Orthodox Judaism and Its Origins (Central Europe and Germany)

ORTHODOX JUDAISM

 Orthodox Judaism holds that Jewish law is unchangeable and binding upon Jews. Belief in Deity: There exists only one personal G-d Almighty - Creator, all-powerful, ever-present, and all-knowing -- formless, incorporeal spirit. So revered is G-d, that the word itself should not be spelled out whereby the name risks being discarded or erased. Incarnations: None, as only G-d is worshipped. Moses was the greatest of all prophets. Origins of universe/life: They hold to the book of Genesis literally, that G-d created the universe/life from nothing, in less than 7 days, less than 10,000 years ago; Adam and Eve were the first humans. But, some hold that a "day" in the Bible is not defined as 24 hours, and some believe that scientific discoveries don't contradict G-d's existence but rather attest to G-d's awesome power. After death: Traditional Judaism believes in the World to Come, the coming of the messianic age heralded by the Messiah, and resurrection of the dead, but beliefs vary on the details. Some belief souls of the righteous go to heaven immediately, or that souls are reincarnated until they become righteous on earth, or that the wicked suffer from a hell of their own making, or that the unrighteous remain dead. Some believe G-d will resurrect the righteous to live on earth after the Messiah comes to purify the world. Judaism generally focuses on strictly following G-d's commandments rather than on details of afterlife or rewards after death. Why evil? Some believe that the original disobedience of Adam and Eve resulted not in sinfulness but in a change in man's nature to include an evil inclination, along with inclination toward goodness. Satan is an angel under G-d's complete control to tempt humans to test their faith. Many believe that wrongdoing results from God-given freewill plus the urge to satisfy personal needs, which could result in wrong choices. Salvation: Salvation is achieved through faith and continual prayer to G-d, strict adherence to 613 divine commandments (Jewish Law), including dietary restrictions, to give to the poor, "love your neighbor as yourself," bring G-d's message to humanity by example (a responsibility of G-d's "Chosen People"). Confessions and repentances are expressed through Yom Kippur when one fast, asks forgiveness from others and from themselves and commits to doing good deeds in the future. Undeserved suffering: Sometimes it is believed that suffering is caused by a weakness in one's devotion to G-d. Generally, it is believed that G-d gave humans free will to feel pleasure and pain, and His purpose in allowing deep suffering of the innocent must be good even if mysterious. G-d suffers along with the sufferer. Some Jews (e.g. Chasidic) believe that suffering is punishment for past life sins. Knowing why G-d allows suffering is not as important as knowing that G-d will punish the perpetrators. Issues: Orthodox Judaism holds that human life begins upon first breath, and Jewish law requires abortion if necessary to save the mother's life prior to birth. But potential human life is regarded as valuable, and other reasons for abortion are generally regarded as unacceptable. Homosexual behavior is regarded as abominable. Roles for men and women are prescribed and traditional. Divorce is restricted in that only the man can choose to initiate a divorce (but with the wife's consent), although he can be compelled to do so by a rabbinical court in some circumstances.