Subby
MVP
And here is why
1) There is little emphasis on the afterlife or the “end of times”. It’s about God right here in this moment. Too many Christians place too much emphasis on heaven or Jesus’ return. Not the Jews. They obviously believe in the afterlife and a resurrection of the dead, but it’s not the end-ll-be-all like it is in Christianity.
2) Hell, as we Christians understand it, doesn’t exist. It’s called sheoul. Everyone goes there until you are deemed holy enough to enter God’s presence. No fire and torment (which seems unlike God anyway). Just purifying yourself to enter a holy presence. But again, Jews don’t really emphasize this. It’s not the point.
3) There is a respect for God and his holiness that doesn’t exist in Christianity. The synagogue is a holy place. God’s name is so holy that you can’t even say His real name (YHWH). People are not calling on God and talking to Him like he’s your best friend. Your “personal relationship” with God is demonstrated through your acts.
4) The Bible is INTERPRETED, not taken literally. Judaism, for the last 2000 years, has never taken the Bible literally as many Christians do. This is the reason why the Midrash (continuous Jewish interpretation/opinions/commentary compiled/edited for the last 2000 years) exists. Judaism is not afraid to discuss opinion and interpretation. until recently, this was very rare in Christianity, where the mentality is “this is what you believe and that’s that).
5) Judaism has constantly evolved and is not afraid to adapt! This is a religion that has survived it all and continues to exist, against all odds. Their Holy Temple has been destroyed TWICE (and they were the core of the religion at the time.. the same temple that Jesus visited), which effectively should have destroyed the religion right then and there, but they were able to adapt.
I wish Christianity could take some pointers from Judaism and learn that it is okay to adapt and evolve and still hold on to your faith! Tradition and evolution are not at war with each other!
1) There is little emphasis on the afterlife or the “end of times”. It’s about God right here in this moment. Too many Christians place too much emphasis on heaven or Jesus’ return. Not the Jews. They obviously believe in the afterlife and a resurrection of the dead, but it’s not the end-ll-be-all like it is in Christianity.
2) Hell, as we Christians understand it, doesn’t exist. It’s called sheoul. Everyone goes there until you are deemed holy enough to enter God’s presence. No fire and torment (which seems unlike God anyway). Just purifying yourself to enter a holy presence. But again, Jews don’t really emphasize this. It’s not the point.
3) There is a respect for God and his holiness that doesn’t exist in Christianity. The synagogue is a holy place. God’s name is so holy that you can’t even say His real name (YHWH). People are not calling on God and talking to Him like he’s your best friend. Your “personal relationship” with God is demonstrated through your acts.
4) The Bible is INTERPRETED, not taken literally. Judaism, for the last 2000 years, has never taken the Bible literally as many Christians do. This is the reason why the Midrash (continuous Jewish interpretation/opinions/commentary compiled/edited for the last 2000 years) exists. Judaism is not afraid to discuss opinion and interpretation. until recently, this was very rare in Christianity, where the mentality is “this is what you believe and that’s that).
5) Judaism has constantly evolved and is not afraid to adapt! This is a religion that has survived it all and continues to exist, against all odds. Their Holy Temple has been destroyed TWICE (and they were the core of the religion at the time.. the same temple that Jesus visited), which effectively should have destroyed the religion right then and there, but they were able to adapt.
I wish Christianity could take some pointers from Judaism and learn that it is okay to adapt and evolve and still hold on to your faith! Tradition and evolution are not at war with each other!