Do you consider Judaism more of a religion than an ethnicity or the other way around?

Question

I've seen and heard it used interchangeably in the sense of it being considered both a religion and an ethnicity. Yet, when you really think about it, someone could be from any racial background and be considered a Jew if they actually adhered to that particular belief. I just want to know everyone's opinions on it.

Answer 1

The words "Jewish" and "Jew" can be used to mean both a geneological group AND the members of the religion Judaism. Not all Jews, in the geneological sense, are necessarily religious at all. There are many non-religious Jews in Israel, for example. Also, people CAN convert to Judaism. I know several who have. However, it's not a religion that proselytizes, so they don't go out looking for converts. Therefore we generally hear a lot more about people who are Jewish religiously because they're Jewish geneologically than we do about converts.

Answer 2

I personally consider the term Jew or Jewish referring to people that practice the religion of Judaism.

while it has often been used as a term for people that are born in to the Jewish religion a better term would be a Hebrew or Israelite though its unlikely that that term will come back into favor

Answer 3

the word Jew in English can be used to refer to a person following the religion and the person who may be considered of the people who were referred too as the children of Israel.
so your question to me has a lot about the linguistic issue regarding the word.
the way i see it a person who follows the religion should be called a Jew and the person who is linked to the race should be called from the children of Israel.

Answer 4

Both, religion & ethnicity. It's a religion because it was sent by God through prophet. It's an ethnicity because the message which was sent by God was sent to a certain group of people only (Children of Israel).

Answer 5

Judaism is a way of life, and Jews come from all races and all cultures: From Russia to Ethiopia, from South America to Israel...
Whether or not someone is Jewish is determined by whether or not their mother was Jewish.

Answer 6

children of Israel is a race, then Judaism sent to the children of Isreal. then it became a race mix with religion.

Answer 7

it is a religion, but people who follow this act really differently so have set themselves apart from others, hence the ethnicity moniker.

Answer 8

it's more or less a religion, my father and his family were brought up with jewish traditions, i never was. i don't consider myself jewish because i don't follow any of the practices myself.

Answer 9

Ain't it both?

It is a Religion.

And it doesn't have any members who are not born into it, ergo, ethnicity.

Answer 10

I think Jews see it more of an ethinicity than I do,,