Religion and Theology

Jewish belief is closely related to their history. Jewish thought has originated mostly from reflections on the mixed personal and social experience of the Jewish people. Modern Jewish thought is the persisting reaction to the special problems caused by the liberation of the Jewish from passed segregated social situation. The historical background of the Jewish is the forms the modern Jewish thought. A Jew is anyone born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism in accordance to Jewish law. American Reform Judaism and British liberal Judaism recognize a child born to one Jewish parent as Jew if the child is brought up with Jewish identity. Sincere converts are currently welcomed, although conversation is not allowed traditionally. The process of conversion is assessed by an authority and the sincerity and knowledge of the person being converted is assessed. The converts are then given names as either the son or daughter of Abraham (Patterson, 2005).

Judaism asserts that a Jew remains a Jew regardless of how he became one. Therefore a Jew who is an atheist or has moved to another religion is still regarded as a Jew by traditional Judaism laws. According to the reform movement, a Jew who has moved to another religion is no longer considered as a Jew. The same position has also been assumed by Israel government in accordance with the Supreme Court laws and rulings.

Jewish thought is more than one thing and with the aid of Hebrew language, one is able to realize a detailed understanding of human soul. Just like written words and letters are meant to shape the soul, Jewish thought is considered to surpass all the philosophy of life that only talks about the holiness of life. Jewish thought is in Hebrew language which is regarded as a holy language which penetrates the depths of human soul as it comes from the hand of god. Jewish philosophy of life is an overall approach to life that reinforces the immeasurable worth of every human life. For the language that comes to the world via the Jewish reveals to all human beings the same way as glorious view of man.  It struggles to understand what there is to love and after realizing this, we come to know what is to be done like when holding a young child in our hands. It is about the matter of what must be done. Jewish thought fathoms meaning by doing so that after hearing and realizing the meaning and the mission open up (Patterson, 2005).

The core issue of modern Jewish thought is set by the condition of liberation. Being liberated led to the rising of a question on how to be modern and still Jewish. The great movements which have occurred in modern Jewish life give appropriate answers. Jewish can either modernize their religious life or renew nationhood. Modernity can be considered in its intellectual indications. It is about how Jewish lifestyle can be understood and explained in a persuasive fashion of ideas which concern people today. In America, most Jewish have attained higher education and their thinking has been shaped by the knowledge and the experience they have had. Discussion on Judaism does not give out the truth but only talks about its organizational efficiency. A statement of a Jewish belief will predictably have a sensible effect on the Jewishs self perception and lifestyle (Borowitz, 1995).

For a thinker to be considered modern, he must posses a system of ideas that have value in modern culture. Getting such a modern way of thinking and shaping the way together with Jewish tradition can best be put into agreement which will make up the primary task of the subject being examined. Since modern rational life in general has been unusually active and many changes have taken place, there have been same varied prototypes of thought development among Jewish thinkers. Five considerably different methods of elucidating Jewish religious belief have a rose in the past century and the sixth way emerges from the intellectual issues brought forward by the Zionist movement and the creation of the state of Israel. Zionism has rarely gone beyond the ideological level but the effects of its historical achievements and the queries hidden in them have impacted all serious Jewish thinkers. Among these six ways of thinking as is expected, there are some ideas which are repeated. A brief analysis of these themes may assist to set the selections of modern Jewish thinking into viewpoint (Patterson, 2008).

The liberation brought the Jews from the era of Talmudic and medieval Aristotelian assumptions into an era of rapidly developing on the science of Galileo and Newton. Emergence of science opposed classic Judaism on topics of fact such as the age of the earth, or on the way nature is explained such as evolution of mankind, and show of Gods power through miracles become myths. Science viewed the world in a simplified and more integrated way as compared to Judaism. Judaism was solely based on Gods immediate rule. The accuracy of science made it possible to control much of nature and revealed the potential of crafting better ways to live which had not been thought of (Patterson, 2008).
Modernity resulted in more confidence in humankind, and less reliance in Gods disclosures. The emancipated Jews placed more emphasis on the concept of development, more so that which can be realized through the application of human reason. Instead of depending on God to save them in this world or to balance in a new world, people gained confidence in themselves, believed that they could completely change things. The initial belief was either as a result or ignorance or thoughtlessness and was later eradicated by education and knowledge. All that appeared uncertain would likely soon be revealed through research and analysis (Patterson, 2008).

In a nutshell being modern meant taking positions in opposing truths from God which are found in traditional Judaism and the lifestyle that defines it. Modernity has been rejected by Hasidism and yashivah worlds. Modern Orthodox has assumed another stand. According to German Orthodox Samson Raphael Hirsch, rabbinic praise of Torah means that one can still be faithful to Torah even in the modern lifestyle (Rosenzweig  Glatzer, 1999).

Our traditions have resulted into many other traditions. For example, Hinduism has given birth to Buddhism, and Jainism, and Judaism is the mother tradition of Christianity and Islam. Because of these close relations, Judaism has similar thought with Christianity and Islam. All these religions are believed to have been revealed by some supreme being. As in Hinduism, it always existed, i.e. it was never started. God is the source of both Hindu and Jewish traditions. Both traditions remove their shoes while entering the holy temple, take ritual births before performing any special rights. Both Hindu and Jewish women do not go to the temple when their periods are on. This is a show of the outer purity which is needed to nurture the inner purity.

Both traditions believe in the holy book which was given to them by god. In Judaism, there is the Hebrew Tanakh, while in Christianity there is the bible. Hebrew tanakh in Judaism is similar to Old Testament in the bible (Borowitz, 1995).

Jewish thought is closely tied to their history. Most of their thought is derived from reflections of the mixed personal and social experience of the Jewish people. The thoughts are also influenced by the Hebrew Tankh which is their holy book. Jewish thought is complicated and includes a variety of concepts. The word is meant to transform and penetrate the soul of human being as it comes from the holy hand.

Jewish liberation brought a lot of changes to the way in which the Jewish thinkers think. Since they believed in revelations from God, the science era invested more confidence in man than it was before. People took positions which were contradicting the teaching of god. Miracles from god became regarded more as myths. All things which were not known initially become apparent dues to research and analysis.