At first I was shocked only 5% of Jews believe Judaism is the one true faith. I get that most people have doubts, but 5%, when the national average is 24% seemed distinctly disturbing.
In stark contrast to other notable faith systems, Judaism believes that anyone can earn 'eternal life' even if they are not Jewish.
To put it simply, if I were asked the question, I'd answer with choice B: Many religions can lead to eternal life. Frankly, I'm not sure who the 5% are. There shouldn't be so many...
Now if you want to discuss what will earn the maximum ROI in terms of eternal life, different story. Then it's only our one true faith.
Another interesting stat caught my eye. This next chart details how important religion is to people across different demographics. According to the study, approximately 70% of Jews feel that religion is at least somewhat important. What caught my attention, though was the 'unaffiliated' percentage. According to the full report,
"the majority of the unaffiliated population is made up of people who simply describe their religion as "nothing in particular." This group, in turn, is fairly evenly divided between the "secular unaffiliated," that is, those who say that religion is not important in their lives (6.3% of the adult population), and the "religious unaffiliated," that is, those who say that religion is either somewhat important or very important in their lives."
Wait a second... Are you trying to tell me that there's a significant group who says religion is very important in their lives, but define their religion as 'nothing in particular'?
Which aspect of nothing, precisely, is very important in their lives?
I could be wrong on this, but it dawned on me how differently Jews view religion. I think many of he the participants in this study think of religion as nothing more than a belief. My 'belief in something', even if that something is undefined can be very important to my life. Judaism teaches that religion isn't a platitude, or a box that you check on a survey. It's a commitment to a set of actions and values. That can only be meaningful if these values are defined, clear, relevant. Watching sports can't be an important part of your life if you don't have access to a TV (OK, or online streaming). Cooking dinner can't be an important part of my day if I haven't decided on a menu. Religion can't be an integral part of my life if I haven't defined what exactly (or at least approximately) it is I that I follow.
"Oh, religion is part of your life... Do you go to a church or synagogue (not really).
Do you pray? (not to anyone in particular)
Do you follow a set of moral values set by your religion? (nope, I do what i want). "
I hope I'm making sense. I get that I'm sort of rambling. I recall once listening to sports talk radio and hearing the hosts (I believe it was Mike & Mike) express astonishment at a caller who was married to a 'die hard' fan of the rival team. They couldn't understand how (although as they explained religious intermarriage made perfect sense to them) that marriage could work. Because to them, religion is at most an intellectual belief in something abstract, not a true set of values with any impact on life. Sports, on the other hand...
How do YOU define religion?
Is it more than an abstract belief? If it's not, you've got a lot to learn about it.
