What's the deal with Judaism?

[RJT]

This is a quote posted by LittleOldLady in the gossip forum:

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Yes, and for the record, I am a Jew, and therefore my son Edward is a Jew. I do not believe that there is a God, and as far as I know, neither does my son. But Judaism as a religion is not a belief--it is a practice. To be a practicing Jew it is not necessary to believe in anything, including the existence of a divine creator (although probably most practicing Jews do so believe). To be an observant Jew it is only necessary to obey the laws of Judaism and to guide one's life by its ethical principles. The various forms of Judaism differ as to how the laws are to be observed, but all adhere to the Jewish system of ethics. Technically Judaism can be described as ethical monotheism.

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I never really thought about it but now that she points some of this out, I thought it interesting. Since we talk here so much about religion (especially Christianity) I thought I’d repost the above and see if anyone has any thoughts relative to it.

Maybe the information isn’t so interesting to others - if so then let it go.

What I thought interesting now that I see it written:

Judaism is not a belief but a practice. Makes sense (then why do we call it a Religion).

What does an atheistic Jew practice? Why would an atheistic Jew practice anything?

What do the Jews believe relative to God and afterlife? If there really aren’t any “requirements” to be a practicing Jew what happens when one dies? I mean like heaven/hell stuff. I think they don’t “believe” in that. I really am looking for more insight into Judaism in general.

Any thoughts relative to our overall ongoing Religion discussion is welcomed here.

[anisotropy]

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Judaism is not a belief but a practice. Makes sense (then why do we call it a Religion).

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Probably because most people aren't going to make or understand the distinction. It's a force of habit.

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What does an atheistic Jew practice?

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Judaism

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Why would an atheistic Jew practice anything?

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Because atheistic doesn't mean amoral, and perhaps they subscribe to the same morality and ethics laid out in Judaism.

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What do the Jews believe relative to God and afterlife? If there really aren’t any “requirements” to be a practicing Jew what happens when one dies? I mean like heaven/hell stuff. I think they don’t “believe” in that. I really am looking for more insight into Judaism in general.

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I'll defer to an actual practicing Jew for this answer. I'm curious (as a Catholic) myself.

[MrMon]

There actually is a Humanistic Judaism, it's a nontheistic form of Judaism.

Society For Humanistic Judaism (http://www.shj.org/)

It's a pretty small movement, but it does exist. One of those surprising things I found out in my Intro to Judaism class, Judaism doesn't even require a belief in a Supreme Being. The Orthodox might argue about that, but technically, it's true.

[Double Down]

I will try to answer these questions to the best of my knowledge. In the meantime, I also just forwarded the post to my mother, who is a Rabbi.

If the difference between a philosophy and a religion is that religion takes a philosophy and puts it into the context of God, the supernatural, and the afterlife, then Judaism does have to be considered a religion.

According to the old testament, Judaism was started by Abraham, who thought up the idea that there is only one God. So the ideas that
a. There IS a God and
b. There is exactly ONE God
are the main points of Judaism, so following Jewish practices without believing these two things is the same as practicing Christian ideas and customs without accepting Jesus Christ.
Later on, the religion was set in stone when Moses received the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai from God, thus creating a covenant. The #1 Commandment is "I am the Lord your God, there is none else."

To my knowledge, Judaism does not have an agreed upon idea of the afterlife. There is talk of a Messianic age, but not brought about by the return of a Messiah like the Christians believe.

So the reason for doing good things and living a moral life is not for reward/punishment, but rather because
1. God told us so and
2. It's the right thing to do.

And of course, what EXACTLY the correct practices are are widely open to interpetation, just like much of Christianity.

BTW, I was raised as a Jew but I don't consider myself a practicing Jew now (which thrills my rabbi mother). Also, most Jews, do not take a literal interpretation of the Old Testament.
I've always had trouble with the fact that so much of the religion is about the practices and the traditions, but it's all so open to interpretation that it loses a lot of the meaning.

There's a little info for ya for now, when the rebbe emails me back I'll let you know.

[SNOWBALL]

What is the difference between the ethics of judaism and the ethics of the Old Testament?

[PokerAmateur4]

And airline food, I mean, come on.
http://badmets.com/famousfans/seinfeld/seinfeld_jerry.gif

[McBusto]

Andrew Dice Clay is a jew.

oh!

[_TKO_]

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What does an atheistic Jew practice? Why would an atheistic Jew practice anything?

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I am Jewish and tend not to believe in God. This isn't to say that I am adamantly against the belief in God, but rather that I am unsure of God's existence or non-existence. However, I practice judaism and consider myself to be Jewish. I go to shul (synagogue / "church") on what are known as the "high holidays". Described in short, these are:
1. The day of redemption (Yom Kippur), where we are forgiven for our wrong-doings, en mass [note that this is not actually a holiday; it a solemn time, so you should not be wishing your jewish friends a "happy" Yom Kippur].
2. The Jewish new year (Rosh Hashana), which is centered around the time that the torah (our religious scripture, ie the old testament) readings start again from the beginning.
3. Passover, which commemerates the day that jewish slaves were freed from Egypt.
(4. Hannukah, which I do celebrate, is not really a high holiday, but it is the festival of lights. I don't go to shul on this day.)

While the actual readings are based on God's will, the premises of these holidays are not, IMO, dependent on the existence of God. I do think that it is important to admit to wrongdoing at least once a year, and the latter two holidays are a celebration of our heritage. These holidays give me an opporunity to spend time with my family, so that is one reason that I continue to celebrate. The other is that being part of a culture is an enjoyable experience. It's nice to relate to other Jews, regardless of whether or not I believe in God. I still feel welcomed to the religion even though I do not believe in God. Rabbis promote values and tradition, and I don't think that I would be "shunned" for not believing in God.

[_TKO_]

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What do the Jews believe relative to God and afterlife? If there really aren’t any “requirements” to be a practicing Jew what happens when one dies? I mean like heaven/hell stuff. I think they don’t “believe” in that. I really am looking for more insight into Judaism in general.

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I'm not sure of the specifics, but I've been told that after death, there is either a "heaven" or "purgatory" (placed in quotations because I'm not sure of the exact terminology. Basically, you are either ready to accept paradise, or you must wait until you are ready to accept it. So, there is no "hell".

[JMP300z]

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What does an atheistic Jew practice? Why would an atheistic Jew practice anything?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am Jewish and tend not to believe in God. This isn't to say that I am adamantly against the belief in God, but rather that I am unsure of God's existence or non-existence. However, I practice judaism and consider myself to be Jewish. I go to shul (synagogue / "church") on what are known as the "high holidays". Described in short, these are:
1. The day of redemption (Yom Kippur), where we are forgiven for our wrong-doings, en mass [note that this is not actually a holiday; it a solemn time, so you should not be wishing your jewish friends a "happy" Yom Kippur].
2. The Jewish new year (Rosh Hashana), which is centered around the time that the torah (our religious scripture, ie the old testament) readings start again from the beginning.
3. Passover, which commemerates the day that jewish slaves were freed from Egypt.
(4. Hannukah, which I do celebrate, is not really a high holiday, but it is the festival of lights. I don't go to shul on this day.)

While the actual readings are based on God's will, the premises of these holidays are not, IMO, dependent on the existence of God. I do think that it is important to admit to wrongdoing at least once a year, and the latter two holidays are a celebration of our heritage. These holidays give me an opporunity to spend time with my family, so that is one reason that I continue to celebrate. The other is that being part of a culture is an enjoyable experience. It's nice to relate to other Jews, regardless of whether or not I believe in God. I still feel welcomed to the religion even though I do not believe in God. Rabbis promote values and tradition, and I don't think that I would be "shunned" for not believing in God.

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Couldnt have said it better except that im a little bit more staunch an athiest.

-JP

[bdiddy12]

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And airline food, I mean, come on.
http://badmets.com/famousfans/seinfeld/seinfeld_jerry.gif

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Even though there was only a slim chance it hadn't already been made, I really hoped to be able to make this exact joke.

[posnera]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What do the Jews believe relative to God and afterlife? If there really aren’t any “requirements” to be a practicing Jew what happens when one dies? I mean like heaven/hell stuff. I think they don’t “believe” in that. I really am looking for more insight into Judaism in general.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure of the specifics, but I've been told that after death, there is either a "heaven" or "purgatory" (placed in quotations because I'm not sure of the exact terminology. Basically, you are either ready to accept paradise, or you must wait until you are ready to accept it. So, there is no "hell".

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On Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) the prayer is to be "inscribed in the book of life." There is no specific promise as to what the good part of that is, and no discussion of what alternative(s) there are. No paradise, no eternal damnation, no purgatory. Just the undefined hope to be inscribed in the book of life.

My personal understanding of this is that the "value" of being a good or righteous person is just that. It is better to be good (I'm not offering a definition) even without a promise of any reward. In fact, only without reward or punishment is it really possible to define your actions and beliefs as good. You are supposed to strive to live a better life. On Yom Kippur, you atone (confess) to all sins, not only the ones you think you have committed. It is not possible to life a pure life, free of sin, and this is not expected or demanded. I think this is where the concept that the OP described is relevant. If there is no reward or punishment for not "following the rules," then you are free to construct the rules as you see fit.

[KingMarc]

Here's the orthodox "afterlife" dealio. When you die, you get sent to this place called Gehena, kind of like hell. But of course there is no "devil", and it is for a limited time. The time spent there lasts from 1-11 months, at which point they (as in the soul) goes to Heaven where it "joins" G-d, and at some time you are reborn, depending on how you lived your life. People that had a good previous life will have success and prosperity in the following life. However, bad people can become animals.
Going back to Gehena, when someone related to you dies (father, mother, sister, brother, son, daughter) (or some people include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) you say a prayer for 11 months called Kaddish. It is said for 11 months, as that is the maximum someone can be in Gehena. But I lied ;-o. It is really twelve months, but that is reserved for the truely evil and wicked (just hitler so far). Thus the Kaddish is not said for a full twelve months, as you do not want to compare your relative to hitler.

That's the basic story. Some minor details could be wrong. Of course, different sects of Judaism believe different things, but this is the old fashioned view.

Edit: Just wanted to mention that as I stated, it is a 1-11 month "stay", as no one is as pefect as God.

Someone akined Gehena to taking the most embarassing moment of your life, and feeling the embarassment constantly.

[KingMarc]

Now about Jews and believing:

Unlike Christianity, Jews believe that there is more than just believing. One cannot be an evil person, yet confess their sins and go to heaven because of Christ. Jews believe that actions matter. While you technichally don't need to believe in God, the actions you do is what counts (based off of the Torah (old testament), and other things such as the Tanach (the combination of the Torah (T), Prophets (Neviim in Hebrew) (N), and the Writings (Ketuvim) (Ch) - T + N + Ch = Tanach), the word of the Rabbis who were in charge of the land (forgot the name), etc.

So while you don't need to believe, most people that don't believe don't follow through with the actions. On the other hand, it is not enough to just believe.