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Somebody posted an "Ask an Athiest" thread, which was a great idea, so I thought I'd start an "Ask a Jew" thread. I'm obviously Jewish, so ask me anything you want, stuff you're curious about, etc. Other Jews can chime in if they want.
The biggest question I have (which I have researched and found some information on, but isn't very informative, if that makes sense) is:
I always thought of Jews as God's people. Those that believe in God, but rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Recently, I have found there are Jews that DON'T believe in God and it is merely a cultural thing. Can you elaborate on that for me?
The biggest question I have (which I have researched and found some information on, but isn't very informative, if that makes sense) is:
I always thought of Jews as God's people. Those that believe in God, but rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Recently, I have found there are Jews that DON'T believe in God and it is merely a cultural thing. Can you elaborate on that for me?
The Jews are an ethnic group, so to say "I am a Jewish athiest" is just like saying "I am an Irish athiest" or "I am a Zulu athiest". The religion is a part of the culture of the Jewish ethnic group, you can change your religion but you can never change your ethnicity. I know a woman who describes herself as "a Catholic of Jewish decent" she had a Catholic mother and a Jewish father. The face of the world Jewish community is constantly changing because over 60% of Jews marry outside the club. The only group left that you could describe as "purely Jewish" are the Orthodox.
The Jews are an ethnic group, so to say "I am a Jewish athiest" is just like saying "I am an Irish athiest" or "I am a Zulu athiest". The religion is a part of the culture of the Jewish ethnic group, you can change your religion but you can never change your ethnicity. I know a woman who describes herself as "a Catholic of Jewish decent" she had a Catholic mother and a Jewish father. The face of the world Jewish community is constantly changing because over 60% of Jews marry outside the club. The only group left that you could describe as "purely Jewish" are the Orthodox.
I hope this helps.
Peace.
Just curious, which group of Judaism are you? And, like asked above, what are your views of satan?
I'd like to read the Jewish interpretation of Satan.
There is no "satan" in Judaism. The Jews believe that there is evil, but a physical embodiment of evil does not exist. The Jewish "hell" is called Gehenna, the name comes from a burning garbage dump that existed outside of Jerusalem thousands of years ago. Gehenna is a place of punishment, it is similar to the Christian hell, but no "devil" is involved. However, not all Jews believe in Gehenna.
Just curious, which group of Judaism are you? And, like asked above, what are your views of satan?
I am a Reform Jew, the most liberal and open form of Judaism. The reform movement allows you to pick and choose which aspects of Judaism you want to participate in. I, personally, do not believe in the devil or hell.
I am a Reform Jew, the most liberal and open form of Judaism. The reform movement allows you to pick and choose which aspects of Judaism you want to participate in. I, personally, do not believe in the devil or hell.
Can you perhaps give a list of each group of Judaism and a brief description of what each branch believes and/or practices? Sorry to ask so many questions, but thought it would help me/us when we are trying to discuss issues if we knew what each believe...Thanks!
Can you perhaps give a list of each group of Judaism and a brief description of what each branch believes and/or practices? Sorry to ask so many questions, but thought it would help me/us when we are trying to discuss issues if we knew what each believe...Thanks!
No problem! The reason I started this is so people could better understand Judaism.
The 3 Main Jewish Denominations
Orthodox Judaism = these are the most religious people, they practice the oldest form of Judaism, which includes observing all ancient Jewish law and traditions. An Orthodox person's life (both personal and spiritual) is completely governed by the religion. These people believe that they practice the only "true form of Judaism".
Conservative Judaism = this is a more moderately religious form. It is a combination of the Reform and Orthodox faiths in which a person's spiritual life is governed by Jewish law, however you are free to make your own independent decisions in your personal life.
Reform Judaism = these people have freedom and independence in their spiritual and personal lives. You must take the very basic teachings of the religion as fact, but otherwise you can pick and choose which Judaic laws and traditions to follow. This form was developed in Germany in the 19th Century and is now the most popular in the US.
These are the basic forms of Judaism, however there are other movements that were born out of these denominations.
Last edited by Voltaire; 08-04-2007 at 03:57 PM..
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