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Unlock This CourseIn Reasons to Believe: First Cause, Design and Experience you saw that people may believe because of arguments, experiences and religious authority. In Agnosticism and Atheism: Reasons for Doubt and Unbelief you saw why others doubt. This lesson looks at how Jews respond to these ideas. For many Jews the strongest influence is not an argument at all. It is growing up as part of a Jewish family and community.
Key terms:
Judaism is lived at home as much as in the synagogue. Many Jews say their belief began at the family table. Children do not just hear about the Almighty. They take part in Jewish life every week.
On Friday evening, families light candles to welcome Shabbat, the day of rest. They say a blessing over wine and bread and share a meal. Festivals have special meals too. Jews believe the Almighty is part of ordinary life, and children learn this by taking part.
In a kosher home, families follow the Torah's food laws. For example, meat and dairy foods are kept apart. Each meal reminds Jewish families that they believe the Almighty is holy and that daily life is part of serving him.
Other family customs add to this. A mezuzah on the doorpost marks a Jewish home, as you saw in The Almighty and the Shema. It holds the words of the Shema, so each time the family passes it they are reminded of the Almighty. Families say blessings, short prayers that praise the Almighty for food and other things in daily life, which often reminds children of him. At the Seder, the Passover meal, the youngest child asks questions such as 'Why is this night different from all other nights?' The family answers by retelling how the Almighty brought the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt. Children learn that the story is theirs.
The synagogue builds on what the family teaches. Jews join in services there, where prayers are said and the Torah is read aloud. Many Jewish children attend cheder, part-time classes in which they learn Hebrew, the Torah and Jewish customs. Young Jews prepare for Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah, the ceremonies at around 12 or 13 when a young person becomes responsible for keeping the commandments. Preparation includes learning to read from the Torah. Many synagogues also run youth groups, where young people make Jewish friends and take part in learning, trips and activities.
For these Jews, belief is not just a private opinion. It grows from belonging to a family, a community and a long history, and it is supported by everyone around them.
The spec also lists the appeal to religious authority as a reason for belief. For Jews, the main authority is the Torah, the first five books of the Jewish Bible. Jews believe the Almighty revealed the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-20). Revelation means the Almighty making himself and his will known. Jews believe this teaching was then handed down through the generations. A well-known Jewish text, Pirkei Avot, begins by saying that Moses received the Torah at Sinai and passed it on, and that it was passed on again and again after him.
Jewish tradition means the teachings, customs and ways of reading the Torah handed on over time. The rabbis, the teachers of Jewish law, explain how the Torah applies to life. Many Jews trust the Torah and tradition because they come from generations of Jews who also tried to serve the Almighty. For Jews who believe the Torah is the word of the Almighty, it is a very strong reason to believe.
Jews differ on how to understand this authority. Orthodox Jews believe the Torah is the word of the Almighty, given to Moses, and that its commandments are binding. Many Progressive (Reform and Liberal) Jews believe the Torah was inspired by the Almighty but written by humans, so it can be understood in the light of modern knowledge. Both groups still treat it as the central book of Judaism.
Jews have long asked hard questions about God. Three factors are often given for agnosticism (being unsure) or atheism (not believing).
Some Jews do not believe in God, yet still call themselves Jewish. They are often called secular Jews. Cultural Jews feel Jewish through their family, history and customs. They may eat traditional foods, attend a Seder or mark festivals without holding religious beliefs.
This is possible because many Jews see Judaism as belonging to a people as well as holding a faith. Jews hold different views about secular and cultural Jews.
(a) Identify three ways a Jewish family may help children to believe in God. [3 marks, AO1]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two ways the synagogue helps nurture belief in this religion. [4 marks, AO1]
(c) Choose one religion. Explain why the Torah is an important authority for followers of this religion. [6 marks, AO1 and AO2]
(d) 'Growing up in a religious family is the main reason people believe in God.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks, AO1 and AO2]
(a) 1. Lighting candles and sharing a Shabbat meal (1). 2. Keeping a kosher home (1). 3. Asking questions at the Seder (1).
(b) Judaism. Jews go to services at the synagogue, where prayers are said and the Torah is read (1), which helps them hear the Almighty's teaching with the community (1). Many synagogues run cheder classes (1), where young Jews learn Hebrew and the Torah and prepare for Bar or Bat Mitzvah (1).
(c) Judaism. Jews believe the Almighty revealed the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai, so it is his word and has the highest authority. This means Jews can trust it as a reason to believe, because it comes from the Almighty and not from human opinion.
The Torah has also been handed down through the generations. Jews trust it because so many people before them have lived by it, and the rabbis have explained it for every age.
It also guides daily life, through commandments about Shabbat and food. Following these helps Jews feel close to the Almighty, so the Torah is an authority in practice as well as in belief.
(d) Plan. For: many Jews say belief began with Shabbat meals, the Seder and the synagogue; children copy family and form habits before they study arguments; a secular upbringing may mean no belief at all.
Against: some people believe because of the first cause or design arguments, or religious experience; some children of religious families doubt later because of science or suffering; the Torah as authority may matter more to adult Jews than upbringing.
Possible conclusion: weigh the points, then pick a side. For example: I partly agree. Upbringing is the main starting point for most believers, but people keep or lose belief for other reasons too.
In part (d), name Judaism's teachings and customs, then use a different view, such as a secular Jew or a non-religious argument, as a contrast. Finish with a conclusion that picks a side.