Judaism And Monotheism Similarities

In order to better understand the world around us and how we came to be, ancient religious traditions have conceptualized different ‘ultimate realities’. Simply put, an ultimate reality is a pervading power, or more colloquially, a God. Ancient traditions express differently if there is a pervading power, what their will is, how they manifest in our world, and how the power speaks to us in our lives. Two of the most ancient traditions, Hinduism and Judaism, conceptualize and express an ‘ultimate reality’ in their own unique ways, and despite their differences express various core similarities. Monotheism is a core feature of the Hindu and Judeo faith in how they conceptualize ‘ultimate reality’. However, Hinduism is often described as “radically

However, there is only one pervading power in their faith. This misconception of polytheism goes back to the crucial feature of the Hindu tradition. In Hinduism, God manifests himself in everything in the world. As expressed in the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scripture, God is in all things. As the scripture states, “I am Ganges of the rivers, I am the Wind of the purifiers, Leviathan of water-monsters, I am Rama of the warriors” (Bhagavad Gita, 1). The pervading power manifests from everything - from the air we breathe, to the plants in the ground, and in the people we interact with everyday. Additionally, God transcends the universe we can feel, see, and understand. According to Anantanand Rambachan, “the universe is described as existing in God, even as God exists equally in everything” (Five Voices Five Faiths 2). God is not just in the world, God is the world. This panenthistic idea is a crucial feature of the God in the Hindu faith. The Judeo faith is centralized on one God. This God is the creator of the universe and existed prior to the creation of our world. These ideas are expressed in Genesis

To help aide in their worship and to become closer to God, the Hindu people use murtis during the worship of God. Murtis are physical forms which range from human-like figures to abstract forms. Hindus argue “that since God is beyond name and form” a symbol would allow them to better understand a complex principle (Rambachan, “Seeing the Divine in All Form” 6). This allows the Hindu people to form a deeper connection with God, since the God of the Hindu tradition is so abstract. The pervading power speaks to its followers through an Ishta Deva. An Ishta Deva is a manifestation of God that a person chooses that becomes the central focus of their religious quest in order to become more connected to God (FVFF 6). The murtis and Ishta Devas allow Hindus to better understand the reality of God in all parts of their life which is the ultimate goal in the Hindu tradition. Hindus desire to see God in all ways through their surroundings, their actions, and in the people they interact with. God is in the world and he also is where no person can grasp. In the Jewish tradition, God manifests himself today in the lives of the Jewish people through the scriptural interpretations, the issues they face in their daily lives, the behaviors, and through prayer (Ariel 37). These aspects are all used to become closer to God and see how he manifests in their lives. ‘Ultimate reality’ in the Jewish faith is seen each time