Judaism and Christianity

What’s the difference, and how do we help to guide them to the truth?

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RS15 Unit 7 Lesson 1: Judaism

Research Paper (__/100 Marks)

In this lesson, you read about the characteristics of Judaism. You learned about how Jews are similar to and different from Christians and finally, how they have been persecuted by Christians.For this unit, there is only one lesson and only one assignment question and so it is a larger one. You are expected to research the topic; develop a strong thesis; and write a solid research paper (footnoting sources throughout) that also includes a title page and a bibliography.

Record in a three to four (double spaced) page essay your argument for how Christians should respond to Jews. Begin with a comparison between Christianity and Judaism. Use this comparison as a basis for an argument pointing to a proper attitude Christians should have towards Jews as well as ideas on how to present the gospel to Jews. Are there other obligations Christians have towards Jews as well?

Here is a checklist of the points that are to be mentioned in your essay:

X Comparison of two religions

X How Jews view God

X How Jews view Christ

X The three main branches of Judaism (don’t treat all Jews equally in your essay)

X The Holocaust

X The present nation of Israel

Be sure to use as many Scripture quotations as are helpful. Your mark will be based not only on your understanding of Judaism and Jews but also your understanding of God.

< Judaism and Christianity, two of the world’s largest religious groups, almost everyone

knows something about each, but how much do we really know? How different are they

really from each other? And how much are they the same?

Let’s start off with Judaism, starting with a list that contains some of their general beliefs,

held by some, but certainly not all Jews.

That God alone is creator

That He is absolutely one

That He has no body or bodily shape

That He is the first and the last

That only to Him may we pray and to no other.

That the words of the prophets are true.

That the prophecy of Moses is true, and that he is the father of all prophets.

That the Torah was given by Moses.

That this Torah is not subject to change, and there will never be another Torah from

the Creator.

That the creator knows all the thoughts and deeds of man.

That He rewards and punishes according to the deed.

That the Messiah will come; though He tarry, I will expect Him daily.

That the dead will be resurrected.

Again, those are the basic building blocks of the Jewish belief, and not all are believed by

every Jew. For example in the three Jewish branches, the Orthodox, the reform, and the

conservative, the reform Jews do not even believe that there will be a Messiah, and instead

a time of peace on earth that does not involve the Messiah’s coming to earth. The

conservative Jews hold a wide variety of views on God, even as to whether or not He exists,

which would certainly seem to contradict the first of the list of beliefs. It just goes to show

how varying the belief system is in the Jewish culture, as it is in our own.

http://www.jewfaq.org/g-d.htm

http://judaism.about.com/od/judaismbasics/a/whatdojewsbelieve.htm

Religious study 15, unit 7 lesson 1

Title: A spectator’s Guide to World religions: an introduction to the big five. Author: John Dickson Pages 89 – 128

Now let’s turn to Christianity and see what a general list of beliefs on their end looks like,

along the way I will be marking in red the areas that contradict the Jewish list of beliefs.

Christians believe that there is only one God

Christians believe in the Trinity

Depending on what denomination you look at, it is either believed that God has a

bodily form in one way or another.

Christians believe that God is the First and the Last (Revelations 1: 8 “I am Alpha and

Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Which is, and Which was, and which

is to come, the Almighty”. KJV)

We may worship (and thus pray) only to one God

We believe in what the prophets have written

We believe that what Moses’ wrote was true

We believe that Moses did write the first 5 books of the Bible

We believe that the Bible is not subject to change (Revelation 22:18-19 For I testify

unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add

unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if

any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take

away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which

are written in this book. KJV)

We believe that God knows both man’s thoughts and his heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 But

the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature;

because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the

outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. KJV and Psalm 139:1-4 O lord,

thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,

thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down,

and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O

Lord, thou knowest it altogether. KJV)

Depending on the denomination, we believe that God neither rewards nor punishes

us for our deeds to the extent that it is taken, God either helps and guides you, or

you refuse Him and allow satan to “help” and “guide” you, however God does

punish us when our deeds become so evil that there is no good left in us, as He did in

Sodom and Gomorra, and as He did to the people the Israelites were conquer.

(Psalm 103: 8 – 11 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in

mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt

with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is

high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. KJV)

We believe that the Messiah has come already, and the name of that Messiah was

Jesus, we also believe that He will come again at the close of probation to gather His

people. (John 14:1-3

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's

house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place

for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto

myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. KJV)

We to believe that the dead will be resurrected at the time of Jesus’ coming

As you can see there aren’t that many areas that the two religions disagree; however the

points that it does disagree upon are certainly major ones. Like the belief, or disbelief in

Christ being the foretold savior.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/basics_1.shtml

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs.htm

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+1%3A8&version=KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+22%3A18-19&version=KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16%3A7&version=KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139%3A1-4&version=KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+103%3A+8-11&version=KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A1-3&version=KJV

King James Version Bible

Religious study 15

Now that we have given a general coverage to the beliefs of each side, let’s focus in on what

Judaism is about in regards to God, and what they think Jesus actually was. As well as a

closer look at the three major branches of Judaism, and what each believes in regards to

the above topics.

Judaism and God, what do they believe? They believe a lot of things that are similar to

ours, They believe in there is a God that exists, and that He is the only one that does exist,

there is no other, and there are not multiple entities of God and is merely man’s finite mind

attempting to explain the infinite. It is believed that God is the creator of everything,

including evil and that satan was instead not the creator of evil. That although the Bible

speaks of attributes of God, such as hands (Isaiah 49:14-16,) feet etc. that since none of

these were physically observed by the prophets of the Bible, that God must then be a spirit

with no bodily form, and all of these descriptions are instead human error trying to

describe God to make it easier to understand God’s work, along with this that God is also

neither male nor female, but is only described in feminine, or masculine terms for

simplicity. God is also believed to be everywhere at all times, as well as all powerful, except

for the ability to force you to do something, that He is said to not be able to do. He is also

capable of knowing all, past, present and future, as well as our thoughts. God is both just

and merciful, both balanced in perfect harmony as well as eternal, God is, was, and what is

to be, He is Holy and perfect.

That sums up the general beliefs about God that are held by many, but of course not all

Jews.

Now however let’s see their views on Jesus, what He was, and why they don’t accept Him.

Generally Jesus is viewed as either a false Messiah or false prophet, He is viewed this way

due to the “fact” that Jesus did not fulfil the Messianic prophesy, He was supposed to

rebuild the third temple, return the Jews back to their homeland from which they were

scattered to, end hatred and bring world peace, as well as spread the word of God to all

humanity, uniting human kind as one. As well He did not meet the prerequisites for being

the Messiah, since He is said to have been born a virgin birth, He has no father, which

would go against the prerequisite that He is to be a descendant from King David. As well, it

is said that He did not observe the “Torah”, and frequently went against the

commandments claiming them to be not important in observing them, as well since the

general belief is that God is “one”, Jesus claiming He is the Son of God is blasphemy, and

also causes Him to be claimed a false prophet.

However Jesus isn’t fully thought of this way all around, He is sometimes thought of as a

good guy who helped lead the people closer to Torah observance.

http://judaism.about.com/od/judaismbasics/a/whatdojewsbelieve.htm

http://www.jewfaq.org/g-d.htm

http://www.openbible.info/topics/hand_of_god

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism's_view_of_Jesus

http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/jewsandjesus/

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2005/03/Why-Jews-Dont-Accept-Jesus.aspx

Religious study 15, unit 7 lesson 1

Now that we have covered the general beliefs of Judaism, and Judaism’s views on God, lets

over each of the three associations of Judaism, listed from oldest to newest; Orthodox,

Reform, Conservative, I will be writing a brief over view of history of each and the general

beliefs of each, as well as each associations views of God. As for their view of Christ, each

holds practically the same view, so I will not be enlarging on that at this time.

Orthodox, dates back to 2nd and 5th centuries, was the only version of Judaism until

approximately the 18th century, generally attempts to maintain the traditions of old,

and generally believes that the Torah was given to man from God directly. Believes

that God is a spirit with no form, He is omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, person

and compassionate.

Reform, Dates to the late 18th century, it was looking to modernize Judaism, and

thus stem the threat of assimilating upon Jewry in Germany. Generally believes that

the Torah a record kept by man to preserve the history, culture, legends and hope of

the people. Believes that there can be multiple views of the god concept, ranging

from naturalists to mystics, from supernaturalists to religious humanism, believes

that “the truth is that we do not know the truth.”

Conservative, dates back to the 19th century following the extremely assimilation of

the Jews during the Holocaust attempting to be a middle ground by adopting some

modern but keeping some traditional views. The Holocaust was a time in history in

which Jews among others races and nations were rounded up, concentrated in areas

then either killed by gas chamber, shooting, burning, among other forms of murder,

or sent to labor camps and killed later, most usually by starvation / lack of nutrition,

or the gas chamber when they no longer were able to produce. This is a major point

in Jewish history as it not only was a very difficult time but it also showed to the

world the great residence of the Jewish faith. There is no definite number to quote

as to how many Jews died during this time, but it has been estimated to be at least 6

million, however some say there could be more, and others less, all that is apparent

is that it was sad time in both Jewish and non-Jewish history, that I’m sure we all

pray will never happen again. Conservative Jews hold the belief that the Torah was

given to man by God, but was interpreted by man, and thus has a human element to

it. God is viewed in a flexible way, but not as much as reform is, He is also viewed in

a non-dogmatic view; however God is viewed in a non-person, ineffable point of

view.

http://www.shofarbetzion.com/01/thethreebranchesofJudaism.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust

http://judaism.about.com/od/denominationsofjudaism/p/branches.htm

Religious study 15, unit 7 lesson 1

Title: A spectator’s Guide to World religions: an introduction to the big five. Author: John Dickson Pages 89 – 128

So after hearing their beliefs, you would maybe come to the conclusion that if left to their

own devices they should still be a very quaint and peaceful country right? Well, not quite,

the current state of Israel is one of quite a bit of tumult and poverty stricken, many young

boys have trouble even finding work, the cost for basic goods continues to rise and barely

any one can even afford them from day to day. Not to mention that currently they are at

odds with Palestine, and it is turning into an all-out “war” to a degree between the two

nations.

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/cur_sit/

http://middleeast.about.com/od/israel/tp/Current-Situation-In-Israel.htm

With all of that said, the question comes up, “so how should we act towards Jews?” from

the Christian community. I will attempt at this point to answer this with the best of my

ability, and the best of my knowledge. I personally feel that how we should act towards

Jews is the same way we would, or should act towards each other as Christians. You should

treat them no different as you would to your fellow Christian; (1 Peter 3:15-17 But sanctify

the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you

a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that,

whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your

good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing,

than for evil doing. KJV) they are all God’s people whether or not they are on the “right”

path. Their religious views are very close to ours, as well, they, like we should also, have

studied the Bible very thoroughly, and have most likely grown up with it being a part of

their daily lives. It will most likely a very deeply rooted, in their daily lives, simply trying to

convince them of why their religion is wrong, or why they have been taught a partial lie all

of their lives will not work. If their beliefs were that easily changed, they would not have

made it through the Holocaust. Unless you provide an argument with a thorough

reinforced with scripture argument to them, they will not even begin to listen to you

because just a sour religion has been probably our only way of life, so has theirs, and you

are literally asking them to give that all away to go with something foreign that has no

guarantee of “success”. And during this entire time, you will be needing to pray a lot for

God’s guidance and for His help in helping this person to understand what you are saying,

not to mention lots of patients for that person as they are going through a very though time

during this, which will be causing a lot of questions and concerns to be coming to mind that

you will be needed to give answers to all of them With a heart full of Kindness (Ephesians

4:32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for

Christ's sake hath forgiven you. KJV). As hard as this may seem, it is our duty, and our

privilege to do this (Mark 16:15 - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach

the gospel to every creature. KJV), as we need to try our hardest to bring people to God’s

word before it is too late to do so.

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Spreading-the-Gospel/

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Acts-of-Kindness/

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3:15-17&version=KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A32&version=KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+16%3A15+&version=KJV

King James Version Bible

Religious study 15, unit 7 lesson 1

Bibliography:

Books: Title: A spectator’s Guide to World religions: an introduction to the big five. Author:

John Dickson Pages 89 – 128 King James Version Bible

Websites: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/basics_1.shtml http://www.jewfaq.org/g-d.htm http://judaism.about.com/od/judaismbasics/a/whatdojewsbelieve.htm http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs.htm https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+22%3A18-

20&version=KJV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139%3A1-

4&version=KJV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?

search=1+Samuel+16%3A7&version=KJV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+103&version=KJV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+20&version=KJV http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Spreading-the-Gospel/ http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Acts-of-Kindness/ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?

search=Revelation+1%3A8&version=KJV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?

search=Ephesians+4%3A32&version=KJV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?

search=Mark+16%3A15+&version=KJV

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Other: Religious study 15, unit 7 lesson 1 Religious study 15

RUBRIC FOR FINAL RESEARCH PAPERCONTENT Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Near Standard Below StandardRequirements[ /12]

All of the writtenrequirements (# of pages, title page, checklist of all 6 pointsare covered, using Scripture quotations, etc.) were met.

Almost all of the writtenrequirements were met (at least four points of the checklist were discussed).

Most of the writtenrequirements were met.

Many requirementswere not met.

Research[ /16]

Utilizes a variety of sources: credible print,Internet and database sources beyond minimum to support thesis.

Utilizes minimum (3) credible, Internet and database sources to support thesis.

Utilizes too few (two and less) sources to support thesis.

Only utilized one source or didn’t use any sources. Research is not evident.

Introductionand ThesisStatement[ /8]

The introduction includes a hook and transitions to the thesis statement. The thesis statement clearly states the topicof the essay and smoothly outlines the mainpoints to be discussed.

The introduction includes a hook, transitions to the thesis statement, and is mostly effective. The thesis statement names the topic of theessay.

A hook is present thoughnot followed byimportant information.The essay includes anattempt at an introductionparagraph, though itis not smooth andmay not include acomplete thesisstatement.

A hook is missing orweak and importantinformation is absent.There is an attempt atan introductionparagraph, but it is notdeveloped and does notinclude a thesisstatement.

Body, Each of the body Each of the body Each of the body Some or all of the body

Paragraph,Organization[ /40]

paragraphsincludes a creative and well writtentopic sentence, wellconstructed sentenceswith supporting details, and smooth transitions.Incorporates informationfrom the documents inthe body of the text aswell as relevant outside information. Richly supports the theme orproblem with relevant facts, examples, and details.

paragraphsincludes a well-writtentopic sentence, sentences withsupporting details, andtransitions. Incorporatesinformation from thedocuments in the bodyof the text as well as relevant outside information.

paragraphs includes atopic sentence andsupporting sentences,but is not a smoothread and often lackstransitions. Incorporates relevant outside information.

paragraphs lack topicsentences. Theorganization of some orall of the bodyparagraphs make for adifficult read because ofpoor sentence structureor lack of transitions.Does not incorporaterelevant outsideinformation.

Conclusion[ /8]

The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding the writer's position. The conclusion hasan effective restatement of the thesis statement. The essay is completely summed up.

The conclusion isrecognizable and fairlysmooth to read. The author's position is restated. Theessay is summed up.

The conclusion isrecognizable. Theauthor's position isrestated within theclosing paragraph.The essay is summedup.

The thesis is not restatedor is found in the samewording as theintroduction. The essayis not summed up.

Footnotes and Bibliography[ /8]

All sources are documented correctly and contain the necessary information.

All sources are documented correctly,and most have the necessary information.

There is a bibliographybut not all sources are documented correctly.

None of sources are documented. There are no footnotes or bibliography.

Conventions[ /8]

Author makes virtuallynoerrors in grammar, spelling or punctuationthat distract thereader from the content.

Author makes few errors in grammar, spelling orpunctuation that distract the reader from the content.

Author makes someerrors in grammar,spelling orpunctuation thatdistract the readerfrom the content.

Author makesexcessive errors ingrammar, spelling orpunctuation that distractthe reader from thecontent.

TOTAL [ /100] Teacher’s Comments: