My Judaism Paper
So instead of writing my paper on Christianity, I've chosen to inflict you all with my paper on Judaism.
Judaism is one of the most influential religions the world has encountered. Not only has it spawned several denominations within the religion, but it has also given birth to the massive religious movements of Christianity and Islam. But how could a small group of nomads, who were in the throes of slavery for much of their existence, have such an impact on religious thought for western civilization? "By every known sociological law," writes Carl Mayer, "the Jews should have perished longs ago," (Smith, p. 304). What is it about Judaism that propelled its people past extinction? How does Judaism address the human condition? With humanity being nothing more than a grain of sand to the rest of the universe, why were the Jews special? How could a species so prone to sin be capable of connecting to God, or even be partly divine themselves? How could humanity, being as finite as it is, be capable of looking for something above and beyond this lifetime?
Most of the ancient world had beliefs and mythologies that revolved around polytheism or nature deities. The gods were seen as mostly apathetic towards humanity. What made the appearance of Judaism so vastly different from its contemporaries was its emphasis on a single omnipotent God, who was involved in humanities' strife and joy. Monotheism tied up all the lose ends of religious belief, and allowed the Jews to direct all their efforts to God. But unlike the religions of the east, God was seen as a parent. Mankind is his children, who he loves and punishes like a parent. By viewing God as a single anthropomorphic power, it is all the easier for an individual to feel close to "the other". It also makes it easier for Judaism to understand the demands God made of his people, and the love he gave them. While I have no qualms with approaching a higher power in a poetic sense, I do have a problem with people not being able to see beyond the façade of a human appearance. I'm especially displeased by the insistence that God must be a male father figure, therefore making it so women and motherhood have no place within the divine.
The Jews are fiercely devoted to finding a reason for why the world works the way it does. How could a human be able to know and understand something as transcendent as God? Judaism held that even though God is beyond the world, he is imminent because of his creations in the world. God breathed his own essence into Adam, thereby placing mankind just a notch below God himself. God even gave mankind the gift of creation, the act of speech being the main example, so he could more actively take part in creation. God's act of creating the world was an act of power and value; thereby, giving a reason as to why there was a world, and why we exist. But even in the idyllic paradise of Eden, Adam and Eve erred due to eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Humanity became confused once they understood the difference between good and evil. They also found it easier to justify evil deeds or just "miss the mark". Reason and logic were the real downfall of mankind according to Judaism. The argument for reason as original sin gives people a sense that it's not their fault they fail from time to time, as long as they try to aim true. God, even as an omnipotent being, has no hand in the moral evil that happens in the world. This proves that God is still caring and good. Personally, I have very mixed feelings regarding the assertion that reason was the cause of original sin world, and that it is totally the fault of man. If God truly is omnipotent, why did he even have a Tree of Knowledge to tempt Adam and Eve? And even if you think of the creation story as a metaphor, why did God allow humanity to be so easily corrupted by reason? Why not admit God had a hand in original sin?
Judaism places a lot of thought and consideration towards understanding history. "Judaism established history as both important and subject to critique. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (Smith, p. 285) If God is both omnipotent and omniscient, he must have a hand in controlling the events of history. The Jews saw history as another means to gain understanding of God. It was also a chance for God to teach his will to the Jews. The Jews also believed history presented once in a lifetime chances to individuals and the community to change the course of events and gave them a sense of control in a world that felt chaotic. While I find it contradictory that a world that is supposedly ordered by God to work the way it does, also needs his people to make a conscious decision to participate. I respect the Jews' courage to step up and interact with history.
While most religious principles are assumed to be rigid and unrealistic, the Ten Commandments are grounded by practicality. Judaism believes that for a society to be functioning and ethical, we need a solid groundwork of regulations and restraints. The Ten Commandments hold a strong hold on Western morality for good a reason. They still serve a grounded moral framework for even the 21st century. But I can't say the same for many of the biblical laws, especially in the context of the 21st century. Like most laws from ages long past us, it isn't always practical or beneficial to apply laws that may have made sense during one period in time, and try to apply them to our own without consideration. A glaring example would be the roaring debate over the many laws put down in Leviticus.
While the Jew's neighboring countries had religions that did not take up arms against the status quo, the Jews were very concerned with fairness and social justice. The prophets were the first to speak of injustices within their community and outside it. God revealed himself to the prophets, guiding them to change the wrongs he saw within the world. God not only demands justice from his people, he also has high standards. I have great admiration for a small group of oppressed people not only willing to point out the evil-doing within their own community, but also willing to take steps against it. Even the most impoverished person knew God demanded justice on his behalf. Unfortunately, I must question some of the validity of the prophets. If humans are truly fallen and easily misled by logic, how do we know the prophets did not taint the message of God? How do we know what is truly the voice of God, and what is an opinion? But I will give credit to the rabbis insistent on interpreting the Torah to better understand what God was trying to express.
Between being enslaved to being exiled, the Jews lived a life of suffering. The prophets found meaning within this. This was an opportunity for the Jews to learn from their mistakes and to love the freedoms they do have even more so. It amazes me that any people that went through all the tribulations the Jews did, could hold unto the faith in a loving and caring God. They consistently struggled against the flow of events just to survive, and yet hoped to eventually prosper. Even though I am a cynic about the idea of suffering being dictated by God for the betterment of people, I understand the psychological need to find hope in the darkest of situations so one can continue to live. But even if you look beyond there being an omnipotent God, everyone can learn to grow out of hardship and become a wiser, more appreciative person.
The messiah that the Jews speak of brings expectation for a better world by introducing hope, restitution, and progress. It was optimism for both political and spiritual matters of life. The differences were mainly concerned with how the messiah would appear to the world. Would it be an actual person? Would God directly intervene in life to bring earthly bliss? Could it even be the apocalypse? I believe this is one of the most misunderstood core ideas of Judaism, due to the belief the messiah can just appear as a person. Even so, most of Judaism disregards that idea nowadays. The idea of the messiah once again brings hope for eventual betterment in the world. One would assume this would hinder the Jews active participation in life to improve the world, but they still strive for social justice and peace within the world.
Judaism has no official creed, or leader. Much of Judaism revolves more around what they do, as opposed to what they believe. Their religious rituals and holidays are very ingrained into their culture and daily life. One is expected to participate in life, and enjoy it as a gift from God. I'm very fond of this aspect of Judaism. Not only does it emphasize enjoying worldly pleasures, it makes it an act of spirituality by sharing rituals and enjoyment with God. Life is something to be held sacred, not something to be dwindled away while hoping for an afterlife or another plane of existence.
The Jews defining moment was the Exodus. God had truly shown his compassion for his people, and power over the world during that moment in time. This was not a sense or assumption the Jews had about God. "It was God who showed the Jews his nature. God should be the subject of the assertion, not its object." (Smith, p.305) The Exodus brought about a stronger amount of faith from the Jews, since they truly believed there was a God looking out for them.
The Jews were not singled out for their greatness, but chosen to serve and set an example for the rest of humanity as God's chosen people. "A rabbinic theory has it that God initially offered the Torah to the world at large, but only the Jews were willing to accept its rigors," (Smith, p. 308). The Jews themselves could not even tell you truly why God chose them. Being chosen did not immediately reap rewards, but instead pushed them to become better servants of God and their community. It also gave them a sense of their place within the world. The Jews have faced a vast amount of prejudice because of this belief, even though every nation, tribe, or communities' religion placed its followers above any other.
One can not deny the imprint Judaism has left on the world, due to its beliefs and culture. This monumental religion gave the world such impressive concepts like monotheism, literary religious culture, and the Ten Commandments. Judaism was possibly the most influential religious movement before the Common Era. And all of this came out of a small tribe of oppressed people. Even if one views their religion negatively, one must have respect for a people who have continued to prosper and influence the world the way the Jews have.
References Cited
Smith, Huston. The World's Religions. New York, NY: Harper-Collins Publishers. 1991.
Judaism is one of the most influential religions the world has encountered. Not only has it spawned several denominations within the religion, but it has also given birth to the massive religious movements of Christianity and Islam. But how could a small group of nomads, who were in the throes of slavery for much of their existence, have such an impact on religious thought for western civilization? "By every known sociological law," writes Carl Mayer, "the Jews should have perished longs ago," (Smith, p. 304). What is it about Judaism that propelled its people past extinction? How does Judaism address the human condition? With humanity being nothing more than a grain of sand to the rest of the universe, why were the Jews special? How could a species so prone to sin be capable of connecting to God, or even be partly divine themselves? How could humanity, being as finite as it is, be capable of looking for something above and beyond this lifetime?
Most of the ancient world had beliefs and mythologies that revolved around polytheism or nature deities. The gods were seen as mostly apathetic towards humanity. What made the appearance of Judaism so vastly different from its contemporaries was its emphasis on a single omnipotent God, who was involved in humanities' strife and joy. Monotheism tied up all the lose ends of religious belief, and allowed the Jews to direct all their efforts to God. But unlike the religions of the east, God was seen as a parent. Mankind is his children, who he loves and punishes like a parent. By viewing God as a single anthropomorphic power, it is all the easier for an individual to feel close to "the other". It also makes it easier for Judaism to understand the demands God made of his people, and the love he gave them. While I have no qualms with approaching a higher power in a poetic sense, I do have a problem with people not being able to see beyond the façade of a human appearance. I'm especially displeased by the insistence that God must be a male father figure, therefore making it so women and motherhood have no place within the divine.
The Jews are fiercely devoted to finding a reason for why the world works the way it does. How could a human be able to know and understand something as transcendent as God? Judaism held that even though God is beyond the world, he is imminent because of his creations in the world. God breathed his own essence into Adam, thereby placing mankind just a notch below God himself. God even gave mankind the gift of creation, the act of speech being the main example, so he could more actively take part in creation. God's act of creating the world was an act of power and value; thereby, giving a reason as to why there was a world, and why we exist. But even in the idyllic paradise of Eden, Adam and Eve erred due to eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Humanity became confused once they understood the difference between good and evil. They also found it easier to justify evil deeds or just "miss the mark". Reason and logic were the real downfall of mankind according to Judaism. The argument for reason as original sin gives people a sense that it's not their fault they fail from time to time, as long as they try to aim true. God, even as an omnipotent being, has no hand in the moral evil that happens in the world. This proves that God is still caring and good. Personally, I have very mixed feelings regarding the assertion that reason was the cause of original sin world, and that it is totally the fault of man. If God truly is omnipotent, why did he even have a Tree of Knowledge to tempt Adam and Eve? And even if you think of the creation story as a metaphor, why did God allow humanity to be so easily corrupted by reason? Why not admit God had a hand in original sin?
Judaism places a lot of thought and consideration towards understanding history. "Judaism established history as both important and subject to critique. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (Smith, p. 285) If God is both omnipotent and omniscient, he must have a hand in controlling the events of history. The Jews saw history as another means to gain understanding of God. It was also a chance for God to teach his will to the Jews. The Jews also believed history presented once in a lifetime chances to individuals and the community to change the course of events and gave them a sense of control in a world that felt chaotic. While I find it contradictory that a world that is supposedly ordered by God to work the way it does, also needs his people to make a conscious decision to participate. I respect the Jews' courage to step up and interact with history.
While most religious principles are assumed to be rigid and unrealistic, the Ten Commandments are grounded by practicality. Judaism believes that for a society to be functioning and ethical, we need a solid groundwork of regulations and restraints. The Ten Commandments hold a strong hold on Western morality for good a reason. They still serve a grounded moral framework for even the 21st century. But I can't say the same for many of the biblical laws, especially in the context of the 21st century. Like most laws from ages long past us, it isn't always practical or beneficial to apply laws that may have made sense during one period in time, and try to apply them to our own without consideration. A glaring example would be the roaring debate over the many laws put down in Leviticus.
While the Jew's neighboring countries had religions that did not take up arms against the status quo, the Jews were very concerned with fairness and social justice. The prophets were the first to speak of injustices within their community and outside it. God revealed himself to the prophets, guiding them to change the wrongs he saw within the world. God not only demands justice from his people, he also has high standards. I have great admiration for a small group of oppressed people not only willing to point out the evil-doing within their own community, but also willing to take steps against it. Even the most impoverished person knew God demanded justice on his behalf. Unfortunately, I must question some of the validity of the prophets. If humans are truly fallen and easily misled by logic, how do we know the prophets did not taint the message of God? How do we know what is truly the voice of God, and what is an opinion? But I will give credit to the rabbis insistent on interpreting the Torah to better understand what God was trying to express.
Between being enslaved to being exiled, the Jews lived a life of suffering. The prophets found meaning within this. This was an opportunity for the Jews to learn from their mistakes and to love the freedoms they do have even more so. It amazes me that any people that went through all the tribulations the Jews did, could hold unto the faith in a loving and caring God. They consistently struggled against the flow of events just to survive, and yet hoped to eventually prosper. Even though I am a cynic about the idea of suffering being dictated by God for the betterment of people, I understand the psychological need to find hope in the darkest of situations so one can continue to live. But even if you look beyond there being an omnipotent God, everyone can learn to grow out of hardship and become a wiser, more appreciative person.
The messiah that the Jews speak of brings expectation for a better world by introducing hope, restitution, and progress. It was optimism for both political and spiritual matters of life. The differences were mainly concerned with how the messiah would appear to the world. Would it be an actual person? Would God directly intervene in life to bring earthly bliss? Could it even be the apocalypse? I believe this is one of the most misunderstood core ideas of Judaism, due to the belief the messiah can just appear as a person. Even so, most of Judaism disregards that idea nowadays. The idea of the messiah once again brings hope for eventual betterment in the world. One would assume this would hinder the Jews active participation in life to improve the world, but they still strive for social justice and peace within the world.
Judaism has no official creed, or leader. Much of Judaism revolves more around what they do, as opposed to what they believe. Their religious rituals and holidays are very ingrained into their culture and daily life. One is expected to participate in life, and enjoy it as a gift from God. I'm very fond of this aspect of Judaism. Not only does it emphasize enjoying worldly pleasures, it makes it an act of spirituality by sharing rituals and enjoyment with God. Life is something to be held sacred, not something to be dwindled away while hoping for an afterlife or another plane of existence.
The Jews defining moment was the Exodus. God had truly shown his compassion for his people, and power over the world during that moment in time. This was not a sense or assumption the Jews had about God. "It was God who showed the Jews his nature. God should be the subject of the assertion, not its object." (Smith, p.305) The Exodus brought about a stronger amount of faith from the Jews, since they truly believed there was a God looking out for them.
The Jews were not singled out for their greatness, but chosen to serve and set an example for the rest of humanity as God's chosen people. "A rabbinic theory has it that God initially offered the Torah to the world at large, but only the Jews were willing to accept its rigors," (Smith, p. 308). The Jews themselves could not even tell you truly why God chose them. Being chosen did not immediately reap rewards, but instead pushed them to become better servants of God and their community. It also gave them a sense of their place within the world. The Jews have faced a vast amount of prejudice because of this belief, even though every nation, tribe, or communities' religion placed its followers above any other.
One can not deny the imprint Judaism has left on the world, due to its beliefs and culture. This monumental religion gave the world such impressive concepts like monotheism, literary religious culture, and the Ten Commandments. Judaism was possibly the most influential religious movement before the Common Era. And all of this came out of a small tribe of oppressed people. Even if one views their religion negatively, one must have respect for a people who have continued to prosper and influence the world the way the Jews have.
References Cited
Smith, Huston. The World's Religions. New York, NY: Harper-Collins Publishers. 1991.