What's the deal with Judaism?

[RJT]

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

[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

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.