HEEEELP! About Judaism.?

[dianaTurner]

What is Judaism about, is it that it must be in conflict with other religions, or that the religion can exist simultaneously alongside all the other...?

[EliotK]

Let's assume there is a god.

One attitude is that most religions teach paths to feeling, understanding, having a relationship with god. Just as two roads are not identical, they can both lead to the same place. They are not in conflict, they are just different.

Thus, to say that Judaism is in conflict with other religions is to say, "There is only one correct path, and since Judaism is not it, then it must be in conflict with all other religions and their paths to god." In other words, YOU think that there is a conflict.

There is also identity - one's individual identity, then one's identity as a family member, then one's identity as a member of a tribe, or a member of a group sharing a trait, e.g., love of chess, or geographical location.

Often groups that share an identity have members who feel antagonism towards other groups that don't share that identity.

So, if there is a minority that does NOT share the dominant religious identity, it's the nature of some people (of either group) to feel animosity towards the other group. Having a built-in propensity to feel an identity, other members of the group take up the animosity of the most antagonistic.

Shiite or Sunni in Iraq, Protestant or Catholic in Ireland, White Americans vs dark-skinned Hispanics, this animosity between identity groups is common. The animosity is a good political tool for leaders who are unable to lead - they can blame their own failures on the "others."

So, it's not the nature of Judaism that causes the conflict, but the proclivity of people to feel tribal identities.

[MichaelDarnell]

There is no requirement for Judaism to be in conflict with other religions.

That having been said; certainly some individual Jews may be just as prejudiced and intolerant as the worst of any other group. It is not really correct to say that all denominations and sects of Judaism are identical in terms of tolerance or religious plurality either. You should realize that there are three larger different groups known as Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. This is comparable to the various schisms which occurred in the Christian or Islamic faiths and can largely be traced to Jewish reaction to the Haskalah. Each of these groups may have differing views on interfaith religious dialogue or tolerance or any number of other matters of doctrine.

These branches of Judaism share common values such as tikkun olam (a sense of Jewish responsibility to heal or repair the world) and klal Yisrael (a sense of being part of, and responsible for, the Jewish community in general and not just their specific denomination). They all generally share a recognition that the Torah and other Jewish spiritual writings such as Tanakh and Talmud are central to Jewish experience. However they differ in their approach to such texts.

The following sites have good information;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_views_on_religious_pluralism
http://www.religioustolerance.org/jud_desc.htm

[oldguy63]

Judiasm which is not really Biblical, it is Talmidic, has existed basically in every country and culture in the world without being an offense to anyone. They do not try to force what they believe on others, they contribute a great deal to the society they live in and they are content just to practice their beliefs by themselves.

[APE]

Judaism conceives that Jesus was not the son of god and Muhammad was not a prophet.

that's why it's hated so much.

Go Jews! Us Atheists are rooting for you!