– Explore how Jews and Hindus imagine God. Are there any overlaps?
Religion has been around for thousands of years and every culture has their
definition of it. In most religions there is belief that there is one God that created life and
its creation but some religion believe there are many Gods. Many religions believe in
going to church on Sundays, while others go to a Temple or a Mosque. Religion teaches
us to live life in a worthy matter like doing good and respective everyone. The purpose
of this essay is to inform you about two major religions, Hinduism and Judaism. Based
on class discussions, Huston Smith’s book The World’s Religions and a little research I
did on my own. In this essay I will discuss Hinduism God’s and Jewish beliefs and
rituals.
Hindus view God in a very serious way. According to Hindus all of their Gods are
connected in some aspects. Some God’s are more important than others. Some Hindus
believe life is a endless cycle that can take up to a trillion years to finish rebirth. The
Jews view God as one creator off all. The Jewish line begins with Abraham. God made
a Covenant with Abraham as he was going to be the Father to as many people as the
stars and the sand of the seashore. Abraham had two kids Ishmael, the first born from a
slave woman and Isaac from his wife Sarah but only the second child was born with a
The Term Paper on Hinduism Hindus Gods Religion
Hinduism is a religion that originated in India, and is still practiced by most of its inhabitants. It is proclaimed as the oldest religion in the world, and is declared as the official religion of the country and is also practiced in other parts of the world including East and South Africa, Southeast Asia, the East Indies and England. The word "Hindu" comes from the word "Sindh u" meaning the ...
promise. Isaac had twin boys Jacob and Esau. Esau was considered the older child,
the one who would inherit the promise than Jacob stole his his birth right through
a bowl of Lentil soup. After Jacob stole Esau’s blessing he fled his tribe, scared of his
brother. Later when he came back to make peace with his brother, walking through the
bushes something attacked him, he thought it was his brother trying to kill him. When he
realized he was wrestling with God, he grabbed God and asked for his blessing. God
said because you wrestled with God your name is no longer Jacob but Israel, which is
now the nation related to the twelve son’s of Jacob. So both of these religions see God
differently. Hindus have many God’s and don’t believe in salvation but Jews believe in
one God and life after death.
Hinduism is different from other religions like Judaism and Christianity. As other
religions have one founder, there are thousands of different religions that come from
India. It is very interesting that Hindus adopt other people beliefs. Hinduism is the
worlds third largest religion right after Christianity and Islam. There are many Hindu
followers in the United States. They have one principle Brahma that states that reality is
a unity. Most Hindus follow Vaishnavism which is Vishnu and Shivaism. Shiva is
considered to be the God of all. We also talked in class how Shiva is supposed to be
half man and half woman. Shiva is know as the creator and the destroyer. Shiva’s
purpose is to destroy the old and create something new. Vishnu is knows as a preserver
his role is to keep thinks in order. Devi is the God of goodness. It is believed that Devi
appears in different forms. Shiva is also know as the creator of energy in the Universe.
Ganesha is one of the most popular Gods in Hinduism. Ganesha is one of the first Gods
to be placed in an Indian home. They believe that it will bring them prosperity and
success. People often turn to Ganesha when they want a better job, more money, a
better car and even better grades in school. Hindus believe that when a person dies
they will be reincarnated either as a human or as a animal. So if you have been good
The Essay on He Application Of ‘The Six Dimensions Of Religion’ To Judaism
The six dimensions of religion are deeply entwined with eachother, as no person can experience the depth of one dimension without encountering the others. The six dimensions, as described by Ninian Smart, are the Doctrinal dimension, The Mythological dimension, the Ethical dimension, the Ritual Dimension, the Experiential dimension, and the Social dimension. Each one seeks to explain a different ...
you will most likely be reincarnated in human form. But if you have been bad and
committed lots of sins you could be reincarnated into an animal. Most Hindus are
vegetarian and pray everyday. Hindus pray on Mondays and Fridays, when they only
eat vegetarian food. Before they pray they shower and wear clean clothes. Hindus give
offerings to their Gods like flowers, fruits, and Indian food. I watched a documentary on
hair by Chris Rock. In this documentary they showed Indians shaving their long, shiny
hair and giving it to Gods as offering. It was a long and very important ritual. Most
Hindus have a prayer place inside their home. They make this place sacred, where you
can not look or touch if you’ve have eaten meat. At a Hindu temple there is a priest who
stays there as a Caretaker of all the Gods. Overall Hinduism is a very diverse religion
which respects other religions. To me this religion has many ways of looking at life. I
guess that is why Hinduism is one of the worlds most popular religions.
Now Judaism is a religion culture of the Jews, which can also be called the
people of Israel. Judaism can be traced as one of the oldest religions of the world. The
main rule in Judaism can be fund in the Torah, where God is first introduced. The
history of Judaism begins with Moses. God spoke to Moses at Mt Sinai asking the
Israelites to keep the covenant by obeying the Torah. There are three forms of Judaism.
Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. These forms of Judaism are a result of Jews who
immigrated to other parts of the world. For the traditional religious Jews, life is all about
their faith. They pray three times a day. In the morning they pray the Shaharith, in the
afternoon they pray for Minhah and in the evening to the Maarib. The prayer times are
symbolic of the times they made sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple. During actual
The Term Paper on Being Jewish Jews Chicago World
According to the Jewish tradition being Jewish, means serving a God. However, if you were born Jewish in the Eastern Europe then you were persecuted against. You must not practice Judaism in the world of communism. That is why my family as many millions Jewish families immigrated to the United States-to seek freedom on the "shores of the country of freedom'. Moving from place to place through ...
worship services in the Temple there are many different prayers that are said. All
services finish with two messianic prayers Alenu and Kaddish. The prayers of Kaddish
is used in the morning during burial of a Jew and it can also be a prayer on the
anniversary of their death. The Jews look upon the earth as a gift from God. The Jewish
calendar follows the division of time in the Torah. Therefor, every seventh day is the
Sabbath. No Jewish person should work during this time. The Sabbath is spent on
prayer, studying, rest and family dinner. Certain animals are unclean in the Jewish
culture and these animals are pigs and fish without fins or scales. Also, milk and meat
products should not be eaten together. Foods that are acceptable are called Kosher
because a table in a Jewish home is seen as a table of the Lord. The Jewish year
includes five major festivals. Three of the major ones are part of the agriculture and the
season of Israel. The passover marks the beginning of the Barley Harvest. Passover is
symbolic because it reminds the Jews of when the Holy Spirit passed over the house
that was marked with blood of the lamb during the Exodus from Egypt. The Sabbath
festival concludes the Passover. It is fifty days after the first day of Passover. Rosh
Hashanah is the festival of the Jewish New Year. This festival is done by the holiest day
of the Jewish year. Yom Kippur is spent on fasting, prayers and confessions. The
Jewish community is very serious about the Torah and they take their culture and
festivals just as serious.
I think humans look for a meaning of life in order to understand it. So many
cultures in the world have a God to justify the way they live. To Hindus as Hustom
Smith said in his book The World’s Religions “the third path toward God, intended for
persons of active bent, it’s karma yoga, the path to God through work”. To the Jewish
Hustom Smith writes “the Hebrew bible contains no less than 610 commandments that
regulate human behavior. Four of these will suffice for our purposes. The four ethical
precepts of the ten commandments, for it is through these that Hebrews morality has
The Term Paper on Indian Traditions, Customs, Religions, Festivals, Pooja
Bathing is an integral part of daily routine in every Indian’s life. Special occasions call for holy dips in sacred rivers and lakes as enumerated by the scriptures. That a bath keeps us healthy through personal hygiene is a well known fact. But there are other aspects as well that are not well known. Polygraphic studies proved that water enhances electro-magnetic activity. In the context of ...
had its greatest impact”. I don’t think these two religions have anything in common when
it comes to the their God’s. Jewish people think Hinduism is all about worshiping Idols
but Hindus are more acceptable of other religions. The are many rules in order to follow
God. I guess the reason the religion exists is because people need to believe in
something greater than this earth.
Referenced:
The Bible
Class Discussions
Huston Smith The World’s Religions
www.chabad.org
www.mfa.gov.il
