Judaism
What is Judaism, Judaism is a set of ideas about the world and the way we should live our lives. Judaism is all over the world. You can find Jewish people in many countries. They speak different languages and may be of any color. Anybody whose mother is a Jew is considered to be Jewish. Jewish history began over four thousand years ago in the Middle East. This religion is the oldest type of monotheism. The founder, Abraham, heard a message from god to move his people to Canaan, which was the Promised Land. People that moved there became known as the Hebrews. Jews have both a Hebrew name and an ordinary name. The Hebrew name is used in the Synagogue and religious documents. The Synagogue is house of prayer, study, and a community center. Many people who call themselves Jews do not believe in the religion at all! More than half of all Jews in Israel today call themselves "secular," and don't believe in god or any of the religious beliefs of Judaism. Half of all Jews in the United States don't belong to any synagogue. They may practice some of the rituals of Judaism and celebrate some of the holidays, but they don't think of these actions as religious activities. The most traditional Jews and the most liberal Jews and everyone in between would agree that these secular people are still Jews, regardless of their disbelief. Clearly, then, there is more to being Jewish than just a religion.
A Jew is any person whose mother was a Jew or any person who has gone through the formal process of conversion to Judaism. It is important to know that being a Jew has nothing to do with what you believe or what you do. A person born to non-Jewish parents who has not undergone the formal process of conversion but who believes everything ...