Questions on Religion
What would you like to know about someone else’s religion? Post your question or post an answer to someone else’s question.
51 Responses to “Questions on Religion”
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What would you like to know about someone else’s religion? Post your question or post an answer to someone else’s question.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:14 am
What are the ‘words’ to your faith book that give you a sense of peace, trust serenity.
How do you know you can trust those words?
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:15 am
I would like to know more about the Muslim faith. I am tired of hearing only negativity concerning any religion that is God based.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:33 am
This Question is for all faiths: If something tragic were to happen to you
today, What inside of you gives that assurance that you know. that you know,
that you know, that when you open your eyes, you will be in the arms of your
Creator????? Can you walk with knowing that it does’nt matter what happens
to you, because ” absent from the body is present with the Lord”.
( read John 3:16 , Romans 10;9-10 , Acts 2:21 )
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:20 pm
I have not read the book, yet, but I read one of the chapter excerpts from Rayna, and I was just wondering if Islam has a particular holiday that is close in time to Hanukkah or Christmas? What are the most important holidays in the Islamic faith and what do they celebrate? I don’t know very much about Islam and am interested to find out more–any suggestions, references, information is much appreciated.
October 3rd, 2006 at 1:10 pm
http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-islam.htm
thats a good website about the origin of islam. It is a religion started on the sin of Abraham and His wife Sara. God promised Abraham a son (and that his decendents would inherit the promised land) and Sara could not bare children, so Sara decided to suggest Abraham commit adultery with their servant Hagar. (remember what happened last time a woman suggested sin? (Hint garden of Eden) nothing good comes from it) Hence, Ishmael was born. All Islamic teachings branch back to Ishmael and his decendents. The promised son was Isaac, who was a miracle child born to the baren Sara. Whose decendents include King David and Jesus Christ. Both believed that land was promised to them Still to this day. (constant war in Israel)
October 3rd, 2006 at 8:59 pm
I would like to know about the Moslem’s belief. It is a complex issue these three religions. There must be a way to join hands in our beliefs. To the other Christians in this blog, I believe this forum is for understanding and reaching out, not necessarily for preaching, condeming and judging. There is only one God and God alone.
October 4th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
John 3:18
“Whoever belives in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
There is no way to join hands in our beliefs.. Our beliefs are different. True Christians believe Jesus is the only way to Heaven.. Jews deny Christ as the Messiah, and Muslims only call him a profit.. Neither believe his is GOD. True christians believe he is..!
October 5th, 2006 at 1:01 am
Jesus said over and over that we are not the judges, that God judges. He also said that in my Father’s house there are many rooms, who is to say that there will not be a Jewish room and a Muslim room? Jesus is my way to heaven.
Each of our faith’s have extremists group, the more we learn about each other, the more we become understanding of each other and learn that the extremist are just that, a small percentage of the faiths. Each of our faith’s are built on love which comes from God. Jesus said over and over that we must love each other. I think he would have sat down to dinner with our three authers and listened to them and questioned them and conversed with them. I think he’d want us to live in love for our neighbors, not in judgement of them. God bless the three of you for doing something our leaders can’t do.
I wonder how we could begin cell groups of women across our country and across the world to stop the misunderstandings and encourge each other in our spiritual journeys?
October 5th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
As Muslims, we believe that God’s word has always been the same since the beginning of time. We believe in all prophets, starting with Adam.
It is interesting when people sit together and discuss religion in a logical way, although there are differences in how the faith is put into practice, when you get to the bottom of it, there always seems to be an underlining similar quality to the faiths.
As Muslims, we are taught in the Quran to respect all faiths. We also believe no matter the faith you have in this life, you will be judged by the deeds that you do.
“Those who believe in the Quran, and those who follow the Jewish scriptues, and the Chrisitans and the Sabians. Any who believe in God and the last day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve” Quran 2:62
October 5th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
To Athena.
Because the Islamic calendar follows a lunar cycle, and not solar like traditional calendars, the Islamic holidays, and Jewish holidays for that matter, fall about 10 days earlier every year. Right now we are in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan. It will be ending around October 22nd, and then we will be having a three day celebtation, called Eid Al-Fitr.
The only Jewish holdiay that falls at the same time every year is Hannakah. I think that is done more out of convenience because of the celebration of Christmas. Any comments?
October 5th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
I know that the Father’s house doesn’t have a Jewish room and a Muslim room.
John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you .”
Now lets read a little further down.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father’s house.. There is only rooms for believers in Jesus!
October 5th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
Faith question #2 is “What would you like to know about someone else’s religion?” A few people here have asked that but others seem interested only in stressing that their’s is the “one true religion”.
What I would like to know about any religion is how can you justify killing someone only because he or she doesn’t have the same truth as you? I’d also like to know how one knows that theirs is the one true thing? Although I am now an atheist I learned as a catholic, growing up, that god is love. So, killing and love don’t go together as far as I’m concerned. Such exclusion, disrespect and anger all seems so disingenuous and arrogant. Help me out here, please.
October 5th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
To NoCompromise316, Truth and others the like.
Maybe you didn’t read the question at the top of this blog “What would you like to know about someone else’s religion?” It doesn’t say how can you try to degrade others beliefs and try to push your beliefs on them. Isn’t the whole point of this to learn about and understand other beliefs? This isn’t a podium of which to preach, but to share. Please don’t be disrespectful and turn it into something else and take away a great conversation ground.
October 6th, 2006 at 2:13 am
searchtheHeart1 wrote:
>
The question I would like to ask is this: Are you aware that there are sincere, earnest religionists who believe in multiple gods? There are even those whose religion includes the belief that god is _in_ every living thing?
October 6th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Yes, God is in every living thing. However, there is only one God. He is the omnipotent one and is in every that is alive.
October 6th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Another question is why did god put us here? Does god need us for something?
October 6th, 2006 at 2:52 pm
Masallah,
I am not trying to push my faith, although I am very interested in
hearing your anwser to my first question . Would you please give a reply to it?
October 6th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
to masallah.. did you read the rest? What would you like to know about someone else’s religion? Post your question or post an answer to someone else’s question.
My whole debate when someone asked about the muslim beliefs.. then people started criticizing me and my beliefs, and i am not “forcing” them on anyone, as christians we are commanded to preach the true gospel.. It is my God given responsibility to reach out to the lost.. and lost doesn’t mean people searching for help, it means anyone who is not the Bible’s definition of saved. That is everyone who isn’t a follower of Jesus Christ, don’t misunderstand me, i am not saying Christians, but a follower of our Lord and God Jesus Christ. If I am to love my brother as myself i must do everything in my power to help save the sould of my brother from condemnation. Thats true love. its not letting them wallow in their misbeliefs, because no one told them otherwise.
Anyone just go right down through the ten commandments, Have you ever lied? ever.. any half truths, white lies? anything. What about lusted after someone even in your mind?? ever..? Have you ever stolen anything?? The value is irrelivant.. anything..? If you can answer yes to any of those questions then by your own admittance you are either a liar, an adultere, or a theif. If you can say yes to any of those questions, you need a savior or your going to hell. The only true savior is Jesus Christ. You are saved by grace, not by works. There is nothing you can do to go to heaven excpet believe in and follow Jesus Christ. That is the truth. I am not degrading other’s beliefs. Do not be decieved, friendship with the world is hatred toward God. If this “conversation ground” is not done in honor of Jesus’ name then it is friendship with the world. In everything you do honor God. If its not honoring God(Father, Son(Jesus), and Holy Spirit) then what good is it. You are befriending the world and its “relative” beliefs, Which is hatred toward God. I “share” the truth.
October 6th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
to pattip. God is not in need of anything we can give. God created us becuase it pleased him to do so.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
October 6th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
That just seems incredible to me. I guess that’s why I am an atheist.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
Truth all we can do is pray. Just pray.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
do muslims believe in only one god?
October 6th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
So truth, then are we just a recreational thing kind of like an ant farm. I’m serious, I just don’t get it. And the horrors that people live through are for some entities pleasure? Really, what’s that all about? I’m just letting you know the kinds of questions that occur to me when I read the bible. Just seems so unlikely that you could take this literally. There are contradictions and horrendous acts and why should one have faith in this?
Perhaps some of the Jewish, muslim, buddhist etc. faiths could also address this for me. What purpose did god have in creating us?
October 6th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
im confused to why you keep calling God an entity.We are not skilled to understand the Father. He doesn’t pleasure from our pain though, It says God is just. I guess we are similar to an ant farm.But remember in the beginning Man was perfect.If Adam and Eve would not have sinned we would not live through any horrors. He gave us free will.We have the choice to choose God or not. Think about it though isn’t it the most wonderful thing when you love something and let it go, and it chooses on its own to come back. He wanted us to choose him, in order to glorify him. The only reason there is evil in the world is because an angel got jealous and wanted God’s glory. God is a jealous God, and he will not share his glory with anyone. But men love the darkness and they choose seperation from God, Hell is the opposite of God. God had to make a place for anything that is not holy. God is love, and he loves all of us, but men choose not to love him, they choose to love the world. God created us for his glory.
October 6th, 2006 at 11:30 pm
“‘T’ruth” wrote:
>
Which ones? Several sets of commandments are in what I assume is your book of choice, and only one of them says “the ten.”
And what makes any particular 10 more important than scores of other commandments no one follows?
October 6th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
Let’s try this again, since my question related to the the quoted portion which did not show up. “‘T’ruth” wrote: “Anyone just go right down through the ten commandments, … ”
Which ones? Several sets of commandments are in what I assume is your book of choice, and only one of them says “the ten.”
And what makes any particular 10 more important than scores of other commandments in that same book that no one follows?
October 7th, 2006 at 2:31 am
the ten commandments are held as the ten commandments, The ones God gave to moses. Thou shalt not have no other gods before me, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. etc. Sorry if i didn’t quote them exactly. The Bible is the book of choice. But don’t even respond to the comment if you don’t know what “the ten commandments” are. That just shows blatant ignorance.
October 7th, 2006 at 9:26 am
While there is a historical record of Jesus, there really is no historical proof at all of this person named Moses. Also, there are many gospels that have never been included into the bible. Literal translation is just taking some guys word as truth. Sorry, at best I have to believe these are just the equivalent of fables with lessons to teach specific values. Not a terrible thing in and of itself, but when so much murder, strife and pain has been caused because of such perceived differences, I have to wonder what the point is. Anyone get what I’m saying?
Also, NoCompromise, I really don’t think that humanist doesn’t know what the ten commandments are, (correct me if I’m wrong humanist), I think he’s just holding you accountable for your statements.
October 7th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
how is he holding anyone accountable. I do my best not to break any commandments in the Bible, but i have broken some, and i am in need of a savior. That was my point. It wasn’t anything else. I quoted some of the 10.. it was showing ignorance to ask what ten after some were even quoted. and i don’t see how that is holding anything accountable. The point was to say that regardless of how good of a person you are. we all sin… That is the reason Jesus Christ came. His statement was just kind of put there to dodge to the true meaning of my statement.
October 7th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Maybe so, only humanist can answer that one. Didn’t mean to be presumptuous.
Anyway, have we learned anything so far about someone else’s religion?
October 9th, 2006 at 2:40 am
pattip Said: “While there is a historical record of Jesus, ”
What [extra-biblical] historical record would that be?
October 9th, 2006 at 2:57 am
“‘T’ruth” wrote: “I do my best not to break any commandments in the Bible, but i have broken some,”
I expect you have broken many, many commandments in the OT. “Thou shalt not seeth a kid in its mothers milk.”
Some of the “10 commandments” (at least those you might consider to be “the ten,” but probably are not) are actually in opposition to our Constitution.
Exodus 34:28 … And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Please back up a few verses and see what some of those commandments are:
Exodus 34:16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 19 All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. 20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
… 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. 23 Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year. 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
Those are just some of the commandments.
October 9th, 2006 at 9:41 am
Humanist, I guess I should have said “at least SOME historical record of Jesus”. The author was Flavius Josephus and his writings are believed to be the only first century mention of Jesus from a non-christian. However, he still did not live during the time that Jesus supposedly did. There is really no historical record from that time. Hope that clarifies it.
But does all of this really matter? We can not prove that something didn’t happen and neither do we have to. I think what is more interesting is why people believe what they believe and if we can live harmoniously and leave a peaceful world to our children and grandchildren, or at least a world worth living inFor atheist I feel that the world can be a more dangerous place than for almost any other group. People often think of atheists as amoral, selfish people. So, in case anyone is interested in what a non-religious person can be like, here’s the place to ask the questions.
October 9th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
The Two Babylons by Rev. Alexander Hislop in 1853 makes for some great reading if you want to know where many of the Christian traditions originated from. The Rev. Hislop did extensive research for this book and listed all his resources.
October 10th, 2006 at 3:06 am
pattip wrote: ““at least SOME historical record of Jesus”. The author was Flavius Josephus and his writings are believed to be the only first century mention of Jesus from a non-christian.”
Josephus did not name any such individual. Many biblical scholars consider what is allegedly written by Josephus to be later interpolations.
This addresses Josephus:
http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp10.htm#What%20did%20Josephus
October 10th, 2006 at 10:46 am
Humanist, thanks for the reference. I haven’t gottent through all of this yet but I will get to it sooner rather than later. I know that this stuff is still under investigation and the evidence does seem to lean toward the non-existence of “Jesus.
However, I don’t think you will convince most of the people posting above. To me it isn’t really an issue because even if “Jesus” did live and did preach all the stuff that is said, it doesn’t really prove anything about existence of God. There are any number of people throughout my career in nursing that have claimed to be “the messiah” and people didn’t believe them.
I’d like to learn more about some of the beliefs of non-christian religions. I think it is interesting to learn what people believe and how they came to that belief…and what is the purpose of their belief. How ’bout it?
October 10th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
pattip wrote: “I’d like to learn more about some of the beliefs of non-christian religions.”
Me, too!
“I think it is interesting to learn what people believe and how they came to that belief…and what is the purpose of their belief. How ’bout it?”
There is a plethora of info on the net in this regard. Meanwhile, this examines “truth”:
Why truth matters and how truth is defined:
http://atheism.about.com/od/philosophyepistemology/a/DefinitionTruth.htm?nl=1
October 11th, 2006 at 8:30 am
Two points:
1. When I was a comparative religions major in college we studied the search for the “historical Jesus”, and there was no proof he existed. Josephus is certainly not considered a reliable source for anything, and I don’t recall any references to Jesus in Josephus. Regarding the reference to no historical proof of the bible, I disagree. Every day in Israel, archeological sites are dug that prove, exactly, that the places, peoples, and events discussed in the Bible actually are where they would be expected to be. I think there is more proof there than people realize.
2. Getting back to the original point of this discussion - I would like to know why American Moslems don’t actively write into newspapers and go on TV, condemning the murderous behavior of their co-religionists. In my opinion, moderate Moslems should be the first ones to tell the others that they have hijacked the religion. Their religious leaders need to be the ones to refute the religious analyses that are leading to the violence. We outsiders can’t lead that discussion. But established Moslem leadership can and must.
October 11th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
So Rubes, a question about your studies. What is the historical proof that Jesus lived? The bible really isn’t such a proof as i understand it. That’s what I would like to know.
Now, for anyone who’d like to answer. Why have you stayed with a religion you were brought up in, or why have you changed your beliefs?
October 11th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you .”
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
“Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father’s house.. There is only rooms for believers in Jesus! ”
Is the Christian faith so weak that it cannot coexist with other religions. It seems to me to be the height of human arrogance to speak for God. To speak for God means you know the mind of God. To know the mind of God means you ARE God. For a human being to claim to be God is pure blashemy. John is just one of many authors of many different gospels. John is not God. NoCompromise316 is not God. God can speak for himself. How come Christians lack religious humility? How come Christians are incapable for religious pluralism? How strong can their faith really be if they have to attack others.
What is sad is we all share the exact same great great great… great grandparents. We are all descendents and children of the same two parents. In the great chain of life we all share the exact same mother and father. If we are all children of the same two parents why would an omnipotent God descriminate against us in any way. I prefer evolution over creationism because if creationism is true the 2nd and 3rd generations of human beings had to be commiting incestuous sex.
October 13th, 2006 at 4:29 am
Rubes wrote: “Regarding the reference to no historical proof of the bible, I disagree. Every day in Israel, archeological sites are dug that prove, exactly, that the places, peoples, and events discussed in the Bible actually are where they would be”
I don’t dispute that the Bible exists. I don’t dispute that _SOME_ places named in the Bible may exist. What does that prove? I am sure that there is archaeological evidence which contradicts some of what is written in the Bible.
There is much in the Bible for which there is absolutely no proof. Talking snakes? 800-year-old men? A flood which covered the mountains when that amount of water doesn’t exist? Many more such examples exist.
October 13th, 2006 at 4:33 am
Rubes wrote: “I would like to know why American Moslems don’t actively write into newspapers and go on TV, condemning the murderous behavior of their co-religionists. In my opinion, moderate Moslems should be the first ones to tell the others that they have hijacked the religion.”
Perhaps it is the same reason that liberal religionists are reluctant to criticize fundamentalists and/or evangelicals.
In many, if not most quarters, the notion exists that religious ideas are exempt from examination, comment and criticism. That is one of the major points in Sam Harris’ END OF FAITH. Richard Dawkins is also critical of this special status afforded religious ideas.
As part of Dawkins’ current book promotion tour, he is interviewed:
October 26th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Im so glad I’m not a ‘true christian’ as Truth believes one is. I read ALL the words in red and I didnt get that from jesus. My interpretation was more inclusive.
Truth Says:
October 4th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
John 3:18
“Whoever belives in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
There is no way to join hands in our beliefs.. Our beliefs are different. True Christians believe Jesus is the only way to Heaven.. Jews deny Christ as the Messiah, and Muslims only call him a profit.. Neither believe his is GOD. True christians believe he is..!
October 30th, 2006 at 11:45 am
I have a question and a comment.
Question: From reading Faith Club and from other comments made to be my Jews, they don’t have a hard and fast principle or understanding of life after death. Are there any Jewish scriptures that refer to life after death at all?
Comment: “Truth” said that there is no way to join hands in our beliefs because our beliefs are different. I have to disagree with that. We are all God’s children and He loves every one of us equally. I feel one of the main reasons we are here on earth is to reach out and help one another along the way in this rough life we find ourselves participating in. We are to “love our neighbor as ourselves” . I happen to hold Christ up as my supreme exemplar and teacher and redeemer, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love and understand and join hands with those of other faiths, just as He did. The experiences of the women in Faith Club was a perfect example of how each of their lives were enriched by learning from each of their spiritual sisters. They were lead to study their own religions and question parts of their religion and look for more spiritual enlightenment. How can learning and growth and tolerance ever be negative in our lives. If we are afraid to study that which believe and test its validity in our lives, then our faith is shallow or not based on truth.
November 1st, 2006 at 1:22 am
liahona is so eloquent
December 19th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
I just arrived at this forum and am stunned by the honesty and depth of conversation. I’m also surprised by the rancor.
I remember hearing a beautiful sermon about how to tell true believers in God from false ones, and the answer was “by their fruit shall ye judge them.”
It seems to me that if God loves all people, then people that unite others, heal misunderstandings, love and accept one another, and do good for one another are pleasing to God.
People who incite division, pick quarrels, and encourage conflict are ones that I choose to avoid.
I’d love to stick around if this is a place to discuss in a spirit of openness. I’ll have to peel myself off the wall first and shake myself off.
December 22nd, 2006 at 11:02 am
I agree with you Liahona. We need to work to develop inclusive relationships because only then can we understand each other. I will never fully agree with Muslim, Jewish or other religions and philosophies but I can strive to understand them and thus grow in my relationships with others. I refer to draw closer to those around me and not alienate my self from others. I have learned from 16 years in the mission field that we can all get along. I am a Christian and have been welcomed into the homes of many different people groups and belief groups. I have always learned something positive from others. I believe that when we reject others we are responding from our own insecurities. I am secure in who I am in Christ. No one can change that.
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. My prayer for 2007 is that we would grow in our understanding of others and put away our insecurities.
December 26th, 2006 at 12:32 am
Joy, to answer your question: There are too many passages in the Jewish Bible that give me comfort to list them here. How can I trust them? I can’t. However, I trust I will wake up tomorrow morning, that my alarm clock will sound at the time I set it for, that my car will get me to work on time, etc. Can I trust these things? No. But I do anyway as silly and irrational as that may be.
LovingJesus: How do I know I will be in the arms of my Creator? Again, I’m being asked a question that can’t be answered rationally.
Why believe things that can’t be proven scientifically? Maybe for no better reason than doing so makes life meaningful. I do my best to fulfill the commandments for the sake of being my best self spiritually. Why get an education or lose weight or quit smoking other than to be one’s best self educationally, professionally, or healthy?
This sort of brings me to someone else’s discussion: I believe the question was why did God create us - or words to that effect. In the Jewish perspective, God created us out of love just as parents create their babies out of love. They want something to nurture and love. God didn’t create us out of need but out of desire and to be co-creators with Him. Kabbalah teaches that God purposely left a part of creation unfinished; it is our task to bring about the completion of creation. We accomplish this by “tikkun olam” (repair of the world) and by fulfilling the commandments.
SubmittingSays: You asked about the Jewish calendar and the date of Hanukkah. Like the Muslim calendar, the Jewish calendar is also lunar. However, since that makes the Jewish months shorter than the Gregorian months, an extra month is added every few years. We have not just one month of Adar but Adar I and Adar II in order that our calendar will be re-set so to speak. That way, Passover will always occur in the spring as it is commanded to be. If we didn’t have a “leap month,” Passover would eventually travel all over the calendar which can’t happen.
Hanukkah always falls on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. However, since the Jewish calendar doesn’t coincide with the Gregorian, Hanukkah appears to be a “movable feast.” It has nothing to do with fitting in with Christmas; Hanukkah is not the “Jewish Christmas,” has nothing to do with Christmas and only falls near or on Christmas by accident. It can begin as early as the day after Thanksgiving.
Liahona: I can’t think of any Jewish scripture that refer to an afterlife - not in the sense that most of us understand. There are a few verses that say something like: “Let me not go down into Sheol” with Sheol being interpreted as some kind of hell. However, from my reading, Sheol wasn’t nearly as abstract as hell; Sheol was a definite, physical place. It was Jerusalem’s garbage pit! (In fact, I understand that it is still a known place today). So the writer was asking God please don’t let him end up being put out in the trash!
TruthSays: Jews have a different commentary about Abraham and Sarah. I won’t bother elaborating because I see from so many of the postings here that it would be a waste of my time and only incite argument.
So I guess that leads to my question for others: To those who believe as some of the Christians here - that there is no way for unbelievers to join hands - why are you here?
December 29th, 2006 at 9:23 am
Liahona:
There IS a concept of afterlife in Judaism. There is much written about both a “hell” type afterlife and a “heaven” type afterlife in Talmud, Mishna, and Tanach. In more traditional sects of Judaism, schools teach these concepts, in these cicrcles such concepts are considered truths.
What may account for the impression you have that there is no real idea of an afterlife in Jewish thought is that you were either talking to or getting your information from a Jew who was uneducated in Jewish philosophy, history and Torah and/or these Jews may have been affiliated with a more modern sect of Judaism who do not much dwell on the idea of an afterlife and have disagreed in their doctrine with the original teachings of Judaism. This is fine, this progression of sects and faction of belief, but when a Jew does not represent all of Judaism, particularly excluding the traditional end from whcih it all stems, they are doing the rest of the world a disservice, i think.
“HEAVEN” IN JEWISH TRADITION
Tanach mentions “the world to come” which refers to both the messianic age and a spiritual afterlife, it mentions about the death of certain biblical characters that they will be “gathered to his people”, and the concept of kareit or kareis, the cutting off or spiritual excision of the soul from other Jews, as the punishment for certain sins . All of these are refernces from the the Torah and related writings to an afterlife.
In Jewish tradition there are several schools of thought regarding this afterlife, in some it is very similar to the Christian idea of heaven, a place in which, there is no physical componenet and each soul communes with God. Specific descriptions of it vary from one source to another, but mishnaic source describes a feeling of peace so intense we cannot fathom it, other sources compare the bliss of the afterlife to the joy of sex or the warmth of a sunny day.
Other schools of thought believe in reincarnation, and still others prefer to focus on the Here and Now rather than abstract hypotheticals of after life. Becuase Jews think what is most important is one’s conduct in the current world. One’s focus should be on being the best possible human being youi can be, the best jew you can be if you are jew, the best gentile you can be if you are a gentile.
“HELL” IN JEWISH TRADITION
As for “Hell”…the traditional and historical belief of Judaism, that which is written in the Tanach, commentaries on this in the talmud, et cetera is that there does indeed exist a hell, or Gehinnom or She’ol in hebrew, some schools of thought teach that every sin we commit creates an angel of destructionand after we die we are punished by the very demons that we created.
Some views see Gehinnom more like the Christina idea of Hell, others see it as a time when we can objectively comprehend the actions our lives, see the harm that we have done and the opportunities we missed, and experience remorse for our actions.
Whatever the description of hell is though, there is generally the cap that the time period does not exceed 12 months, and after this period in hell, the soul has been cleansed and purified and may join God in Olam HaBa, the world to come, or Gan Eden or heaven or whichever name you prefer.
Of course, there is the exception of the truly wicked, who not ascend at the end of this period; their souls are punished for the entire 12 months. Sources differ on what happens at the end of those 12 months: some say that the wicked soul is completely destroyed and ceases to exist while others say that the soul continues to exist in a state of consciousness of remorse. They say, these wicked would have to be really awful, Pol Pot or Hitler, to name relatively modern wicked men.
This 12-month limit is repeated in many places in the Talmud, and it is connected to the mourning cycles and the recitation of Kaddish.
December 29th, 2006 at 9:29 am
ANSWER FOR SUBMITTING
Submitting:
While you answered another’s question above regarding Islamic tradition, you mentioned that you were under the impression that Hanukkah was held in December for convenience in regarsd to Christmas.
Hanukkah, has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, it is a commemoration of an event that happened within one hundred years before Christ was even born.
And as a matter of fact, CHrist was not born at this time of year. December 25th is the date a Roman ruler decided upon sometime in the 3rd century. People had been celebrating the birth of Christ around this time, ironically, because of Hanukkah. For the first hundred or so years of Christianity the romans outlawed its practice, people sacrificed quite a lot tob e able to practice Christianity before Rome decided they liked the idea. And so, instead of celebrating Christ’s birth later in the year (I believe it was closer to Spring) the Christians celebrated Christmas during early winte, because Jews were celebrating hanukkah at that time, and the pagan reliions were celbrating Yule at that time, the christian celebration was not as noticeable as it would have been had they been the only group celebrating.
December 30th, 2006 at 11:10 pm
Malka, thank you very much for your information about Jewish ideas and writings with regard to the afterlife. As far as I had known, the only reference was that “the righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come.” Thanks for your very thorough elaboration.
Yes, from what I’ve read, Jesus was born in the spring as that is the only time shepherds watch their flocks by night; during the lambing season which occurs in the spring - or so I’ve read. It might have been Emperor Constantine or the council he convened that decided December 25 as the date for Christmas. December 25 was already the date for the feast of Saturnalia.