Thoughts on Judaism by Rony Havive

Judaism - And The Western World

One of the world's oldest living religions is Judaism. Judaism was the first religion based on monotheism, the belief in one God.

The origins of Judaism can be traced as far back as Abraham and has its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Bible's Old Testament and the Talmud. Judaism is the first religion based on ethical monotheism.

The development of Christianity and Islam was highly influenced by Judaism. Thus, had a major influence on Western civilization. Christianity, the eventually dominant religious faith of the West, was in large part a child of the Hebrew religion. When we speak of the Judeo-Christian heritage of Western civilization, we refer not only to the concept of monotheism, but also to ideas of law, morality, and social justice that have become important parts of Western culture. Given that fact, the major Western religions found their roots in Judaism.