Judaism There are approximately 14 million Jewish people in the world today, with close to 6 million living in the U.S. and about 5 million in Israel. Although Christians believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and are followers of the Jewish Messiah, we donโt have as much in common with our Jewish friends as you may think. Judaism is ranked as the sixth largest organized religion in the world, but it may surprise you to find that many Jewish people donโt believe in God. Itโs amazing, but itโs true. More than half of all Jews in Israel today call themselves โsecular,โ and according to a recent poll, only 30% of all Jews are โabsolutely certainโ that God exists, 34% are โsomewhat certain,โ 24% arenโt sure, and 12% believe there is no God.1 So itโs possible to be secular, agnostic, and even an atheist and still be Jewish. Some Jews even believe in reincarnation. If your mother is Jewish, that makes you Jewish, no matter what you believe. So being Jewish is not the same thing as following the religion of Judaism. Being Jewish is like having a citizenship; but following Judaism is living a certain lifestyle. To Jewish people, what they believe about God and the afterlife isnโt as important as how they live. Background There are three main branches, or movements, in contemporary Judaism: Orthodox: Orthodox is the most strict form, and until 200 years ago, it was the only kind of Judaism. Orthodox or โtraditionalโ Jews emphasize tradition and pride themselves on faithfully keeping the Laws of Moses. They make up 10% of the Jewish population in America. Reform: On the other end of the scale is the liberal or โmodernโ movement, called Reform. The Reform movement began in the 18th century to bring Judaismโs โold and outmoded ways of thinkingโ up to date. Reform Jews say they keep the good values of Judaism, but donโt have to keep strict religious laws. These are most of the Jews youโll meet today. Conservative: In between the Orthodox and Reform are the Conservatives. Conservative Judaism arose in the 19th century, as a middle ground between the other two branches. Theyโre traditional but believe the rabbis can change Jewish laws to suit the times. About 30% of American Jews are Conservative. Because Judaism emphasizes behavior instead of theology, there is a wide variety of beliefs even within each of the branches. With such diversity, itโs difficult to generalize about their beliefs. Who is God? Orthodox Jews believe there is only one God. He is a Spirit who is all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, and eternal. Jews often recite something called the Shema: โHear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!โ (Deuteronomy 6:4) Reform Jews, however, can interpret the โGod conceptโ however they like, and thatโs still within the boundaries of their Judaism. They can be atheists, naturalists, religious humanists, but they all agree on one concept: โThe truth is that we do not know the truth.โ So if you want to know what Reform Jews believe about God today, it really depends on which Jewish person you ask. Scriptures Orthodox Jews (the strict believers) believe that the Torah was written by God through the hand of Moses. The Torah is the Hebrew name for the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They also believe the rest of the Old Testament, which is called the Tanakh, but donโt give it as much authority as the Torah. There is also the Talmudโthe teachings of the Jewish rabbisโwhich they believe has great authority. But Reform Jews (the more liberal ones) donโt necessarily believe that the Scriptures were written by God. Most believe they were merely written by men. They feel itโs a good book for preserving history and culture, and helps to live a good life, but the bottom line is, it wasnโt written by God, so itโs not binding. Heaven and Hell Orthodox Jews do believe there is life after death in the Olam Ha-Baโthe World to Come. They believe that the righteous of all nations will live forever with God in a perfect place of peace and prosperity, and that the unrighteous will sufferโbut they donโt all agree on where those people will go. Some believe nothing happens when you die. Others believe you go to Sheโol, or Gehenna, a place of purification (kind of like a Jewish purgatory). Then you either go directly to Paradise, or you are destroyed and cease to exist, or you continue to live in a state of unending remorse. Again, todayโs Judaism leaves it open to personal opinion. In the Reform and Conservative branches, most have no concept of personal life after death. What is most important is the here and nowโbeing a good person, and making the world a better place. Sin and Salvation None of the branches of Judaism believe in original sin. They teach that man is created in the image of God and is born morally pure. They either think of humanity as neutralโwith the potential for both good and badโor as basically good. Although men do sin, they believe that Godโs justice is tempered with mercy. Many Jewish people never ask the question, โWhat do I have to do to get into Heaven?โsince Judaism teaches that all good people from all nations will go to Heaven. And because most Jews donโt believe in Hell, they donโt think of needing to be โsavedโ from anything. Remember, they believe they already have a favored standing with God as His โchosen people.โ Many Jews do believe that studying the Torah, praying, and doing good deeds will earn them a better place in Heaven, but they get a โFree Passโ as descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Scripture has something to say about that kind of thinking: โAnd do not think to say to yourselves, โWe have Abraham as our father.โ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.โ (Matthew 3:9) The Messiah So, what do Jewish people think about the Messiah today? Again, it depends on who you ask. Most Jewish people arenโt waiting with anticipation for a coming Messiah.