Judaism represents one of the world’s oldest religions; it is a religious belief system common among the Jewish people and it entails the cultural practices, laws, traditions, and general conduct of the Jewish community (Falcon and Blatner 3). The history of Jewish community shows that, Judaism began in the Middle East and later spread to other parts of the world (Falcon and Blatner 3).
Today Judaism has grown to become a big community withmillion of followers across the world. Judaism has remained a strong religion because it has some basic beliefs, which play a big role in sustaining this religion. This paper will discuss the four basic central beliefs of Judaism.
Discussion
Foremost, Judaism believes in the existence of one God. According to this belief, the Jewish people strongly believe that there is only one God and he is thecreator of everything (Falcon and Blatner 7). This concept argues that, every Jewish person has to obey the laws of the creator that are only provided by Torah.
In fact, the Jewish people have to recite a declaration that indicates ones commitment to God (Dosick 14). This declaration is made every morning and during special occasions. Therefore, no one should worship any other God and every one is required to show total commitment to the creatorof everything (Falcon and Blatner 4).
Secondly, Judaism believes in existence of a covenant between the Jews and God (Dosick 23). According to Judaism beliefs, God formedan everlastingcovenant with the Jewish people in which God promised to give Abraham the land of Canaan. In deed, the sealing of this covenant wasdone through circumcision and even today; the Jewish people undergo circumcisionas a way of honoring the agreement.Under this covenant, the land of Israel was given to the Jewish people through Prophet Moses at Mount Sinai.
Thirdly, Judaism believes that there is reward for the good people and punishment for the wicked people (Falcon and Blatner 12). All Jewish people hold this belief and all members of Judaism community live in the hope that they will be delivered to the Promised Land.
According to this belief, the Jewish people believe that the Messiah will come back and redeem them to the Promised Land (Falcon and Blatner 12). This will happen at the end of time and it is during this time when their creator will reward them. However, according to this belief the creator will not only reward the obedient people but also he will punish the evil and the wrong dowers.
Finally, Judaism believes that human beings were created in the image of God (Falcon and Blatner 33). In fact, one of the main teachings of the Jewish community is that all human beings were created “b’ tzelem Elohim,” which means that human beings were created in the image of God (Falcon and Blatner 47). As such, this belief advocates that every person in the world is equally important and has the ability to do the will of Godin the planet.
Conclusion
In summary, Judaism has many beliefs including believe in one God, believe in covenant between the Jewish and God to own the land of Israel, believe in coming of messiah who will deliver them to the Promised Land, and the believe that human beings are created in the image of God (Dosick 72).
Works Cited
Dosick, Wayne. Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition, and Practice. New York: HarperSan Francisco, 1995. Print.
Falcon, Ted and Blatner David. Judaism for Dummies. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2001. Print.