What is the purpose of Judaism?

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StefanK

New member
In one word, christianity is the religion preaching "love" (supposedly) and they have the idea of heaven vs hell.
In one word, Islam is the religion preaching "justice" (supposedly) and they also have this idea of heaven vs hell.
Which word would characterize Judaism? I would say "righteousness" but I'm not sure since is not a religion that actually preach or try to convert people, also it seems there are many versions of heaven + hell, heaven and nothing and even reincarnation. What happens in afterlife if there is one?

Toda raba,
 
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idoubtit2

New member
To make lots of money for the religion by promising things like redemption or forgiveness or a second life time that can only be received after death but you pay for them now!
 
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Asura

New member
Judaism preaches obedience to the laws of God as dictated by the Torah and the Ten Commandments. I don't really prefer a religion based around law.
 
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kaganate

New member
"Judaism" is "the religion of the Judeans" (or "Jews")

Judean (or Jew) is the term applied from aprox. the 6th cent. BCE to the nation of Israel.

The religion of Israel is very simply --
"God took us out of Egyptian slavery and made of us a nation of priests"
The laws of Judaism are the practices that God gave as the mode of being "the nation of priests".

One word summary (for me personaly) - Gratitude


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respecting the afterlife - read Ecclesiastes - as Solomon says, any sort of over theorising on these matters is "blowing wind" - a waste of time.
We should just do rightly for the sake of the righteousness itself.

The one dogma is that there is a reward for "righteousness" (though, unlike other religions, Jews believe that "gentiles" are also righteous)
Putting Solomon's wisdom aside,
the normative cultural beliefs are reincarnation as well as some form of "Heaven" ...the normative Jewish "Hell" is more like Purgatory - people spend up to a year there to purge the soul of the attachments of sin.
 
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