Judaism vs Christianity?

Question

Can someone please compare and contrast Judaism vs Christianity as a Religion?

Is Judaism really that different then Christianity?

Answer 1

You have asked a very big question. Here are a couple of the important differences (from the Jewish perspective):

1. We do not believe that Jesus was the messiah.

2. We do not recognize the Christian New Testament as Scriptural.

3. We do not have a hell; we believe that everyone has a place in the world to come (with the exception of a few extremely evil individuals).

4. Anyone who acts in a moral and ethical fashion--defined as following the seven Noahide laws--will have a place in the world to come.

5. We obtain forgiveness for sin by prayer, repentance and charity.

6. We do not believe in a trinitarian concept of G-d. For us, G-d is one. There is no Son or Holy Ghost.

For more, see this website:

http://www.jewfaq.org

These are some of the critical differences; I'm sure I've missed a bunch, though.

Answer 2

Although the most obvious answers are that Judaism does not accept the divinity of Jesus and Christianity does, and that Christianity accepts the New Testament as divinely inspired while Judaism doesn't, there are other differences as well. Though there are many I will just give a couple here. Although Judaism believes in a "Messianic Age" and/or "world to come," the focus in serving God isn't to earn a place there but on being holy in this world to bring glory to God on earth. In Christianity the focus is on "getting to Heaven" (salvation) with our actions in this world seen as an effect of that salvation. Another difference, Christianity focuses more on the individual where Judaism is more community related (i.e. there are certain prayers in Judaism that are only said in the presence of a group/community of at least ten adults).

Answer 3

Judaism follows the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) only. Chrisitians follow both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Jews (those who practice Judaism) do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of by the prophets of the Old Testament. They do not believe he came to save the world or died for the sins of the world, nor do they believe he was a prophet from God.

Jews do not believe the Messiah has come, and although there are varying views as to whether the Messiah will be a physical person or a nation or something else, they do not believe the Messiah will die for their sins. Jews believe they can please God by observing his law as he commanded in the Old Testament.

Christians, however, believe that since no one has obeyed God's law, a savior was needed to make man right with God. Since God demands death and seperation from God for disobeying his law, someone had to die in our place, Jesus, to bear the wrath of God against our sin.

Jews also don't believe that Jesus is God, while Christians believe that God has revealed himself as three "persons", the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Jews reject that Jesus is God and don't believe in a "Holy Spirit".

Similarities between the religions are:

(1) Both believe God's name is Yahweh (or Jehovah, which is just another transliteration of Yahweh from Hebrew into English).

(2) Both believe we should obey the Ten Commandments and the other laws given in the Old Testament (although Christians don't obey certain laws that were designed to be national laws of Israel since they believe God no longer works through the nation of Israel).

(3) Both believe the Old Testament is true and is an accurate description of how God worked in his people up until a few hundred years before Jesus came.

(4) Both believe that God made a covenant with Abraham that he would have many descendants and his descendants would be followers of God (Christians distinguish between spiritual and physical descendants).

(5) Both believe Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekial, Hosea, Jonah, Michah, etc were prophets sent from God to his people.

There are some other similarities between certain sects of Judaism and certain sects of Christianity, but I am trying to paint as broad a picture as I can. The overwhelming diffence between the two by far is that Judaism rejects that Jesus is the Messiah who the prophets in (5) spoke of while Christians believe Jesus was that Messiah.

One main reason the Jews reject that Jesus is the Messiah is there are many prophecies which speak of the Messiah as being a king, and that's what the Jews expected. However, there are also prophecies which speak of the Messiah as being a suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) so Christians believe Jesus has already fulfilled that part of the prophecy and will return as a king later.

Answer 4

Y E S.

It really is that different. I can't say it loudly enough.

Christianity takes Jewish text and symbolism and turns them into something very very different. It has far more in common with Greek traditions than Hebrew.

For starters, Christianity is very dualistic, uncomfortable with the body and privileging the mind. They got that straight out of Greek philosophies. That way of looking at things just doesn't make sense at all in Judaism, enough so that I'm having a hard time illustrating it.

The two religions have nothing in common other than source texts.

Answer 5

Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship. all people are sinners, their relationship to God is broken - more than broken - because He is holy, the distance between sinners and holy God is infinite. But the real issue is: God is righteous and just. He hates sin! He punishes sin! His anger burns unto the lowest hell! [Deu 32:22 (Torah)] One sin against an infinite being deserves infinite wrath. What can we do to stop this? Nothing.

Here is were Christianity contains the answer.
Because people are helpless, and God is great in His love, He provides the means of salvation - because the infinite debt we incurred could only be paid off with something of infinite value, God gave His only begotten Son, the beloved One. He died for sinners and rose from the dead.That is why christians have hope. The Hope, Jesus Christ.
Now you compare, contrast and make your own choice. By the way, not to make a choice is choice as well.

Answer 6

Judaism rejects Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. Christianity has the foundation; Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

They are similar in that Judaism believes in the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. But, they reject Yeshua as the Messiah. But that is soon changing. The Jews who do believe in Yeshuah Messiah are called Messianic Jews. Christians believe in Yeshuah Messiah.

Answer 7

Christianity is a spin off of Judaism. Of course they don't believe Jesus was the messiah. My understanding is that Judaism is not as legalistic as Christianity and there's no hell.

My favorite religious principle comes from Judaism:

Don't do onto others what you don't want done onto you. Everything else is commentary.

Answer 8

Well, the main issue is, Christians believe in the Jewish Messiah that came. Judaism doesn't.

Early Christians were Jewish and Gentile alike. But the hard core Jewish people do not believe in Jesus Christ.

Now there are Messianic Jews who do believe in Jesus Christ, and what he did.

God Bless

Answer 9

Christianity is the completion of the Jewish faith. Although most Jewish people neither believe nor observe Him as such, Jesus Christ is the Messiah sent to the Jewish people.

The bible tells us that God has blinded Israel (i.e., the Jews) for a time, until the "fulness of the gentiles" has come in. When the Jews rejected Jesus as savior, the gospel was then given to the gentiles (non-Jew). God will one day deal with Israel again, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Most Jewish people today do not believe Jesus was their Messiah. There are some, called Messianic, or Completed Jews, that do recognize Him. They must be the happiest of people.

Answer 10

Over the years, I've read/studied/seen a lot and have come to the conclusion that the OT and NT are not similar at all. The OT God is vengeful and orders, or commits, murder. Jesus is usually a pacifist ands much more closely is the 'God of love'. He has his moments (when he turned over tables and threw stuff at ppl conducting business at the Temple) but he never kills anyone, or causes them to die. He even says something along the lines of 'Father, why are you doing this?', which shows Jesus and God aren't really the same being.
The Jews pretty much follow the OT and Christians believe the NT is a continuation of the OT and Jesus is part of God/part of a trinity.
Also, 'satan' in the OT is used in Job and it describes an anti-human angel; in the NT, Satan is an anti-God character. Also the concepts of heaven/hell are not discussed in the OT, they are in the NT.