Theology of Worship: The Judeo-Christian Tradition - Essay Example

Theology of Worship: The Judeo-Christian Tradition (Fill in with your information etc Theology of Worship: The Judeo-Christian Tradition Judeo-Christian (or Judaeo-Christian) is "a term used to describe the body of concepts and values which are thought to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, and typically considered a fundamental basis for Western legal codes and moral values." ("Wikipedia", 2006). The term Judeo-Christian was invented in the United States for reasons regarding an attempt to create a non-denominational religious consensus or civil religion that, by embracing Judaism, avoided the appearance of anti-Semitism. "The notion of 'Judeo-Christian religion' is an unquestioned - almost sacrosanct - part of both secular and church thinking." (New Dawn Magazine, 1994). The aim of this paper is to further discuss the matter of the Judeo-Christian tradition in regards to Britain. By thoroughly addressing the subject matter, we can come to a clearer and more understanding view on the topic. This is what will be dissertated in the following. In the discussion of the Judeo-Christian tradition, the originating and contemporary religions which are involved must first be confabulated. Judaism and Christianity - the two religions involved - while there are similarities, each do have their own qualities and factors which define them; and these must first be known and addressed. Judaism is one of the first ever recorded monotheistic faiths, and one of the oldest traditions still practiced in the present day. The most important religious principle in Judaism is the belief in a single, omniscient, omnipotent, omni benevolent, transcendent God, and according to Jewish thought, the God had a covenant with the Jewish people, and the practice of Judaism is devoted to the study and observance of God's commandments. The religion of Christianity is a monotheistic religion which is fundamentally based on Jesus' life, actions, and teachings. Christianity is considered to be the 'one true faith', and is easily the world's largest religion Separate entities of the Christian tradition include: baptism, the Eucharist (communion), matrimony, Holy Orders, confirmation or Chrismation, penance and reconciliation, and the Anointing of the Sick. Many Protestant groups overtly do recognize these traits of Christianity, and Anabaptist and Brethren groups would agree with the Protestants. Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Old-Catholic, and many Anglican and Lutheran Christians hold the commemoration of these rituals together, and do not contradict them. In the Christian tradition, acts of personal piety such as prayer, bible reading, and attempting to lead a moral lifestyle should all be recognized and respected aspects of the religion. Moral and spiritual progress is supposed to only occur through the gift of the Holy Spirit and with God's help. Christians' primary and most represented belief is that by sharing in Christ's life, death, and resurrection, they die with him to sin and can be resurrected with him to new life. Christianity actually emerged from Judaism, as its origins are literally intertwined with Judaism, and hitherto from this the religion of Christianity carried over many of the Jewish fundamentals and beliefs onto the Judeo-Christian tradition; it is from this that began the actuality of the tradition. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are all religions that are considered to be Abrahamic religions, as the tenets and history of Judaism are the major part of the foundation of these other religions. Since the end of the Second World War much of society in general - church leaders and scholars in particular - have claimed that our society is based on a supposed 'Judeo-Christian tradition'. Although the notion of a Judeo-Christian religion is unquestioned by most, including American Christian leader Professor Franklin H. Littel, a vocal supporter of the Zionist state, who frankly declared that 'to be Christian is to be Jewish, there are some who think otherwise. Take for example the astute Jewish writer Joshua J. Adler, who believes that such a decidedly Christian outlook is wildly simplistic and profoundly a historical. According to Adler, "The differences between Christianity and Judaism are much more than merely believing in whether the messiah already appeared or is still expected, as some like to say." The term Judeo-Christian has been around for ages, and has often been criticized for "implying more commonality than actually exists." ("Wikipedia", 2006). It has also been criticized by some for excluding or marginalizing Islam, the third major Abrahamic religion. Since the beginning use of the term Judeo-Christian, and primly due to the conceived fact by some that the term excludes certain religions, several other terms have been used in order to fully incorporate religions such as Islam into this umbrella: Judeo-Islamic and Judeo-Christo-Islamic. Although the term Judeo-Christian clearly implicates and incorporates both religions - Judaism and Christianity - the two religions have both areas of agreement and areas of sharply defined ethical and religious systems which are in some ways quite opposite. A key problem regarding the Judeo-Christian tradition is that generally neither Jews nor Christians want to have certain personal traits removed by an oversimplification. "Opponents of this term claim that the concept collapses these important differences, and affects a modern appropriation of Jewish identity to Christian values. They point to the traditional Christian claim that Christianity is the logical progression of, and heir to, Biblical Judaism, as precedent." ("Wikipedia", 2006). Another problem with the notion of a Judeo-Christian tradition is in regards to the fact that neither Judaism nor Christianity is monolithic. "There is no single 'Judaism', as there is no single 'Christianity'. Instead, there are wide variations on a theme concerning belief and practice among individual Jews and Christians and between different Jewish and Christian groups (indeed, there exist some Jews and Christians who hold that other Jews and Christians are not in fact the same religion)." ("Wikipedia", 2006). Some Jews have actually denied there ever being a Judeo-Christian tradition. It is these people who tend to argue that instead, the tradition came out of American Protestant liberalism, and not out of the facts of European history. "The patriarchic period is one of the most exciting and creative periods in the history of Christian thought. This feature alone is enough to ensure that it will continue to be the subject of study for many years to come." (McGrath, p.8). On this note, there are many obvious conclusions which can be drawn from the Judeo-Christian tradition as a whole. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the often unnoticed fact that the two religions - Judaism and Christianity - are strikingly separate in many ways. Both religions have various separate views, complex and dynamically separate past histories, and widely diverging characteristics. Neither religion wants their separateness to go ignored or forgotten altogether for that matter. Instead, while both are favorable towards the togetherness of the two religions, they are both also equally concrete on keeping and continuing on with the separate traits each shares. Each and every one of these personal point of views must be fully understood in order to truly comprehend the entirety of the Judeo-Christian tradition. There are many other Christian traditions. All Christians have at least one type of tradition, whether that refers to the Baptist, reformed, or even the 'anti-tradition' tradition. Catholic and Orthodox are two of the most common other Christian traditions. Both assume most of the regular Christian entities and traits and with of course a few separate ones of their own. Catholics are usually associated with the Roman Catholic Church, and make up about half of the estimated 2.1 billion Christians. As the Christians do, Catholics too believe in Jesus and in the reading of certain sacred texts - such as the Bible - and have possession of the 'threefold ordained ministry' of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. They too believe that the church is the vessel in which to teach the learning of Jesus' life and actions, as well they believe in the veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus and of worship for God. The word 'orthodox' is actually derived from the Christian word 'orthodoxy', and the concept of orthodoxy can be taken in many forms: Eastern Orthodox, Western Orthodox, and Central Orthodox (to name a few). The Catholic Church actually considers the Eastern Orthodox to be in schism, whereas the Eastern Orthodox perceives the Catholic Church as being the first Protestants. Overall the mainstream viewpoint and approach to the Judeo-Tradition is peaceful and accepted, and the similarities of the two merged religions are highly relative; both religions believe in the same God, and both tend to emphasize historical heritage and religious continuity with the ancient spiritual lineage of the Jewish people. As well, Jews and Christians have many sacred texts and ethical standards in common. It is truly critical to hold both the similarities and differences at large when attempting to come to an understanding in regards to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Bibliography McGrath, Alister E. 2001, Christian Theology: An Introduction, Blackwell Publishing, Malden. Alister E. McGrath's book on Christian Theology was a key part in writing this paper. McGrath thoroughly discusses the entirety of the Christian tradition; the doctrine of God, Christianity and the world religions, and philosophies and theologies of religion are all clearly discussed in this book, and it was an essential factor in the research process for this essay. New Dawn Magazine. 1994, 'The Myth of a Judeo- Christian Tradition', New Dawn Magazine, no. 23. Retrieved January 25, 2006, from http://informationclearinghouse.info/article4803.htm The article on Judeo-Christian tradition in this article was a highly intellectual and inspiring article. Beginning at the very beginning of the entirety of the Judeo-Christian tradition, a main aim of this article was to discuss how similar the religions of Judaism and Christianity are, while also pointing out the contradictory traits each religion contains. "Wikipedia", Judeo-Christian. Retrieved January 26, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judeo-Christian_tradition Wikipedia is a multilingual Web-based encyclopedia. Written collaboratively by volunteers, the project of Wikipedia began on January 15, 2001, as a complement to the well-know Nupedia, and currently has over 3.2 million articles, with more than 846 000 registered users. Wikipedia has strong points of view from all sides in the matter of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and you come away with an extremely educated understanding after reading about this subject matter on this site. Read More