7. Judaism

Synopsis:

Founded: Judaism began about 3700 years ago in Egypt / Cannaan, now Palestin / Jordan / Israel.

Founder: Above all Moses, who emancipated the enslaved Jewish tribes from Egypt.

Major Scriptures: The Torah, the first five books of the Bible.Adherents: About 12,000,000 worldwide, over half in the U.S.

Sects: Jews are divided into Orthodox, Conservative and Reform sects, with other regional and ethnic divisions.

The religion of Jews is inseparable from their history as a people. Much of the Torah traces the ancestry of Abraham, through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and finally to Moses, the foremost of God's prophets in the Hebrew history. It was Moses who gave Judaism the Ten Commandments and established the religious laws and traditions.

By far the most profound charecteristics of Judaism is its strict monotheism. The Jews hold an unshakeable belief in One God and One God only, whom they call Yahweh, from whom all creation flows.The Jewish people consider themselves a chosen people apart from all other peoples of the earth by virtue of their covenant with Yahweh.

Much stress is placed on the hallowing of daily existance, worship insynagogue, prayer and reading of the scriptures. Few religions can boast of such a close-knit family tradition as Judaism, making the home a great strength to the religion and a constant refuge to the faithful. Each day, morning and evening every devout Jew affirms his faith by repeating Moses's prayer: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."

Judaic Beliefs

1. I believe in the One God and creator who is incororeal and transcendent, beyond the limitations of form, yet who cares for the world and its creatures, rewarding the good and punishing the evil.

2. I believe in the prophets, of which Moses was God's foremost, and that the commandments revealed to him by God on Mount Sinai are man's highest law.

3. I believe in the Torah as Gods word and scripture, composed of five testament books. They are God's only ommutable law.

4. I believe that upon death the soul goes to Heaven [or Hell first if it has been sinful], and that one day the messaiah will appear on earth and there will be a Day of Judgement, and the dead shall physically arise to Life Everlasting.

5. I believe that the universe is not eternal but was created by and will be destroyed by God.

6. I believe that no priest should intervene in the relationship of man and God, nor should God be represented in any form, nor should any being be worshipped other than the One God, Yahweh.

7. I believe in man's spiritualization through adherence to the Law, justice, charity & honesty.

8. I believe that God has established a unique spiritual covenant with the Hebrew people to uphold for mankind the highest standards of monotheism & piety.

9. I believe in the duty of the family to make the home a House of God through devotions and ritual, prayers,sacred festivals and observation of the Holy Hay.

The Goals of Judaism:

The goal of Judaism lies in the strict obedience to the Torah, Jewish Scripture, which can alleviate the plight of the individual and of society, bringing rewards in the future life when Messiah will come to overthrow evil and reward the righteous in God's kingdom on the earth, the Day of the Lord. The soul thereafter will enjoy God's presence and love.

Path of Attainment:

Man has two impulses: good and evil. He can either follow God's law or rebel and be influenced by Satan, who caused God's creation to go astray. It is the highest morality, possible through obedience to the Torah, which pleases God. One must follow justice, charity, ethics and honesty, being true to the one true God, Yahweh.