As David Gelernter, author of Judaism: A Way of Being, once professed, “If we were forced to choose just one, there would be no way to deny that Judaism is the most important intellectual development in human history." Although most Christians have the same fundamental core values (even though there are variances between the numerous denominations, including Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Anglicanism), Judaism and Christianity have significant differences between the two religions. Looking at Judaism next, many Christians or people in general are often unable to define Judaism specifically due to the variances between the denominations, but can recognize its common characteristics. However, although difficult to define,
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This week I attended the Saturday morning service (which was at 8:30 a.m.) at the Temple Beth Israel Jewish Synagogue in Fresno, California. The first thing I noticed was this service was the most popular. I had asked by Jewish friends what the best service to go to was, and they all recommended that the Saturday morning service versus the other two services (which were in the afternoon and the evening). During the morning service (which was referred to as Shakharit), I sat near the back, so I was able to observe the congregation. There appeared to be roughly about 200-300 people there that ranged in ethnicities, genders, and ages. The men wore a small hat on their heads. This week I found Temple Beth Israel Jewish Synagogue to be especially interesting because it varied significantly from what I am used to in my home church (which is a Baptist church). When I walked in before the service started, I noticed that the church was very simple. There were several rows of wooden pews or benches. In front of the synagogue there were a few steps and then there …show more content…
For example, throughout the sermon, the Rabbi used various references to scripture that are found in the Bible. In addition, the Jewish Church believes that God is the source of faith. However, the Jewish doctrine and the Christian doctrine have many differences. Unlike the Christian doctrine, Judaism does not accept the New Testament (their book is known as the Torah which is parts of the Old Testament). Furthermore, Judaism also stresses the importance of justice and love, as well as striving for decent behavior. Christians and the Jewish “people do share the Old Testament and its teachings, [as well as] a belief in the same God—a God of holiness, justice, purity, righteousness, and unity. Both also accept the Law giving by the living God who created the world and is still the Lord of creation. Judaism and Christianity both have a need to worship God, stress the importance of family, the obligation, and the obligation to love others” (Ridenour 2001). However, the “great divide” in the Jewish doctrine and the Christian doctrine is Jesus. The plumb line of the Christian doctrine and is not consistent with the sermon at Temple Beth is that, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures… he was buried…he was raised on the third day according to the
This week I attended the Saturday morning service (which was at 8:30 a.m.) at the Temple Beth Israel Jewish Synagogue in Fresno, California. The first thing I noticed was this service was the most popular. I had asked by Jewish friends what the best service to go to was, and they all recommended that the Saturday morning service versus the other two services (which were in the afternoon and the evening). During the morning service (which was referred to as Shakharit), I sat near the back, so I was able to observe the congregation. There appeared to be roughly about 200-300 people there that ranged in ethnicities, genders, and ages. The men wore a small hat on their heads. This week I found Temple Beth Israel Jewish Synagogue to be especially interesting because it varied significantly from what I am used to in my home church (which is a Baptist church). When I walked in before the service started, I noticed that the church was very simple. There were several rows of wooden pews or benches. In front of the synagogue there were a few steps and then there …show more content…
For example, throughout the sermon, the Rabbi used various references to scripture that are found in the Bible. In addition, the Jewish Church believes that God is the source of faith. However, the Jewish doctrine and the Christian doctrine have many differences. Unlike the Christian doctrine, Judaism does not accept the New Testament (their book is known as the Torah which is parts of the Old Testament). Furthermore, Judaism also stresses the importance of justice and love, as well as striving for decent behavior. Christians and the Jewish “people do share the Old Testament and its teachings, [as well as] a belief in the same God—a God of holiness, justice, purity, righteousness, and unity. Both also accept the Law giving by the living God who created the world and is still the Lord of creation. Judaism and Christianity both have a need to worship God, stress the importance of family, the obligation, and the obligation to love others” (Ridenour 2001). However, the “great divide” in the Jewish doctrine and the Christian doctrine is Jesus. The plumb line of the Christian doctrine and is not consistent with the sermon at Temple Beth is that, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures… he was buried…he was raised on the third day according to the