Judaism vs. Christianity: Point by Point
A comparison of Judaism and Christianity provides many interesting perspectives on the issues of faith that characterize and separate them. These two faiths have much in common, but there are also fundamental differences between them-such polarizing factors that some misguided Christians-if Adolf Hitler and people like him can be considered veritable Christians-have persecuted, horrifically tortured, and murdered Jews. There has, curiously, been little hostility on the part of Jews toward Christians, but even today-many decades after Hitler's regime-there is an understandable sensitivity on the part of Jews to any suggestion, real or perceived, of persecution on the part of Christians; the harsh specter of the prison camps still lives on in the hearts of the Jews. What makes the contrast between Judaism and Christianity so fascinating is that, in spite of the much later origin of Christianity, the two faiths were in essence "separated at birth," because Christianity arose out of Judaism. An exploration of them both highlights where they have remained the same and where they have grown apart.The similarities between Christianity and Judaism are easy to identify. Both faiths believe in one god-the very same God, in fact-the G
The Jews and the Christians, figuratively separated at birth, worshipped the same God, traveled the same path, and looked for the same Messiah; the Christians recognized Him at His coming, but the Jews did not. In comparing these two faiths today, we can see how intricately they are interwoven with each other and yet how in spite of that shared heritage, they have become remarkably different. The disparity between the two lies simply in the answer to the question "Is Jesus the Messiah?" One fork in the road is for those who answer this "Yes," and the other for those who answer it "No"-a simple question with only two options. The option chosen, however, sets each worlds apart from the other. To put this in the vernacular, He was essentially saying, "Hey, I've restored sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead...Duh! What do YOU think?" This last point is the pivotal difference between Judaism and Christianity, and as such deserves a closer look. For thousands of years, the Jews awaited a Messiah who would lead their people to freedom. Many prophetic scriptures point to the coming of Jesus as that Messiah, a number of them in the prophetic past tense-Isaiah 53:5, for example, which says, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (The Holy Bible). The Jews anticipated that their Messiah would be a king, bedecked with jewels and finery, and a commanding presence who would lead them from captivity and restore their land to them; they did not expect a humble King born in a manger, who would lead them t
Some common words found in the essay are:
Judaism Christianity, Jews Christians, Bible Jews, Jesus Messiah, Bible God, Bible Jesus, Faiths Comparison, Christ Messiah, Christianity Judaism, Messiah Christians, judaism christianity, abrahamic faiths comparison, abrahamic faiths, jews christians, holy bible, faiths comparison, promised testament, prophetic scriptures, separated birth, jesus messiah, christianity judaism,
Approximate Word count = 1115
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
