The Fundamental Difference between Judaism and Christianity - Essay Example

Theology: First of all, when preparing for a final exam, advice from one’s piers can be quite useful. If one particular source in question has beengiven mixed reactions from individuals studying the same material that I am, I would still look over the source while keeping in mind that the source may very well be relatively useless to me. Certainly when studying and embracing Christianity, it is important to understand the views of other religions as well. This provides one with an understanding of where others may be coming from in their differing religious views from one’s own. Additionally, if one is attempting to share information about their religion to another, in hopes of guiding that individual to accepting that religion (Christianity), it is helpful to have an understanding of differing religions for the purpose of being able to answer questions. After reading the encyclopedia exerts in question, I feel that first of all, the page discussing Buddhism is quite vague and brief. In the different texts that I have reviewed regarding Buddhism, I have found that it is more of a mind set or a philosophy rather than a religion. There is no deity in Buddhism other than the belief that one’s own self is god. I believe that if I had not known this information prior to reading the exerts, I would have been misled by the information that this particular encyclopedia offered. To be more specific, I would have read this exert and perhaps assumed that Siddhartha (“the Buddha”) was a deity or rather a person who was later upheld as a deity for Buddhists much like Christ in the Christian faith. Sidartha or “the Budha” is not considered a deity but more like a prophet or a teacher. With that, I feel that the exert was somewhat loosely put together and uninformative. It is my belief that the core of most religions is not just a deity or a group of rituals, but is rather more like a goal or set of goals. In the Christian faith, it is believed that Christ is the son of God and that if we are loyal to the teachings of the Bible as well as accept the birth and death of Christ, we will surely go to heaven. This is a goal, a light at the end of the tunnel. The description or definition of Buddhism that I just read, led me to assume that perhaps enlightenment was the Buddhists’ goal however, it is not clear on what enlightenment really is. How can one be striving for something that is undefined or obscure. We would not work at a job 40 hours a week with no assurance as to the amount or even existence of our compensation. Religion is much the same. Granted, many cling to religion in part, to be a good person by adopting a set of moral codes dictated by that particular religion that they have chosen. Without moral codes, we would be no different than animals. These exerts do not clearly establish the journey or path of these religions therefore making it extremely unclear as to why anyone is convinced of their legitimacy. My overall comprehension of this particular portion of the encyclopedia exert leads me to feel wholly that it is poorly assembled and void of clarity. Similarly, the page dedicated to Hinduism, simply throws a bit of history around and the indication that “rituals” are common in Hinduism. I am still at a loss for the centrifugal deity(s) of this religion. It is probably common knowledge that Hinduism is composed of many deities, but an elaboration on that aspect would have been quite helpful in educating someone studying up on Hinduism. The description of Islam and Judaism seem a bit more concise as they left me feeling more as though the information had been comprehended adequately by the author and also by myself as the reader. 2) Religion is indeed, an often very personal choice and subject. The long time question of whether or not religion(s) should be taught in an academic setting, is ongoing. Some individuals feel strongly that the teaching of religion in an academic setting will offend those who are of a religious persuasion different from the one(s) being discussed. An example of this can be Judaism. The religion of Judaism follows the teachings of the Old Testament, but does not accept the New Testament as truth or fact. Primarily, the fundamental difference between Judaism and Christianity, is that in Judaism, the Messiah is thought to have not yet come while Christians believe that Christ was the Messiah and has come already. Therefore, the religion of Judaism does not recognize Christ as the son of God. If Christianity and the topic of Christ’s life and death becomes a topic, than those who strongly believe that this is a non truth, will possibly be offended in a classroom setting. Similarly, those who follow the religion of Christianity, believe firmly that there is but one God and that placing any other god or idol before Him, is a great sin. The teachings of a polytheistic religion such as Hinduism would most likely be offensive to Christians. Given these things to consider, it is safe to say that if everyone in the class embraces his or her own religion, then a general agreement can be made throughout the group and with the instructor, which would be respectful of all religions being represented. This agreement would insure that simply the discussing of the facts and history of each religion will be acceptably taught without any type of persuasion taking place from one classmate to another and so on. The facts of Hinduism could be effectively taught and discussed without doing so in a preachy or biased manner. It is important to gain knowledge about things, even if one is opposed to the general ideology of the subject. For example, if one embraces the religion of Islam, they must understand the general beliefs of Christianity and Judaism in order to make an educated decision about opposing the principles of said religions. This can be assimilated to learning about historical events based on certain beliefs such as the holocaust. Naturally, when we sit down in a classroom to learn the historical details surrounding the holocaust, we do so to become educated and knowledgeable about the subject. We do not learn about the facts surrounding the holocaust so that we may adopt the ideology of Nazism and fascism. In fact, we learn about these events in order to prevent history from repeating itself. When embracing Christianity as a central belief system, it is wise to learn about other belief systems if for no other reason than to understand where others are coming from and how that type of ideology differs from Christianity. Allowing for a class to take place which educates individuals on the premise of various religions, is just as important as learning about the world’s history and various cultures which are specific to geographical locations. Knowledge is power and by gaining knowledge, one can actually gain strength and confidence about the religious belief system specific to them. Simply learning about other religions should be something that each and every individual is open to doing, in order to better understand their own beliefs and principles which stem from their respective religion. Lastly, it is important to note that denying the teaching of various religious perspectives is not entirely far off from ideology of the past where governments forbade the teachings of religions which differed from the one that was observed by that particular government. The Nazis claimed to embrace Christianity and strongly opposed Judaism. Millions of Jews suffered and died because of their roots and their religion, simply because they were Jewish. Countless women were burned at the stake during the Salem witch trials, for allegedly taking part in something which Christianity opposed. The crusades of multiple centuries managed to massacre millions who did not accept Christianity. In Biblical times, many were savagely slaughtered for refusing to renounce their faith in God. Christ himself was crucified for refusing to redact His statement of truth that He was the son of God. In short, when we start to limit teachings of diversity because we fear the influence of “too much” knowledge, we walk a dangerously thin line which borders persecution and religious censorship. Read More