How Can Studying Judaism Help Clarify Misunderstandings of the Religion

Organized religion can exist a central office of one's identity. The word religion comes from a Latin word that means "to tie or bind together." Modernistic dictionaries define religion every bit "an organized arrangement of beliefs and rituals centering on a supernatural being or beings." To belong to a religion often means more than sharing its beliefs and participating in its rituals; information technology as well means being part of a customs and, sometimes, a culture.

The world's religions are like in many ways; scholar Stephen Prothero refers to these similarities every bit "family resemblances." All religions include rituals, scriptures, and sacred days and gathering places. Each faith gives its followers instructions for how man beings should human activity toward ane another. ¹  In addition, three of the globe's religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—share a common origin: all three trace their beginnings to the biblical figure of Abraham.

At that place is incredible diverseness within each religion in terms of how members define their connections to information technology. For some, a organized religion's theological beliefs and rituals of worship are central to their lives. Others are more drawn to a religion's community and culture than to its beliefs and rituals. Many even experience function of a religion's culture but choose not to participate in its rituals at all. Some people feel free to cull a faith for themselves, or to pass up faith entirely every bit a function of their identity. Others feel that they take been born and raised in a particular religion and are unwilling or unable to change it. Some governments grant privileges to ane religion and not to others, while other governments protect citizens' liberty to follow any religion without privilege or punishment.

Ramadan picnic in Istanbul, Turkey, in front of the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), a building that has been both a Greek Orthodox Christian church and a mosque.

Different people have different experiences with their religion. In the post-obit reflections, teenagers share parts of their religious experiences. While each belongs to a particular religion, each one's experience does not fully represent that religion as a whole.

Rebecca, then age 17, explains the influence that her religion, Judaism, has on her life:

In the Bible, in the Torah, in that location are 613 commandments. They involve everything from how you treat other people, to Jewish holidays and how we notice them, and the Sabbath, which is every week, and how we observe that. It's similar a guide how to live.

There are also a lot of dietary laws. The dietary laws say nosotros can simply consume sure kinds of meat that are killed and prepared in a certain mode. Nosotros can't swallow meat at nonkosher restaurants. My parents like to remind me of this funny story. One time when I was two, we were driving past a Burger King. I saw the sign, and I yelled out, "That sign says Burger Rex. No burgers for Jewish people." I picked up on those observances. It was ever something that was function of me. I recognized that it was important.

Nosotros set the Sabbath bated as a mean solar day of rest because God rested on the seventh solar day after creating the world. Because of this, in that location are lots of rules for things you tin can and can't practise . . . It'due south supposed to be a day of residual—you're not supposed to do any type of work, or lookout television, employ the computer, use electricity, any of that stuff . . . For me it's very spiritual. Information technology really separates the 24-hour interval out from the residue of the week.

I spend a lot of time with my family unit—from Friday night at sundown until Saturday night. I go to prayers at my synagogue in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. It's just a really spiritual feel. It makes it more of an important day . . .

I haven't gone to see a movie on a Saturday or Friday night ever.

It's weird being in a public high schoolhouse because you lot're faced with being in a school where there's lots of activities on Friday nights and things to miss out on. Similar all the school plays are on Friday nights. I take to give up trying out for school plays. And sports—I used to play softball. But there are games every Sat, so I couldn't play those.

A lot of people look at it like, "How tin you give up all of this stuff considering of your religion?" Information technology's just a matter of how you lot look at it. You can await at it as existence a burden—that you have these religious obligations, so you're not able to do your school activities. Just I look at it equally a more than positive feel. Information technology's something that I choose to do. ²

A woman lights a candle with her daughter during the kickoff of the Passover seder.

Frequently, the way individuals relate to and practice a religion changes over the course of their lives. Maham, historic period 19, explains how her Muslim faith and practise has changed as she has grown older:

When I was xv, I was actually super-religious actually. Then I fell into this non-so-religious stage—that was between the end of junior year of high school and freshman yr of college. I started praying less and hanging out with my friends more. I believe that spirituality is a roller coaster and that you're going to have your ups and downs, because when you're up, there'due south nowhere to become simply down. That's how life is.

I went down, and now I think I'chiliad heading right back upward. I still am not back praying five times a mean solar day because of my schedule (I try to pray as much equally I tin), but I believe that true spirituality transcends ritual worship, so I try to alive my life with the philosophy that Islam teaches—of pity, peace, submission, tolerance, and things like that. I try every twenty-four hour period to fight the jihad of personal struggle to become a better person.

That'southward what Islam is to me now, more than but praying five times a day. When you're fourteen, that's enough. Just as you mature, life becomes complicated and harder to categorize as simply proficient and bad. The rules are non laid out in black and white anymore—yous observe a lot of gray surface area since you gain more independence as you get older. Later on all, you outset to make your own decisions—some skilful, some bad—but life has to teach you its lessons somehow.

I do believe in rituals. Like Ramadan is coming up side by side week. Exercise I plan on fasting all xxx days? Yes, I do. Those things help me go a improve Muslim. There are a lot of things that are taught in Islam, like wearing the headscarf and praying. Just equally people eat food four or 5 times a day to nourish their bodies, prayers nourish the soul four or five times a day. Information technology's a way for me to meditate. It's a way for me to tune myself out from the things around me that are bad influences. It'southward a fashion to remind myself of who I am so I take less chances of doing something I'll regret. ³

Sara, age xviii, feels differently nigh the rituals and worship practices of her religion than Rebecca and Maham practice:

I feel really continued with my Jewish community, but a little less connected to the observance factor of my religion. I don't keep kosher. I don't really feel that that's necessary. When I was petty, my whole family would sit down down every Fri dark and light the Shabbat candles and say the blessings. We don't do that anymore. Now it'due south like, "It's Friday night. I'g going to get out with my friends."

I don't like organized prayer. Every once in a while I go to services, but I appreciate it a lot more when I do my own thing and say my own prayers . . .

When I was younger, I never really thought I was different 'cause I was Jewish. Information technology didn't occur to me until loftier schoolhouse when I started getting really involved with stuff. It'southward kind of weird when I really think almost information technology. Information technology'due south similar I'chiliad just like everyone else, except there'south that little part of me that's going to be Jewish forever, and that makes me different. ⁴

Hesed, age 14, a member of the United Methodist Church, explains how he knows the Christian religion in which he was raised is right for him:

Afterward confirmation [as an adolescent] I was getting stronger in the faith, but I still thought about it and said, "Well, what about other religions? Are they imitation? And if they are, why are there millions of Muslims effectually the world who pray to Allah 5 times a day? And why are there Buddhists who make Buddhism their faith? Why do I think this one faith is existent?"

And basically, to me, I just go a feeling. It's really difficult to explain. Christianity just feels correct to me. I get to church, and I run across the cross, and we're at prayer—it feels correct. And I can honestly say that I feel the presence of God in that place. And for me, Christianity is the religion where I feel that. To me that's basically what faith is—to only believe in what you call back is correct. And this is correct for me.

Now I'thou really secure in what I believe. And I don't know if it's wrong to say it—since I'chiliad a Christian and we're supposed to go out and save the earth and convert people to Christianity—merely I truly do believe that at that place are a lot of people who experience that their religion, whether it be Islam, or Buddhism, or Hinduism, is correct for them. And I don't see annihilation wrong with that. I'm not saying those are the right faiths, just you just go a feeling when something is correct for you. ⁵

Citations

collinssest1938.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.facinghistory.org/holocaust-and-human-behavior/chapter-1/religion-and-identity

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