By definition, Judaism is a monotheistic religion that was originated by Abraham and his descendants. However, that is not always the case. Perceptions on Judaism have varied from a religion, a culture, or even a racial group. Despite “being Jewish” is commonly demonstrated as a belief, there are still numerous opposing points of view.
Judaism used to have a long history of isolation due to their distinctive set of practices. While Christianity was drastically dominating Europe in the Middle Ages, Jews refused to convert and held on to their belief instead (Wistrich). Beside the role of Jesus Christ, the two share a lot of similarities in belief. The first half of the Bible, known as the Old Testament was actually written by them. Therefore,
…show more content…
The United States Supreme Court had adapted the same terminology in the 1980s and Jews were deeply offended. This assumption has been disagreed upon by the (current) US Census and genetic studies nowadays. Common ancestry is not required for Judaism. Jews can be of any race: black, white, Asian, and so on. This could be simply done by converting. Despite the remark of “Jewish people”, in no way Judaism is a single ethnic nor a race.
In oppose to the mainstream belief, I personally view Judaism as a culture. According to Dictionary.com, a culture is inferred as “the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners and scholar pursuits”. Cultures could be inherited and transmitted from a generation to the next. So are Jews. In fact, 42% Jews consider themselves to be secular rather than traditional or religious. For instance, if a mother follows the faith of Judaism, then her child is unquestionably Jewish, regardless of his/her belief in God. If that being said, one could be an atheist and Jewish at the same time. It is certain that atheism and religions are 2 completely opposing concepts. Hence, the idea would just be more contradicting if Judaism was perceived as a religion.
Judaism holds some validity in every aspects, whether it is a religion or a matter of culture and nationality. Even though I am firm with my opinion-that
Jews people constitute a culture, it was admittedly hard to convey what Judaism is and what it really meant to be