JAIN DATABASE
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January,1995
 >                        JAIN BBS and E-MAIL BULLETIN
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>       A Computer-Based  Jain Education and Information Service
>                        Federation of JAINA and
>             Jain Study Center of North Carolina (Raleigh)
>                 401 Farmstead Dr. Cary, NC 27511-5631
> General Editor                     : Pravin Shah 919-469-0956
> Jain E-mail Bulletins (free)       : Mahesh Varia varia@med.unc.edu
> Jain Database on Internet          : sunsite.unc.edu   (free access)
> Jain Database on Internet Question : Mahesh Varia at varia@med.unc.edu
> Jainism questions, email to        : Pravin Shah at enhb34a@prodigy.com
> Jain BBS direct modem connection   : 919-469-0207
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                                            complied by Pravin K. Shah
> Western Religions
> 
> JUDAISM:
> 
> Founded:
> Judaism began about 3,700 years ago in Canaan, now Palestine and
> Jordan.
> 
> Founder:
> Abraham is the father of the Hebrew people (Jews).  God established
> His covenant with Moses who emancipated the enslaved Jewish tribes
> from Egypt.
> 
> Sects:
> Jews are divided into Orthodox, Conservative and Reform sects with
> other regional and ethnic divisions.
> 
> Major Scriptures:
> The basic source of Jewish belief is the Hebrew Bible (called the "Old
> Testament" by Christians), especially its first five books, called the
> Torah or the Pentateuch.  The Torah was traditionally regarded as the
> primary revelation of God and his law to humanity; it is considered as
> valid for all time.  Its laws were clarified and elaborated in the
> oral Torah, or the tradition of the elders, and were eventually
> written down in the Mishnah and Talmud.  Jewish literature on legal,
> ethical, philosophic, mystical, and devotional is virtually endless.
> 
> Adherents:
> About 14 million worldwide; over half in the U.S.
> 
> Goals:
> The goal of Judaism lies in the strict obedience to God which can
> alleviate the plight of the individual and of society, bringing
> rewards in the future life when the Messiah will come to overthrow
> evil and reward the righteous in God's kingdom on the earth, the Day
> of the Lord.  The soul thereafter will enjoy God's presence and love
> forever.
> 
> Path of Attainment:
> Man has two impulses; good and evil.  He can either follow God's law
> or rebel and be influenced by Satan, who caused God's creation to go
> astray.  To follow God's law is the highest morality, possible through
> obedience to the Torah, which pleases God.  One must follow justice,
> charity, ethics and honesty, being true to the one true God, Yahweh.
> 
> Synopsis:
> The religion of the Jews is inseparable from their history as a
> people.  By far the most profound characteristic of Judaism is its
> strict monotheism.  The Jews hold an unshakable belief in one God and
> one God only, whom they call Yahweh, from whom all creation flows.
> 
> Much of the Torah traces the ancestry of Abraham through Isaac, Jacob,
> Joseph, and finally to Moses, the foremost of God's prophets in Hebrew
> history.  It was Moses who gave Judaism the Ten Commandments and
> established the religious laws and traditions.
> 
> The Ten Commandments for Worship and Conduct taken from Exodus
> 2O:3-14:
> 
> * You shall have no other gods besides Me.
> 
> * You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness
> of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the
> waters under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them.
> 
> * You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord, your God.
> 
> * Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  The Lord blessed the
> Sabbath day and hallowed it.
> 
> * Honor your father and your mother
> 
> * You shall not murder.
> 
> * You shall not commit adultery.
> 
> * You shall not steal.
> 
> * You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
> 
> * You shall not covet your neighbor's house, wife, male or female
> slave, ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.
> 
> The first four commandments are on religious belief and worship, the
> other commandments are on conduct and proper relationship with the
> Creator.
> 
> The Jewish people consider themselves a chosen people apart from all
> the other peoples of the earth by virtue of their covenant with
> Yahweh.  They do not believe that they were chosen for any special
> privileges but rather to bring God's message to humanity by their
> example.
> 
> Much stress is placed on the hallowing of daily existence, worship in
> the synagogue, prayer and reading of the scriptures.  Few religions
> can boast of such a close-knit family tradition as Judaism, making the
> home a great strength to the religion and a constant refuge to the
> faithful.  Each day, morning and evening, every devout Jew affirms his
> faith by repeating Moses' prayer, "Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the
> Lord is one".
> 
> Judaism has a system of law, known as Halachah, regulating civil and
> criminal justice, family relationships, personal ethics and manners,
> social responsibilities such as help to the needy, education, and
> community institutions as well as worship and other religious
> observances.
> 
> Some elements of Persian religion were incorporated into Judaism:  a
> more elaborate doctrine of Angels; the figure of Satan; and a system
> of beliefs concerning the end of time, including a predetermined
> scheme of world history, a final judgment, and the Resurrection of the
> dead.  These ideas were expounded in many visionary documents called
> apocalypses; none of them were included in the Hebrew Bible except in
> the Book of Daniel.
> 
> Individual practices still widely observed include the dietary laws
> (Kosher); rules concerning the marital relationship, daily prayer, and
> study; and the recital of many blessings, especially before and after
> meals.  The Sabbath and festivals are observed both in the home and in
> the Synagogue, a unique institution for prayer and instruction that
> became the model for the church in Christianity and for the mosque in
> Islam.
> 
> The Sabbath, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, is observed by
> refraining from work and by attending a synagogue service.  Friday
> evening is marked in the home by the lighting of a lamp or candles by
> the woman of the household, the recital of the Kiddush (a ceremonial
> blessing affirming the sanctity of the day) over a cup of wine, and
> the blessing of children by parents.  The end of the Sabbath is marked
> by parallel ceremonies called Havdalah.  Similar home ceremonies occur
> on the other festivals.
> 
> The holidays prescribed in the Torah are the two "days of awe," Rosh
> Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and three
> joyous festivals, Passover, Shavuoth (Feast of Weeks), and the Feast
> of Tabernacles.  Later additions are the festive occasions of Chanukah
> and Purim, and the fast of the Ninth of Av (Tishah be-Av),
> commemorating the destruction of the Temple.
> 
> The Jewish religious calendar, of Babylonian origin, consists of 12
> lunar months, amounting to about 354 days.  Six times in a 19 year
> cycle a 13th month is added to adjust the calendar to the solar year.
> The day is reckoned from sunset to sunset.
> 
> 
> Beliefs:
> 
> In the One God and Creator who is incorporeal and transcendent, beyond
> the limitation of form yet who cares for the world and its creatures,
> rewarding the good and punishing the evil.
> 
> In the Prophets of which Moses was God's foremost, and the Ten
> Commandments revealed to him by God on Mount Sinai as man's highest
> law.
> 
> In the Torah as God's word and scripture, composed of the five Old
> Testament books.  They are God's only immutable law.
> 
> That upon death the soul goes to Heaven (or to Hell first if it has
> been sinful), that one day the Messiah will appear on earth and there
> will be a Day of Judgement, and the dead shall physically arise to
> Life Everlasting.
> 
> That the universe is not eternal but was created by and will be
> destroyed by God.
> 
> That no priest should intervene in the relationship of man and God,
> nor should God be represented in any form, nor should any being be
> worshipped other than the One God, Yahweh.
> 
> In man's spiritualization through adherence to the Law, justice,
> charity, and honesty.
> 
> That God has established a unique spiritual covenant with the Hebrew
> people to uphold for mankind the highest standards of monotheism and
> piety.
> 
> In the duty of the family to make the home a House of God through
> devotions and ritual, prayers, sacred festivals, and observation of
> the Holy Days.
> 
=============================================================================
>    The following Articles were sent to our E-mail readers.
>    If you are a new member and would like to receive any of the
>    articles, please send E-mail to Dr. Mahesh Varia
> 
>   No    Date         E-Mail Article
> 
>   01    03/22/94     Mahavir Jayanti and Jain Prayer
>   02    04/06/94     Concept of God in Jainism
>   03    04/26/94     Acharya Sushil Muni's Life and Mission
>   04    04/26/94     Excerpts from Acharya Sushil Muni's speeches
>   05    05/16/94     Jainism (Comparative Religion)
>   06    05/31/94     Buddhism (Comparative Religion)
>   07    06/13/94     Virchand R. Gandhi (Life and Mission)
>   08    07/11/94     Christianity (Comparative Religion)
>   09    08/02/94     Taoism (Comparative Religion)
>   10    08/24/94     Hinduism (Comparative Religion)
>   11    09/27/94     Confucianism (Comparative Religion)
>   12    10/23/94     Five Great Vows of Jainism
>   13    11/10/94     Jain Path of Liberation
>   14    12/01/94     Jain Agam Literature - Part I
>   15    12/14/94     Jain Agam Literature - Part II
>   16    01/12/95     Jain Agam Literature - Part III
>   17    01/28/95     Judaism (Comparative Religion)
==============================================================================
ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE(Jan/26/95):
Please note that Parul Shah is currently away and Mahesh Varia will be
handling the Jain BBS Email Bulletin distribution. For the present send
your Bulletin related email to varia@med.unc.edu            Thank you