nature of religion
...ught incorporated into everyday life that brings enlightenment or better understanding through the pain and suffering that many people seek to eliminate. It may be through this enlightenment of suffering that religion begins, in an experience that some individual has or that some small group of people share. The response that this person or group makes to the original experience is what begins the process of interaction between the religion and the community. As this attempt expands in its formulation and elaboration, it becomes a process that creates meaning for itself on a sustaining basis, in terms of both its originating experiences and its own continuing responses. Responses such as that of Christianity and Judaism, two world-based religions that have distinct practices and responses, as well as a large following. Christianity and Judaism, as well as a number of other religions have common characteristics that differentiate them from each other. But they all share the basic guidelines, such as that they all have responses to life, death, evil and suffering as well as belief. Life can be classified into a number of different areas when speaking of religion. It can be to determine how one should live their life, purpose of life, how life was established according to religious doctrines, as well as the study of the life of supernaturals. Judaism and Christianity both believe that life was created by a supernatural, God or Yahweh. They share the belief that God is the creator of life, and is the only God for the whole of humanity. Jewish believe that God created the world for the sole purpose of a perfect society. Christians are a little less skeptical in their approach, as they see that God was aware of the world’s evil, but set out to eliminate it through preaching. In relation to following Judaism by living life according to the doctrines, the Jewish people have split themselves into three groups, being; Orthodox Jews, Jews that strictly observe the laws of the Torah and take the word of the Torah literally, Reformed Jews; a more traditional movement, in the sense that its followers observe the Torah but do not strictly observe its literal meaning or Conservative Jews, the median group that was formed due to the dissatisfaction many Jews felt concerning the split of Reformed and Orthodox Jews, they see that customs are adapted to the modern world. The difference not being the beliefs of the people, but how they choose to follow and practice these beliefs. Some choose to live their life completely according to Gods teachings, whilst others choose to adapt religion to modern life. One way of living is not more correct than the other, it is a personal decision that could be determined from a number of factors. By deciding which Jewish movement followers decide to practice, the Jewish people have one common focus towards life, lead a good life and improve this world, leaving concerns about death and beyond until the appropriate time. Judaism has stressed the natural fact of death and its role in giving life meaning. Of course, issues of death are inevitably important. The fear of death, ethical concerns that some people die unfairly and the fate of ones soul are discussed in Jewish literature, as well as the theory of the afterlife as a time of reflection. The Jewish people have no clear sense of Heaven and Hell. They think it is possible that there is no separate Heaven and Hell, only lesser or greater distance from God after death. In addition, punishment might be self-determined on the basis of suffering with different places in Hell for different punishments. The idea is ...