...Anthony Glenn REL/134 APRIL 2, 2013 Associate Instructor Richard Dow Case Scenario: Jewish Holy Day Yom Kippur Defining the historic background of a religious faith would be impossible without investigating the significance of its holy days. Judaism celebrates several sacred holy days with Yom Kippur as the capstone. Understanding the holy day of Yom Kippur will offer a better grasp into the beliefs, traditions, and rituals of the Jewish faith. Specifically the following paragraphs will focus on the time of year celebrated, the origin, and typical religious practices of Yom Kippur. Additionally, by providing insight into the theological or cultural differences in the observance of Yom Kippur by the various branches of Judaism will further enhance an understanding of the Jewish faith. Yom Kippur the time of the year The Day of Atonement is often referred to as Yom Kippur, which is the essential holy day of the Jews. As “Judaism 101” (1995-2011) website shows Yom Kippur is day of fasting commencing at sunset on the 10th day of Tishrei and finishes at night fall on the 11th day of Tishrei (Yom Kippur). Additionally September or October in the Gregorian calendar, Yom Kippur is a “compilation of the 10 Days of Awe, a period on introspection and repentance that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year” (“Yom Kippur”, 1996-2011). Historical Origin of Yom Kippur Contrary to belief “Yom Kippur first took place after the Hebrews exodus from Egypt and arrival at Mount Sinai...
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...Jewish Holy Day Yom Kippur Johnny Appleseed REL/134 October 30, 2011 UoP Instructor Jewish Holy Day Yom Kippur Defining the historic background of a religious faith would be impossible without investigating the significance of its holy days. Judaism celebrates several sacred holy days with Yom Kippur as the capstone. Understanding the holy day of Yom Kippur will offer a better comprehension into the beliefs, traditions, and rituals of the Jewish faith. Specifically the following paragraphs will focus on the time of year celebrated, the origin, and typical religious practices of Yom Kippur. Additionally, by providing insight into the theological or cultural differences in the observance of Yom Kippur by the various branches of Judaism will further enhance an understanding of the Jewish faith. Yom Kippur Observance Date Often referred to as the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur is the most important holy day of the Jewish faith. As “Judaism 101” (1995-2011) website shows Yom Kippur is day of fasting commencing at sunset on the 10th day of Tishrei and finishes at night fall on the 11th day of Tishrei (Yom Kippur). Additionally, Falling in the month of Tishrei, September or October in the Gregorian calendar, Yom Kippur marks the culmination of the 10 Days of Awe, a period on introspection and repentance that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (“Yom Kippur”, 1996-2011). Historical Origin of Yom Kippur According to tradition, the first Yom Kippur took place after...
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...with regards to religious activity. This is contrasted with the idea of orthodoxy, which is about having the correct sort of belief [1]. Judaism historically has placed more emphasis on orthopraxy than on orthodoxy. Jews believe that believing in one God does not make them a good Jew; instead, believing in one God and following the law set forth by God is what makes them good Jews. Jewish law is known as Halakah. Halakah is a term derived from the Hebrew word Halakh “to walk.” Halakah is the legal system which points out the way of life for the Jewish people, following the statement, “enjoin upon the laws and the teachings, and make known to them the way they are to go and the practices they are to follow” (EX 18:20)[2]. Halakah is one of the important ground for Jews for the strict adherence of religious laws. Orthodox Judaism basically accepts Halakhah as an unchanging corpus of law [3]. Minor differences of interpretation are tolerated in accordance with the historical customs that have evolved in local communities. Noteworthy are Ashkenazic and Sephardic customs that inadvertently perpetuate Jewish ethnicity. Conservative Judaism is more flexible in introducing religious change, while the reform and reconstructive Judaism reject Halakhah as a mandatory system dictating contemporary behavior. Not a majority of Jews in the world adheres strictly to Jewish laws, with Israel having a high percentage of followers of Jewish Laws. For instance, the sectors of Judaism which consider...
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...Running head: A Brief Look into Jainism and Judaism A Brief Look into Jainism and Judaism Tammy Chace Strayer University REL212 Dr. Travien L. Capers July 31, 2013 A Brief Look into Jainism and Judaism While studying different religions I became fascinated with Jainism and I have always been interested in Judaism. In this paper we will take a look at the basic origin of each religion and several of their foundational spiritual beliefs. We will then look at a few spiritual practices of each religion. We will look at an example of how each religion is practiced today. Jainism Jainism dates backs to the 6th century B.C.E. in India. The religion derives its name from the jinas, meaning conquerors, a title given to twenty-four great teachers , through whom their faith was revealed. Mahavira, the last of the tirthankaras, is considered the founder of Jainism. The ultimate goal of Jainism is the liberation of one’s self from rebirth, which is attained through the elimination of accumulated karma. This occurs through both the disciplined cultivation of knowledge and control of bodily passions. When the passions have been utterly conquered and all karma has been removed, one becomes a Jina, or “conqueror", and is no longer subject to rebirth. Jainism conceives of a multi-layered universe containing both heavens and hells. Movement through these levels of the universe requires adherence to the Jainism doctrines emphasizing a peaceful and disciplined life. These principles...
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...Judaism Introduction Judaism is an ancient religion that has an age-old history and tradition which was originally for the Jewish people. It is perhaps the oldest surviving monotheist religion in the world today. The two other popular monotheist religions – Christianity and Islam – being propagated today have so many of their beliefs and tenets borrowed or copied fro Judaism. Christianity is said to be an offshoot of Judaism since its founders and the early organizers who propagated the faith and spread its teachings during its early days were members of Judaism. The Arabian Prophet Mohammad who founded the Moslem faith was said to have copied or at least patterned some of the religious tenets to that of Judaism. Some of the texts in the Moslem Holy Book know as the Holy Koran are patterned or at least have some similar contents as are found in the Jewish Torah. The Christian Holy Bible contains both Old Testament which corresponds to the Jewish Torah and the New Testament. Brief History of Judaism The Jewish Religion, one of the oldest in the world today, spanned thousands of years – dating 4,000 years back. It is a religion with a unique tradition because of its monotheistic belief. The religion first started with simple act of worship and sacrifices to God by the Patriarch Abraham. The event of Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice his only son Isaac is well document in the Torah. From the questions Isaac posed to his father on why they had no lamb for sacrifice was an indication...
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...Two Religions Judaism is a religion which is a set of ideas about the world and how we should live up to it. Jewish belief also centers on the idea of one God and the love that He shares with all his creations through his covenant. Jews do not have a specific set of mandatory beliefs and rituals they have to follow, but one Jewish belief is the Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. The Jews practice their faith in many ways some people go to festivals or Shabbat for prayer services to read the Torah. Others may go to temples or synagogues which are Jewish houses for prayer and studying. Most Jews practice their faith reading the Torah which is known as the Old-Testament or Tanakh.(Judaism, 1968) There are three holy books the Jews study they consist of the: Torah which is the Law, Nevi'im the Prophets and lastly Kethuvim known as the Writings. The Jews also practice their faith by obeying the 613 mitzvot as well as they could, following the Judaism Rabbinic law and rules. One example of Jews practicing their faith is celebrating Hanukkah. (Kaplan, 1932) This is basically a Christmas for Jewish people, they light up a nine-branched candle known as the menorah. They do various activities such as lighting up a candle every night and eight candles would be lit in the last evening, eating oily foods reminding them of the miracle of the oil and play games such as "dreidel" which is a game with spinning tops that includes four Hebrew letters. There are many rituals and festivals that...
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...I have chosen the two groups Judaism and Hispanic/Latino for this paper. I will explore these two groups in their differences and contributions and role in America. I will also explore by their comparison what conclusions might be drawn about prejudice and discrimination. Judaism differs from other religious groups in that Judaism (strictly speaking) is a way of life and has a ritualism to it. Strict Judaism has dietary rules and other laws. Judaism dates back thousands of years, to the time before Jesus, which is where many other religions today are different, as they recognize Jesus as the Savior sent by God, and Judaism sees Jesus as a prophet or respected leader. Judaism believes in one God, which differs from some other religious groups in the list provided. For those who do not share in the beliefs and practices of Judaism, persons of Judaism are generally treated well in America today. There may be some stereotyping or disregard for the rituals or practices of Judaism but they are generally not from hate, but rather lack of knowledge. However, in history, there are periods of horrific experiences of persons who do not share Judaism commonly torturing those who are of Judaism. Judaism has contributed to American Culture in attempting to keep the Sabbath holy and providing religious cultural centers in major cities like New York and Los Angeles. One specific example of discrimination and prejudice that Judaism has faced is the Holocaust where Adolf Hitler gathered...
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...Elements of Religious Rona Williams REL/133 May 26, 2014 Elements of Religious Religion is significant to many who believe in the bible and so are all of their religious traditions. In describing the basic components of religious traditions and their relationship to the sacred. It offers many seculars a reason for wanting to live and a comfort of security, The knowledge or awareness’s is the driving force behind the belief of one God a higher power and for some the sacred. I will include what a religious tradition says including its teachings, texts, doctrine, stories, myths, and others, What a religious tradition does including worship, prayer, pilgrimage, ritual, and so forth, and how a religious tradition organizes including leadership, relationships among members, and so forth. Christianity and its teachings was organized Religious tradition is a custom that people of one religion do because it was done for many years by supernatural beings or idols. These traditions are different for each different religion. In studying each religion, it is noted that each has texts, stories, myths, and other traditional aspects that permits others or bible believers read about the traditions of that religion. The Hindu religion is known to be the hardest religion to study and many other texts that tell the stories of the lives of certain high gods, goddesses, and/or heroes. It also explains why we must celebrate certain holidays and how we should celebrate them. Most of...
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...Christianity, Judaism and Islam serve to be three of the most prominent religions practiced and studied within the contemporary generation today. Moreover, each religion is classified by its own individuality and traditions, however similarities are present between the three leading them to reach a single focal point within the subject of religion. For example, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are a derivation of “Abrahamic Traditions” as each religion holds a significant connection to the patriarchal ancestor, Abraham (Molloy 2013). Furthermore, each of the three religions are defined as monotheistic (Molloy 2013) as their beliefs reside under the guidance of one God who is viewed as omniscient and omnipotent (Molloy 2013) leading to similarities that bring each religion...
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...ryanjrod Jewish Holy Day – Yom Kippur HIS/134 - World Religious Traditions II Week 2 Paper Jewish Holy Day – Yom Kippur The Jewish Holy Day known as Yom Kippur, or the “Day of Atonement”, is a day that comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year. These two holy days are considered by Jews to be “High Holy Days”, or two of the most important days of the Jewish year. Yom Kippur occurs during September or October, according to the Gregorian calendar, and is observed by fasting and having day-long religious services. The meaning of this day is to atone for one’s sins with God, and to demonstrate repentance and make amends. Yom Kippur is the most important day of the year for people of Jewish faith. Origin of Yom Kippur According to author Amy J. Kramer (2010), “The first Yom Kippur took place after Moses returned from his second trip to Mt. Sinai with the replacement set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments” (para. 2). Moses broke the original tablets containing the Ten Commandments when he returned from Mount Sinai the first time to find the Jewish people worshipping a golden calf, instead of God. He returned to Mount Sinai for the second time on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri. The Jewish people, who were truly repentant for what they had done, fasted the entire time the sun was up. Moses returned from Mount Sinai on the tenth day of the month of Tishri, and found that the Jewish people were honestly sorry for the sins...
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...Israel to God. The last book, Ketuvim, contains poetry, theology and drama. The Hebrew Bible is thought of by Christians as the Old Testament. This is because all of the teachings found in it are before Jesus Christ. You can find the prophecy of Jesus’ birth in Isaiah 7:14 2. Describe the major similarities and differences between the four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist). How are these four groups distinct from one another? The similarity between all four is very simple. They are all very proud of their faith and view it not only as religion but as a life style that they identify themselves as Jewish before anything else. Each one does have strong values and want to better their religion. The differences seem to be more in where they interact with the world outside their communities. In Orthodox Judaism, you will find the traditionalists. They do not believe in altering the Torah in anyway. The other side of that is Reform Judaism. They want to adapt the rituals and laws to fit into the modern world. In between those two you have Conservative Judaism. Here there is an understanding that there is importance in both areas, upholding the...
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...Contrast of Islam and Judaism The world we reside is full of religions and beliefs of every sort. They all vary accordingly to the geographic, social, and linguistic diversity of the planet itself. According to the late Bishop Mark Pullevard purity means: “the voluntary subjection of oneself to God." Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 Both Islam and Judaism believe that purity plays a big role internal or external in the focus of one’s self within the religious sphere and to the attainment or pleasure of God’s will. Within this Essay we shall explore ritual and ethical understandings of both Islam and Judaism and reflect on mutual understandings of purity between the two religions, religious definitions and anthropological theories, and my own experience with purity and ethics. Overlapping and Mutual Influences in both Judaism and Islam vary in the sense that according to the Jewish law a person may not enter the temple if he or she is impure. They must usually undergo three different stages of purification. These stages include waiting a period or length of time; offering of a ritual bath and foretokening certain symbolic sacrifices. Sources of impurity for the Jews are from contact with dead bodies, leprosy, and from sexual organs. For Jews contact with the dead bodies causes ritual uncleanness, which may be transferred to other people, to objects, or to food. The impurity caused by the contact of sexual organs means that the purification ritual may have to be applied...
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...Zoroastrianism and Its Influences on the World With a membership of about 200,000, the importance of Zoroastrianism is far greater than its numbers suggest. Closely related to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, its concepts of Satan, angelology, demonology, a deliverer, future life, paradise and judgment in these religions may have been directly or indirectly derived from Zoroastrianism. Founded by the Iranian prophet and reformer Zoroaster in the 6th century BC, Zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. Its concepts of one God, judgment, heaven and hell likely influenced the major Western religions. History of Zoroastrianism The origins of the Zoroastrian religion are shrouded in mystery. The prophet Zarathustra, later referred to by the Greeks as Zoroaster, founded Zoroastrianism roughly between the 16th and 10th centuries BCE. Zoroaster's birth date is also uncertain and modern scholarship currently suggests he lived in northern or eastern Iran or nearby such as in Afghanistan or southern Russia. In Zoroaster’s thirties he had a revelation in which he saw an angel who told him that there is only one true god and that God’s name was Aura Mazda (Clark, 1998). It is certain that by the year 549 B.C.E., Zoroastrianism had become a major world religion. It was Cyrus the Great, first ruler of the Persian Empire, who ordained Zoroastrianism as the official religion of his state. It was this same Cyrus that liberated the Jews from the occupation they...
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...Christianity, Judaism and Islam serve to be three of the most prominent religions practiced and studied within the contemporary generation today. Moreover, each religion is classified by its own individuality and traditions, however similarities are present between the three leading them to reach a single focal point within the subject of religion. For example, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are a derivation of “Abrahamic Traditions” as each religion holds a significant connection to the patriarchal ancestor, Abraham (Molloy 2013). Furthermore, each of the three religions are defined as monotheistic (Molloy 2013) as their beliefs reside under the guidance of one God who is viewed as omniscient and omnipotent (Molloy 2013) leading to similarities that bring each religion...
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...Judaism Name: Institution: Instructor: Course: Date: Judaism Branches of Judaism According to Morrison, Brown, and O'Brien (2009), there are four distinct branches of Judaism. First, Orthodox Judaism is a traditional branch that embraces strict observance of ritual and moral provisions in the traditional Jewish law. This branch of Judaism has a number of movements. These include Modern orthodoxy that embraces the adoption of Western culture and Charedi Judaism that emphasizes Jewish culture among others (Morrison, et al., 2009). Second, Reform Judaism emphasizes Judaism’s ethical laws and ritual laws to be changed to fit into the modern society (Morrison, et al., 2009). It also emphasizes the observance of social justice and morality as shown in Judaism and retaining of traditional practices that are found meaningful. Therefore, this branch embraces individual choice rather than observance of beliefs and practices. Third, Conservative Judaism supports observance of Jewish tradition while at the same time embracing any adaptations to fit into modern society (Morrison, et al., 2009). In addition, the branch supports the use of Jewish texts to determine ethics and best practices. Lastly, Reconstructionist Judaism does not treat Judaism as just a religion but an evolving civilization that is always accompanied by religious components (Morrison, et al., 2009). The branch emphasizes non-binding compliance to the Jewish Law. But it also points out that it should be followed...
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