Basic Beliefs of Judaism and its Relationship to Christianity Essay

Judaism is one of the oldest religions that still exist up to the present times. It is an establish covenant between the Jews and God. Jews ors followers of Judaism comprised only of 0. 2 percent of the world’s population. However, its influence on the world and society is far beyond the numbers indicated. Judaism and Christianity are two religions with some similar beliefs. First, the main belief of Judaism is that there is only one God who created and rule everything. Judaism is a monotheistic religion following only one Supreme Being (About. com, 2009). Christians also believe on a Supreme Being and Father of all who created and rules the world. Judaism also believes that the people are created in the image of God and all people are created equal (About. com, 2009). God created people with its intellectual ability to comprehend and understand which sets us apart from the animals. Therefore, we have freewill and responsible for our choices and decisions. Judaism is a religion of ethics that strongly adheres to the code of ethics and divine law as a way of life. Christianity also believes that people are created in the image of the Almighty God. Christians also follow the divine laws and make it as their moral standards. The Jews believes on the messiah that will come to bring the world to salvation. The person will come from the family of King David who will lead the world to peace and unity (About. com, 2009). The Christians also believes in the messiah in the persona of Jesus Christ who saves the sins of humanity. The Jews, however, do not believe that Jesus is the messiah. The main holy scripture of the Jews is the Tanakh which is equivalent to the Old Testament of the Holy Bible of Christianity. It is divided into three parts which include Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim. Another holy scripture is the Talmud which is composed of stories, laws and medical knowledge. Judaism does not have the version of the New Testament. In both religions, the Bible and the Tanakh serve as the main guidebook to the religious life of a person. In these scriptures are the written moral standards that should be followed to lead a righteous path. Judaism also has the version of the Ten Commandments which is considered as the most important commandments out of the 613 written in the Torah (About. com, 2009). The Ten Commandments are revealed to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. They strongly believe that God has a plan for human behavior and the Commandments are the ways of how humans should live their lives. Judaism has been a very influential religion in the aspect of culture and traditions. Today, more and more people are identifying themselves as Jewish. However, the contemporary Judaism is a more complex religion that associates both nation and faith. Oftentimes, Judaism follow strict adherence on the ritual laws and a more liberal attitude towards the religion. Judaism has been an influential religion in many nations. Many conflicts and feuds have started because of faith which involves Judaism. One of the famous conflicts is the battle over the land of Israel which is battled over by many religions like Islam and Christianity. The conflict originated during the early years. Judaism has also been influential in changing the lives of many people. Many people significantly altered their lives for the greater good and towards the right path. Reference About. com. (2009). Basic Beliefs of Judaism. Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://judaism. about. com/od/abcsofjudaism/a/beliefsbasic. htm.