Jalen+Smith

Jalen Smith World History- Silver Stream



Society is brought up by mixed opinions. Many individuals choose not to believe in the truth while others decide to live by the truth. These mixed opinions about religion causes many problems to happen all around the world. Problems like discrimination, hatred, The reason being is because many individuals have different experiences with the religions itself, different from other people and what they believe in. This issue is one of the most deep issues because, knowing that religion is so important in human nature many individuals don't want to hear and live by the truth. After reading this summary people will understand the different religions backgrounds and what many people misunderstand about that specific religion. This summary is going touch upon three main religions, Judaism, Christianity and Catholicism. The reason why the following religions were chosen was because they all had a unique theology and are the most popular religions known to man. = =

=**Judaism**=

__Over View of Jewish History (Beginning of the Faith)__

For the first two time periods, the history of the Jews was particularly a Palestine faith. In Egypt and Babylonia, by the deserts of Arabia, and by the highlands of Asia Minor, the land of Canaan, Palestine and Israel was a meeting place for different civilizations. The land was organized by old-established trade routes and it had many important harbors on the Gulf of Akaba and on the Mediterranean coast, the latter exposing it to the influence of other cultures of the Fertile Crescent. Jews around the world claim descendance mostly from ancient Hebrews, who settled in the land of Israel. Later on down the line, the Israelites traced their lineage to the biblical patriarch, Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. The Jewish traditions held and the Israelites were descendants of Jacob's twelve sons and they all settled in Egypt. Their descendants divided themselves into twelve tribes and they were enslaved under the rule of pharaoh Ramses II. In the Jewish faith, the emigration of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, led by Moses, marked the formation of the Israelites as individuals. The Jewish tradition has wandered off to the desert. Then the Israelites arrived to Canaan and they conquered it under the commands of Joshua. They later then divided the land among the twelve tribes. After the rulers named the Judges, a new kingdom was established under Saul's commands and they continued under King David and Solomon. King David conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital after a while. After Solomon's leadership was over the nation split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. According to research, Israel was then conquered by the Assyrian ruler, Shalmaneser V in the 8th century BC. The kingdom of Judah was conquered by a Babylonian army in the early 6th century BC. The Judahite elite was exiled to Babylon, but later at least a part of them returned to their homeland, led by prophets Ezra and Nehemiah, after the subsequent conquest of Babylonia by the Persians. Already at that point there was conflict with the Israelites and with the formation of political-religious factions, the most important of which would later be called Sadduccees and Pharisees.


 * Some people misunderstand Jewish Circumcision of baby boys, which is also practiced by Muslims and many westerners, and confuse it with genital mutilation.
 * Some people misunderstand Jewish ritual slaughter and think it must be cruel because it does not use the same methods favored by modern abattoirs.
 * Some people believe false claims that all Jewish people are rich or powerful, not realizing that they are buying in to false stereotypes.
 * According to my research it says that Jews are just people and they come in the same range of smart, stupid, rich, poor, kind and cruel as anyone else. The Jewish people are a community of people with a shared heritage, traditions, culture and religion. Judaism is a religion, which puts primacy on treating others, as you would wish to be treated.





=**Christianity**=

__Over View of Christian History (Beginning of the Faith):__

Christianity all started about 2000 years ago in Judea with Jesus Christ and his group of disciples. During this period, Judea was bustling cities and farms. At that time the emperor of Rome was the ruler. The Jews disliked the Roman rule and it was another reminder of the historical oppression they faced as a people. The polytheistic cultural beliefs of Rome were also pagan and horrible to Jewish life. Some Jews saw that their only hope was to adapt to this kind of change. Others became religious zealots who formed pockets of guerilla resistance against Rome. Others then took themselves into the Judean community to study the Jewish law and they waited for the eventual coming of their Messiah. Their Messiah is known to be their savior. M ost of the historical record for the start of the Christian faith is recorded in the New Testament, the history of Christianity actually began with the prophecy in the Old Testament. According to research, there are over 300 prophecies that spanned over a period of 1000 years and it was recorded in the Old Testament, concerning the coming of a Jewish Messiah. The theology of Jesus' life, death and background was to show that he was undoubtedly the fulfillment of the Messianic Prophecies. Many feel that it's just too implausible for Jesus to be here on earth, and even intellectually dishonest, for people living in the 21st century to believe that these events actually took place. The Christian faith, like any other religions, touches upon the historical events, including the importance of it. Individuals think that if Jesus Christ died and never rose to life, then Christianity is a myth. From the text it was stated in 1 Corinthians 15:14, //"Paul exhorts his readers to grab hold of this central truth, that "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain."// They said that the evidence from the resurrection was the key to establishing that Jesus was indeed here on this earth. It is the historical central fact that gives Christians hope amidst in a hurting world.


 * Christians claim that Genesis 3:15 is a reference to Jesus, because it refers to the offspring or seed of a women. The general idea behind this is that men are the only ones who have “seed” and this must refer to a virgin birth. People have a hard time trying to realize that.
 * Non-believers are wondering and saying that if God inspired the bible, and it is all absolutely and precisely true and accurate, then we should carefully pay attention to every detail of it. Traditionally, this has always been the case for both Christians and Jews.
 * Non-believers are saying and wondering that if God inspired the bible, but it contains both Truths and untruths, and it contains inaccuracies or distortions, this appears to be the only possible assumption of those Christians who feel they can freely select the parts of the Bible they want to obey. If God is even remotely as Powerful and Considerate and Compassionate as we believe Him to be, would He intentionally include such faults in the Book He provided us as a Guide? Or, could He be so sloppy as to unintentionally include such flaws in it?





=**Roman Catholicism**=

__Over View of Roman Catholicism History (Beginning of the Faith):__
 * Catholics believe in salvation by works, not faith.
 * Catholics worship Mary and the Saints.
 * Catholics are not saved; they need to be “born again”.
 * Catholics don’t accept the bible as the inerrant, inspired, infallible Words of God.
 * Catholics does not allow Orthodox to take communion.
 * Catholics Emphasizes and deserts papacy.
 * Catholics allowed liberal Christianity to infiltrate.
 * Catholics allowed homosexuality to infiltrate.
 * Some of the Catholics devout emphasize devotions to Mary and the Saints but deemphasize Jesus.

What Non Believers Don’t Believe:


 * They don’t know their faith, they were not taught. Their parents are the ones to blame. So are Catholic leaders. But these Catholics have neglected to learn their faith.
 * They know what the Catholic Church teaches but don’t believe it. The worst offenders are Catholic Leaders who teach un-Catholic things.
 * They think they know their faiths but don’t. Their intentions are good.
 * They prefer to listen to the voice of their culture rather than Catholic teaching.
 * They have no faith whatsoever and practice their religion out of duty.





=Christian Flag, Jewish Flag, Catholic Flag=

Jewish Synagogue
 * Place of Worship**



Catholic Church



Christian Church



Even though the mixed thoughts about religion seemed to be irrelevant, people still believe that religion is false and should not be practiced around the world. Religion seems to be meaningless to people because they themselves had not been exposed to the truth and they don't have positive relationships with their God. That is why the negative comments towards religion were so vivid. People have to understand that religion is something that is needed in humanity and without it, there would be no form of success on earth. In order to succeed in life you must have some kind of faith and you must know that by living by the truth, the truth would set you free from all kinds of dilemmas that may hinder individuals from living positive lives free from mixed disparities towards religion.

Bibliography (Cites Used)

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Dovid Zwiebel, Chaim. "Clearing Up Some Misunderstandings." //Jewish Law Commentary//. Examining Halacha, Jewish Issues and Secular Law, 1997-2008. Web. 15 Feb 2012. .(Dovid Zwiebel)

Evola, Julius. "The Misunderstandings of the New "Paganism"." //Evans Experientialsm Free Web Space//. Anthenaeum Reading Room, 15 Feb 2012. Web. 15 Feb 2012. .(Evola)

B'rith, B'nai. "Misunderstandings about Jews." //Antidef//. Anti-Defamation Commision INC, 15 Feb 2012. Web. 15 Feb 2012. . (B'rith)

Shepard, John. "Misconceptions, beliefs, teachings." //North Forest//. Protestant vs Catholic Comparison, 24 Dec 2011. Web. 15 Feb 2012. . (Shepard)

Frater, J. "Top 10 Misconceptions About The Catholic Church." //List Verse//. Fact & Fiction, 13 July 2009. Web. 15 Feb 2012. . (Frater)

Johnson, C. "The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are a "Team"." //Common Misunderstandings of Chrisianity//. A Christ Walk Church, 14 February 2012. Web. 15 Feb 2012. . (Johnson)