Judaism is the religion of Jewish people that values sacred books containing God’s word. The most important books on which Judaism is focused are Hebrew Bible, Talmud, and a prayer book. Since its foundation and until these days, like many other religions, Judaism has gone through significant changes in history and is facing differences in perception of religion in modern society.
Judaism is centered on the belief in one God, the creator of heaven and earth, and is significantly focused on reading the biblical texts. The followers of this religion have a special, loving connection with God, and the people of Israel are believed to be chosen by God (Farhadian, 2021). God is seen as an eternal being who knows people’s actions and cares for them, who is ready to reward the good or punish the evil.
Judaism is accustomed to people since childhood and is usually dependent on whether the mother is Jewish or not. Children, until the age of twelve for girls and thirteen for boys, are considered minors and are taught Jewish rituals and the Hebrew Bible. When reaching a certain age, boys and girls have their own adulthood initiation ceremonies (Farhadian, 2021). Judaism is based on birth rather than a personal belief, and when entering a Jewish family, it is expected to convert into their faith.
These days, similarly to other religions, some aspects of Judaism are different compared to their original. Now, followers of this religion are not centered only in Israel but are spread around the world. Jewish people are differentiated between those who follow Judaism similarly to the old days and those who do not believe in God but accept certain elements of the religion applicable to modern days.
Reference
Farhadian C. E. (2021). Introducing world religions: A Christian engagement. Baker Publishing Group.