The authors, Mead, Hill, and Atwood describe the beginnings of Judaism as a branch of the Christian religion. Throughout time, these religions have altered and shifted, both growing and blossoming in their own way. In my opinion, the most unique belief of Judaism is that in their eyes, Jesus was not the Messiah. Being a Christian, I was taught in my church that Jesus is the embodiment of God and that he was brought to the Earth to sacrifice his life for our sins and to expand the word of the gospel. As Mead, Hill, and Atwood claim, the followers of Judaism do not agree with this idea. They believed that before the messiah even walked the Earth, they knew who it would be. When Jesus walked the Earth claiming to be the messiah, the Jews did not
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Reform Judaism believes that God, himself, inspired the laws of the Jews and can pick and choose the laws that they want to follow. The people of Reconstructionist Judaism do not believe in personified deity and that men were the creators of the Jewish law. Orthodox Judaism believes that the their laws come from The Holy One and cannot be altered. I find that the Hasidic branch of Judaism is especially intriguing. Hasidic tends to differ from the other branches of Judaism because it has a touch of spirituality. It has an intangible, holy approach to the Torah. To the people of Hasidic religious branch, the Torah is as accurate and literal as it can be. People within the Hasidim culture are more traditional in their customs. For example, their clothing reflects that of their ancestors and they live in private communities. The theme that I caught on to while reading about this branch was the positivity and love that each act of Hasidic Judaism portrays. Atwood, Mead and Hill state that they way that the Hasidim culture praises the Torah is by “a developed and a vast number of practices that are thought to be controversial, for example, rocking back and forth during prayer.” Hasidic people speak of the cheerfulness of witnessing the commandments of God and the passion and deep love that they feel for Him and His creations. Many of the Hasidic beliefs originated from Jewish mysticism and aimed towards individuals with more of an emotional, deeper connection with
Reform Judaism believes that God, himself, inspired the laws of the Jews and can pick and choose the laws that they want to follow. The people of Reconstructionist Judaism do not believe in personified deity and that men were the creators of the Jewish law. Orthodox Judaism believes that the their laws come from The Holy One and cannot be altered. I find that the Hasidic branch of Judaism is especially intriguing. Hasidic tends to differ from the other branches of Judaism because it has a touch of spirituality. It has an intangible, holy approach to the Torah. To the people of Hasidic religious branch, the Torah is as accurate and literal as it can be. People within the Hasidim culture are more traditional in their customs. For example, their clothing reflects that of their ancestors and they live in private communities. The theme that I caught on to while reading about this branch was the positivity and love that each act of Hasidic Judaism portrays. Atwood, Mead and Hill state that they way that the Hasidim culture praises the Torah is by “a developed and a vast number of practices that are thought to be controversial, for example, rocking back and forth during prayer.” Hasidic people speak of the cheerfulness of witnessing the commandments of God and the passion and deep love that they feel for Him and His creations. Many of the Hasidic beliefs originated from Jewish mysticism and aimed towards individuals with more of an emotional, deeper connection with