish
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Judaism as well as its offshoot and formation into the Christian religion both place great emphasis on the notion of their monotheistic God as revealed in the early scriptures. To them God has revealed Himself as the one Lord of all. Evident in the first Commandment that was
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons (Colossians 3:23-25, KJV).
Ethics is a branch if philosophy that deal with ideas about what is morally good and bad. Ethics act as tools, giving us guidance when we need to make important decisions in personal and professional situations. There are biblical inferences that can relate to most if not all situations that we come across in our daily lives. God will not put us in any situations that we cannot be triumphant in. If the Bible is an absolute in all of these theories, so is Jesus Christ.
Ethics can be defined as ‘Human moral conduct according to principles of what is good or right to do’. In Christianity there are certain ethical teachings, mainly The Ten Commandments, Beatitudes, and Jesus’ commandments of love. The Ten Commandments are derived from the Old Testament which defines what people must do in order to serve God faithfully and gives direction on how to live a life according to the covenant and in essence to be a good Christian person. In the New Testament the Beatitudes and Jesus’ commandments of love are found. With love being the main concept of these teachings, they and the Ten Commandments can be seen as alike as they
The monotheistic belief of Judaism recognises that God is omnipotent, omnipresent and pure spirit. The concept of the oneness of God, is expressed through the Shema which is an affirmation of faith Jews proclaim, commencing with “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”- Deuteronomy 6:4. This
The term "Ethical monotheism" can be broken down into two meanings: 1. There is one God from whom emanates one morality for all humanity. 2. God's primary demand of people is that they act decently toward one another. When it comes to the relationship between Jews and Ethical monotheism, it is expected of Jews to be the ones closest to holding its values. In some important ways, this is true. Jews do hold that God judges everyone, Jew or Gentile, by his or her behavior. This is a major reason that Jews do not force their religion on others or try to convert people to view their same opinions: Judaism has never believed that non Jews have to embrace Judaism to attain salvation or any other reward in the afterlife.
The creation myths of these religions indicates that they are all monotheistic. In the Judeo-Christian account of creation, God created heaven and earth and separated the light from the darkness, on the first day . On the second day, He separated the waters from the sky. On the third day, He created the land and vegetation. On the fourth day he made the Sun, Moon and stars. On the fifth day He created the creatures of the seas and the birds. On the sixth day
Monotheism and polytheism are two very different belief systems. Monotheism is the belief in one god and polytheism is the belief in more one than one god. The concept of morality can and does exist within cultures that have only one god, as well as cultures that have multiple gods. Without morality, the world would be a place of extreme chaos and pandemonium. However, the foundation for morality within polytheistic religions is quite contradictory to the foundation for morality with monotheistic religions. Morality within polytheism is somewhat inconsistent and relative; whereas in monotheism, morality becomes more consistent and absolute.
Ethics refers to a system of moral standards that guide the decision for human conduct of what is right and wrong based on everyday life situations, usually in terms rights, obligations, benefits, fairness, or virtue. Ethics is used as a formal guideline for conducting business in order to minimize pain to the greater number of people as a whole. The principles of ethics come from the knowledge and understanding of the word of God, the Bible. It tells us how we ought to think and behave toward one another considering first, how we want to be treated. For instance, we have the right to freedom of speech as long as we don’t insult the integrity of others. In addition, God gives us examples for how make right decisions and
If one was to ask the question, “What do ethics mean to you?” These responses would be likely to follow. “Ethics is what my feelings tell me is right or wrong.” “Ethics have to do with my religious beliefs.” “Being ethical means following the laws.” Those replies would be expected. Many do relate ethics with their feelings, but it is not a matter of following feelings. In fact, we will often times stray from living ethically if we were guided by our feelings. Although religions urge high ethical standards, if ethics were limited to religion, ethics would only apply to religious people. Following the law is not the same as being ethical. Ethical standards may be incorporated in the law, but laws, won’t always conform to
Levinas central idea is to "love your neighbor as you love yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). Ethics is central to how human beings are to live. According to Levinas, ethics is the primary philosophy and not metaphysics. Ethics is more important than abstract ideas like knowing or being. To express our love of God is to have an ethical responsibility towards others.
Monotheist believe we can only discover “why we are here” through our Creator. Our creator is the only who reveals our purpose and can release authentic joy. The answer to “Why Am I Here” rest on the relationship we build with the Creator. Furthermore, monotheist believe their Creator has given them a conscience to comprehend right from wrong. On the other hand, Judaism, Christianity and Islamic have varying views of values. Jews derive their moral codes from the Torah and the Jewish commentaries. Christians ethics come from the Old Testament and New Testament teachings. Muslims developed their ethical teaching from parts of the Old Testament, New Testament, Koran, and teachings from their Islamic sects. Additionally, monotheist believe we
Henceforth it says to treat everyone with love and the way we expect others to treat us.