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created:
6 - 4 BC

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created:
20th - 18th centurys BCE

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God sent Jesus to the world to die on the cross and save us from out sins

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some Jewish holidays inclued:
Hanukkah
Passover
Yom Kippur
Rosh hashana
Purim

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Abraham

Judaism is thought to trace back to about 2000 bce. A man named Abraham is considered the founder. According to the Torah, God told Abraham to leave his home in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and take his people to Canaan ( Palestine). God promised that if Abraham obeyed, he and his offspring would become a great nation in this new land. This is the first covenant, or agreement, that God made with the Jews.

Moses

Long after the days of Abraham, a famine caused the Israelites to move to Egypt. They were later turned into slaves there. After more than 400 years, the Jews were freed from slavery under the leadership of Moses in about the 1200s bce. As instructed by God, Moses led the Israelites back to Canaan. Jews believe that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and promised that if the Israelites followed these rules, he would look after them.

Rise and Fall of Israel

Over the next several centuries, Israel became a fairly powerful nation in the Middle East, particularly under its first three kings-Saul, David, and Solomon. David conquered Jerusalem and established it as the capital city. His son, Solomon, built the first great Temple of Jerusalem in the 900s bce.

In the 700s bce the Assyrian Empire captured northern Israel. Early in the 500s bce, Babylonians conquered southern Israel, destroyed the Temple, and sent some of the Jews away into slavery. This event marked the beginning of the Diaspora, which means "scattering." From then on, the Jewish people were no longer together in one place.

Some Jews later returned to their homeland and rebuilt the Temple. But the region remained under the control of one foreign power after another, including the Roman Empire. Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries ce were unsuccessful. During this period the Romans destroyed the second Temple.

Establishment of Modern Israel

In the late 1800s a movement called Zionism began in Europe. This was led by people who wanted to create a nation for the Jews in the region of Palestine. The movement grew stronger in the early 1900s as Jews escaping harsh conditions in Europe began moving to Palestine.

This Jewish immigration increased greatly when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in the early 1930s. Hitler and his Nazi Party thought Jews were evil. First the Nazis made life hard for Jews, and later they decided to kill them. This massacre became known as the Holocaust. The Holocaust ended with the defeat of Germany in World War II in 1945. Three years later the modern country of Israel was founded as a homeland for the Jews.

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The religion of the Jewish people is Judaism. Judaism has more than 14 million followers throughout the world, more than a third of whom live in the United States. Many other...

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2.3 billion followers

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This informative guide is full of Christianity facts for kids, to give children help with their homework on the Christian religion.

2 min

Updated: 1st March 2022

What are some Christianity facts for kids?

1. There are around 2.3 billion followers of Christianity in the world - that is nearly a third of the world's population!

2. Christians believe that God is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), all-loving (omnibenevolent) and that God is everywhere all the time (omnipresent).

3. Religious leaders of Christianity (like the priest or minister who leads the services in a Church) usually wear special clothes, called vestments. These can be very elaborate, like in a Catholic church, or very simple, like in a Baptist church.

4. The story of the birth of Jesus is called 'the Nativity' and is celebrated by many Christians every year on Christmas Day, the 25th of December.

5. Jesus is also known as the Messiah, a Greek word taken from the Hebrew word Mashiak/Mashiyach, meaning "the anointed one" or "anointed with oil." Keep reading for more fun Christianity facts for kids!

6. There are lots of important symbols in Christianity. The lotus flower, for example, can relate to fertility and Mary, the mother of Jesus. It can also be used to represent the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The fish symbol comes from the Greek word for "fish" and is an acronym of "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour." It was painted on buildings when following Christianity had to be kept a secret!

7. Before a meal, many Christians say a prayer to thank God for providing them with food.

8. Many Christians worship in buildings called churches. These services are led by a church leader, who are given titles such as Bishop or Reverend. Different branches of Christianity have unique customs for worship.

9. Easter is the name for the annual celebration of Jesus' resurrection and is a very special time of year for many Christians.

10. Another interesting fact about Christianity is that the Bible was also the first book to ever be printed! This first printed version was known as the Gutenberg Bible and was finished in 1455. Over 100 million Bibles are still printed every year.

We hope you found these Christianity facts for kids interesting!

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Top 10 Christianity Facts for Kids - Twinkl Homework Help

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This informative guide is full of Christianity facts for kids, to give children help with their homework on the Christian religion. 2 min Updated: 1st March 2022 There are around 2.3 billion followers of Christianity in the world - that is nearly a third of the world's population!

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the Oldest Abrahamic religon
( the Belife that Abraham and is sons and grandsons hold an important part in spritula human deleopment)

The Oldest Monotheistic Religon
( The Belife in only one god )

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Christians see the Old tesament and New Tesament as Sacred

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The belife in one god

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Christianity is the largest world religion by number of adherents (around 2.4 billion). Members of the religion are called Christians. Christians generally believe Jesus to be the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. It is a monotheistic religion, meaning it has only one God. It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

To most of the people of his time Jesus was a preacher, teacher, healer, and prophet from ancient Judea. However, his disciples believed him to be much more than that: they believed that Jesus was God's one and only son who was sent down to earth to die on a cross for their sins. The man said to be his father, Joseph, was a carpenter. Jesus was executed by being nailed to a cross (or crucified) under Pontius Pilate, the local Roman governor at the time. His life and followers are written about in the New Testament, part of the Bible. Christians consider the Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament, as sacred. The Gospels or "The Good News" are the first four books of the New Testament and are about the life of Jesus, his death, and him rising from the dead.

God created the world. Jesus is the name of God the Son. Christians believe Him to be the Son of God. They believe that He was the human son of the Virgin Mary and the divine Son of God. They believe he suffered and died to free humans from their sin and was later raised from the dead. He then went up into Heaven. At the end of time, Jesus will come back to Earth to judge all mankind, both alive and dead, giving everlasting life to those who believe in him. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God on the Earth that spoke through prophets.

The prophets foretold in the Old Testament of Jesus as the Savior. Christians think of Jesus Christ as a teacher, a role model, and someone who revealed who the Christian God was.

Christianity has been an important part of the shaping of the world. As of the early 21st century, Christianity has approximately 2.2 billion followers.

Jesus Christ

The most basic part of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah ( Christ). The title "Messiah" comes from the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ ( māšiáħ) meaning anointed one. The Greek translation Χριστός ( Christos) is the source of the English word " Christ". Joshua is English for the Hebrew word Yeshua.

Christians believe that, as the Messiah, Jesus was anointed by God as ruler and savior of all people. Christians also believe that Jesus' coming was the fulfillment of prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian belief of the Messiah is much different than the contemporary Jewish concept. The main Christian belief is that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God. Through this, they believe they are given salvation and eternal life.

Death and resurrection of Jesus

Christians believe the resurrection of Jesus to be the main part of their faith (see 1 Corinthians 15) and the most important event in human history because it would show that Jesus has power over death and has the authority to give people eternal life.

Among Christian beliefs, the death and resurrection of Jesus are two main events of Christian doctrine and theology. From what the New Testament says, Jesus was crucified, died a physical death, was buried in a tomb, and rose from the dead on the third day afterwards. Most Christians place his death on a Friday each year, which is the first day of his death. Saturday is the second day, and Sunday is the third day. The New Testament writes that several times Jesus appeared many times before his Twelve Apostles and disciples, and one time before "more than five hundred brethren at once," before Jesus' Ascension to heaven. Jesus' death and resurrection are remember by Christians in their worship services, and most commonly during Holy Week, which has Good Friday and Easter Sunday in the week

Salvation of Christ

Protestantism teaches that eternal salvation is a gift that is given to a person by God's grace. It is sometimes called "unmerited favor." This would mean that Salvation is God bringing humans into a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the belief that one can be saved (rescued) from sin and forever death. Many Protestants believe in the "assurance of salvation"-that God can put confidence in a believer that he has truly received salvation from Jesus Christ.

Catholicism teaches that although in most cases someone must be baptized a Catholic to be saved, it is sometimes possible for people to be saved who have not fully joined the Catholic Church. Catholics normally believe in the importance of "faith working through love" and sacraments in receiving salvation. The Catholic Church teaches that good works and piety, such as obedience to commands, taking the sacraments, going to church, doing penance giving alms, saying prayers, and other things, are important in becoming holy, but strongly emphasize that salvation is through God's grace alone, and all we can do is receive it.

Different denominations and traditions of Christianity believe in forms divine grace. Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy teach the complete importance of the free will to work together with grace. Reformed theology teaches the importance of grace by teaching that a person is completely incapable of self-redemption, but the grace of God overcomes even the unwilling heart. Arminianism believes in a synergistic view, while Lutheran and most other Protestant denominations teach justification by grace through faith alone.

Scriptures

Christianity uses the Bible, a collection of many canonical books in two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is believed by Christians that they were written by people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and therefore it is most often believed to be the word of God. The Bible has been translated into over 600 languages. The translators are able to verify accuracy by using thousands of handwritten copies of the scriptures which are in the original languages of Hebrew Aramaic, and Greek.

Creeds (from Latin credo meaning "I believe") are direct doctrinal statements or confessions, usually of religious beliefs. They started as formulas used when someone was baptised. During the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries they became statements of faith.

Some main Christian creeds are:

Many Christians accept the use of creeds, and often use at least one of the creeds given above. A smaller number of Protestants, notably Restorationists, a movement formed in the wake of the Second Great Awakening in the 19th century of the 19th century United States, oppose the use of creeds.

Trinitarianism

The Bible mentions God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and yet Christian believe that there is only one God. This idea, called Trinity, was started at the First Council of Nicaea, in 325, and developed during several church meetings or councils. Today, many Christian groups agree with it. Oriental Orthodox Churches did not agree with the idea, and split after the council. The biggest of the Oriental Orthodox is the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Oriental Orthodox Churches agree with the ideas in the First Council of Nicaea, but they disagree with other councils. Trinitarianism is the teaching that God is three different persons, or has three different relations, within One God; the , the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. In the words of the Athanasian Creed, "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God."

An example of a more recent Christian movement that rejects trinitarianism is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Latter Day Saints started in the first half of the 19th century, in the United States. There are other smaller Christian groups who also reject trinitarianism.

The afterlife and end times

Christians believe that human beings will receive judgement from God and are given either eternal life or eternal damnation. This includes the " Last Judgment" as well as the belief of a judgement particular to the soul after death.

There are also some differences among Christians in this belief. For example, in Roman Catholicism, those who die in a state of grace, go into purgatory, where they are cleansed before they can go into heaven.

Christians believe that at the second coming of Christ at the end of time, all who have died will be raised up from the dead for the Last Judgment, when Jesus will establish the Kingdom of God. There is also the belief of Universal Reconciliation. That is the belief that all people will someday be saved, and that hell is not forever. Christians who believe in this view are known as Universalists.

Christians have different ways to talk about the purpose of Jesus' coming:

to learn the best way to live and to follow his example

to pay the price of sin in our lives by being the perfect sacrifice, without sin. (John 3:16)

to tell people that their mistakes and sins will be forgiven and will be saved if they believe and have faith in the Lord Jesus and confess that they have sinned (1 John 1:9) (John 3:16) (Ephesians 1:7) (Romans 10:9).

to teach people to forgive each other and repent of their own sin through grace. (Matthew 6:14)

to "destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3 v 8)

to help people share in his life through the gift of God's Spirit.

Worship is thought by most Christians to be a very important part of Christianity all through its history. Many Christian theologians have called humanity homo adorans, which means "worshiping ," and so the worship of God is at the very center of what it means to be human. This would mean that because God created all humanity, Christians should worship and give praise to God.

Most Christian worship has Scripture reading, talk about Scripture from a leader, singing, prayer together, and a small time for Church work. Christians may meet in special buildings, also called Churches, or outdoors, or at schools, or anywhere Christians feel they are needed.

The main worship service in Catholic Churches is the Mass and the main worship service in many Orthodox Churches is called the Divine Liturgy. In both of these Churches, along with the other parts of worship, the Eucharist or Communion is central. Here a priest by prayer asks God to change a small amount of bread and wine into what Catholics and Orthodox believe is Jesus's real body and blood, but without changing the accidents (appearance, taste, colour, etc.) of the bread and wine. Then the people each may receive a portion. Many Protestant churches have worship services similar to the Mass, some every week, others a few times a year. Some Protestants believe Jesus is really present at the Communion service, and some believe the bread and wine are symbols to help them remember what Jesus did

The Catholic Church has developed a short ceremony, Eucharistic Benediction, worshiping Jesus present in the Eucharist. They also may visit a Church building to pray in the presence of the Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration.

The Orthodox and Catholic Churches spirituality place importance on the use of human senses such as sight and on the use of beautiful things. Catholic spirituality often involves the use of statues and other artistic representations, candles, incense, and other physical items as reminders or aids to prayer. The Orthodox Churches also use candles, incense, bells, and icons, but not statues. Orthodox and Catholic worship also makes use of movements, such as the Sign of the Cross, made by each person touching first the forehead, then chest, one shoulder, then the other shoulder. There is also bowing, kneeling, and prostration in Catholic and Orthodox worship.

Sacraments

In Catholic belief and practice, a sacrament is a religious symbol or often a rite which shows divine grace, blessing, or sanctity for the Christian who receives it. Examples of sacraments are Baptism and the Mass." The word is taken from the Latin word sacramentum, which was used to translate the Greek word for mystery.

The two most regularly used sacraments are Baptism and Eucharist (communion). Most Catholics use seven Sacraments: Baptism, the ritual immersion of a candidate to welcome them into the church; Confirmation, the sealing of the Covenant; the Eucharist, a ritual where consecrated bread (discs of unleavened, toasted bread) and wine representing Jesus' body and blood are consumed; Holy Orders, Reconciliation of a Penitent (confession), Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage. Some Christian denominations prefer to call them ordinances. These are the Orders from Christ to all believers found in the New Testament.

Liturgical calendar

Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Eastern Christians, and traditional Protestant groups center their worship around a liturgical calendar. Some events that are part of this calendar are the "holy days", such as solemnities which honor an event in the life of Jesus or the saints, times of fasting such as Lent, and other events, such as memoria. Christian groups that do not follow a liturgical tradition often keep some celebrations, such as Christmas, Easter,and Pentecost. A few churches do not use a liturgical calendar.

These are some symbols that some denominations or individual churches may use:

Alpha and Omega - The Greek letters Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha and Omega is a reference to God, who calls himself the "Alpha and Omega" (the first and the last letter of the Greek alphabet) in the Book of Revelation.

Chi - The Greek letter Chi is the first letter of 'Christ' (Greek: Χριστός "Christos").

Chi Rho - The Greek letters Chi and Rho are the first two letters of 'Christ' in Greek: Christos. Usually, the long stem of Rho (ρ) runs up and down through the cross of the Chi (χ).

Christian cross - The cross is the most common symbol of Christianity. Christians believe that their savior Jesus Christ was crucified by the Romans. The cross is important because Jesus died as a sacrifice for the sins of believers. It represents God's love for humanity.

Crucifix - The crucifix is a cross with the body of Jesus still hanging on it. It is a more popular symbol with Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. It has the same meaning as the cross.

Dove - The dove is a bird and a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came to him in the form of a dove and rested on him.

Ichthys - In Greek, the word ichthys /iktheews/ means 'fish', and forms an acronym, "Ίησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ", meaning "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour" in Greek.

Lamb - A lamb may be a symbol of Jesus himself, portrayed as the sacrifice for humans.

Shepherd - A shepherd is also a symbol of Jesus himself and is used in the earliest Christian art. In the Bible, Jesus calls himself the good shepherd who cares for his sheep.

INRI - INRI is an acronym in Latin "Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum" meaning "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews." This is the message that was put on the cross as being the crime for which he was being punished. Christians now use it as a symbol that Jesus is the Messiah, or King of all kings.

Interlocking rings - Three interlocking rings are a symbol of the Trinity. Each ring is a complete circle, representing each complete person of the Trinity. But each ring is locked with the other two rings, showing that each divine person cannot be separated from the Trinity.

Types of Christianity

People who call themselves Christians may show or live their faith in different ways. They may also believe different things. Through history the ten main groups or "denominations" of Christianity have been the (Eastern) Orthodox, the Church of the East (Nestorian), the Oriental Orthodox (Miaphysite), the Catholic, the Anglican, the Lutheran, the Reformed, the Anabaptist, the Evangelical, and the Nontrinitarian churches. These latter six are often grouped together as Protestant, but Nontrinitarians are also more commonly grouped separately. Not all Christians use these titles. Some believe Christianity is bigger and includes others. Some believe Christianity is smaller and does not include all these churches.

Disagreements

Some of these groups could not agree on certain points about Christian teaching (called "doctrine") or practice. The first split was in the 5th century after the Church Council of Ephesus. The council agreed Nestorianism was wrong. The Assyrian Church of the East did not agree and split from the rest. The argument was about the nature of Jesus. Should he be regarded as God and human in one combined nature, or in two separate natures? Most of the bishops, following the Pope (the Bishop of Rome), refused to stay in communion with any bishop who would not say "two separate natures". This was also discussed at the Council of Chalcedon, about 20 years later. The Christians who did not agree with the decision of the Council to excommunicate them, became the non-Chalcedonian Orthodox. The largest Non-Chalcedonian Churches are the Coptic Orthodox in Egypt, the Ethiopian Orthodox, the Armenian, and some Lebanese Orthodox Churches. In general, these churches are known as Oriental Orthodox Churches. Recent discussions between the Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II and the Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III concluded that they believe many of the same things after all, even though the Coptic Church does not recognize the Pope of Rome as its leader.

The third split happened in the 11th century. It is called the Great Schism. It was mostly based on the creed being translated incorrectly from Greek into Latin. The disagreements were made worse because the two cultures often did not understand one another. Also, many Crusaders from Western Europe behaved badly. The Christians in Western Europe were led by the Bishop of Rome, known also as the Pope. They are called the Catholic Church. Most Christians in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and South Asia, and northeast Africa belong to Orthodox, Nestorian, and Miaphysite Christianity, led by the Bishops of other cities or areas.

Groups have different ideas on the nature of God.

Groups have different ideas on the nature and work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life.

The pope is the leader of all Catholics. Other churches have leaders similar to the pope. For example, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, these are called Patriarchs. Still other groups let each church decide about things.

Some Christians say that women may not become priests or pastors.

Some Christians say married people may not become priests.

Some Christians say that priests can forgive sins by giving out the forgiveness of God, others say that only God can do this.

In modern times, the rise of atheism and scientific challenges to the traditional Christian story of creation have caused some to believe in "Young Earth Creationism", or a literal interpretation of the first chapters of the Bible, and others to argue that those parts of the Bible are not literally true, but more like poetry.

Most Christians worship on Sunday, but some believe that Saturday is the true "Sabbath" and should be kept.

Some Christians believe that baptism must mean going fully under water, others put some water on the head.

Some Christian groups baptize babies, while Baptists only baptize persons who have chosen for themselves to follow Jesus .

Demographics

In most countries in the developed world, the number of people going to church who claim to be Christians has been dropping over the last few decades. Some believe that this is only because many no longer use regular membership in places, for example, churches, while others believe it is because people may be thinking that religion is no longer important.

Most churches have for a long time showed that they want to be tolerant with other belief systems, and in the 20th century Christian ecumenism (the uniting of Christians from different backgrounds), advanced in two ways. One way was more cooperation between groups, such as the Edinburgh Missionary Conference of Protestants in 1910, the Justice, Peace and Creation Commission of the World Council of Churches started in 1948 by Protestant and Orthodox churches, and similar national councils, for example the National Council of Churches in Australia with Roman Catholics.

The other way was creating unions for different churches to join together. Congregationalist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches joined together in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada, and in 1977 to form the Uniting Church in Australia. The Church of South India was formed in 1947 by the union of Anglican, Methodist, Congregationalist, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches. And other such formations have been done by different Christian groups throughout the years.

Related pages

Images for kids

In Spanish: Cristianismo para niños

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Judaism ( Hebrew: יהדות) is the world's oldest Abrahamic religion. It is almost 4,000 years old. There are about 15 million followers. They are called Jews. It is the oldest monotheistic religion. The Torah is the most important holy book of Judaism. The laws and teachings of Judaism come from the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible and oral traditions. Some of these were first oral traditions and later written in the Mishnah, the Talmud, and other works.

Both Christianity and Islam are similar to Judaism. These religions accept the belief in one God and the moral teachings of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), which includes the Torah or "תורה."

Basic beliefs

The three main beliefs at the center of Judaism are Monotheism, Identity, and covenant (an agreement between God and his people).

The most important teachings of Judaism is that there is one God, who wants people to do what is just and compassionate. Judaism teaches that a person serves God by learning the holy books and doing what they teach. These teachings include both ritual actions and ethics. Judaism teaches that all people are made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

The main teachings of Judaism about God are that there is a God and there is only one God and that god is Yahweh. Only God created the universe and only He controls it. Judaism also teaches that God is spiritual and not physical.

Jews believe that God is one - a unity: He is one whole, complete being. He cannot be divided into parts and people cannot say how He looks in words; they can only say how He is and what He does..

Jews believe that all goodness and morality is from God. God is interested in what people do and He watches what they do.

Judaism teaches that all people are made in the image of God. This is why people must be treated with dignity and respect. A person serves God by being like God. This means that they must do what is fair and just, show mercy, and behave with kindness and love for people.

Judaism says that God exists forever, that He is in every place, and that He knows all things. He is above nature ("supernatural") but He is in the world and He hears people who pray to Him and can answer them. God is the main power in the universe.

Judaism teaches that God allows people to choose what to do - this is called " free will." Free will is the freedom to do whatever a person wants to but must be responsible of his own actions. A person is responsible for their actions. God rewards people who do good actions and punishes people who do bad actions. God gives a person a reward or a punishment in this world, but He gives the final reward or punishment to the soul of the person after they die.

Jews believe that God made an agreement called a "covenant" with Abraham, the ancestor of the Jewish people. The Bible says that God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants if they worshipped God and were faithful to him. God made this covenant with Abraham's son, Isaac, and with Isaac's son, Jacob. God gave Jacob another name, Israel. This is how Jacob's descendants got the name the "Children of Israel" or " Israelites." God later gave the Torah to the Israelites through their leader, Moses. The Torah told the Israelites how to live and build their community. God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments and other laws in the Torah.

The Jews are sometimes called the " Chosen People." This is because the Bible says God told them "you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6) and "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord chose you to be His own special nation out of all peoples on the earth" (Deuteronomy 14:2). Jews understand this means that they have special duties and responsibilities commanded by God. For example, Jews must build a just society and serve only God. Jews believe that this covenant works in two ways: if they follow God's laws, He will give them his love and protection, but they are also responsible for their sins - bad actions - and not doing what God told them. Jews believe that they must teach other people that God exists and that God wants all people to do good actions. Jews believe that their job in the world is to be "a light to the nations" (Isiah 49:6) by showing the people of the world ways to make the world a better place.

Jews believe that God has given them a special job to repair the world. Their job is to make the world a better place with more good in it. They must use the things in the world to increase good and come closer to God. They call this " tikkun olam" - repairing the world. Jews see themselves as God's partner to repair the world in any way they can - to find ways to lessen suffering of people and animals, to make more peace and respect between people, and protect the earth's environment from destruction.

Jews do not try to convince other people to believe in Judaism. Jews believe they have a special job to show all peoples that God exists, but people do not have to be Jewish to follow God. All people can serve God by following the Seven Commandments (rules) given to Noah. But, Judaism accepts people who choose to change their religion to Judaism.

Jews believe that God tells them in the Torah the way of life that they must follow. The Torah says God wants the people of Israel to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him, and to keep God's commandments (Deut. 10:12-13). Actions are more important than beliefs and beliefs must be made into actions.

These actions are called " mitzvot" in Hebrew (singular: a mitzvah מִצְוָה). Sometimes they are called " laws," "rules" or "commandments". Many people think of a mitzvah as "a good act," or "a good thing to do." There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah. Jews believe that the Torah gives mitzvot for all people; all people must keep seven laws that were taught to Noah and his children after the flood. The Jews must keep 613 mitzvot, which are listed in the Torah. The rabbis counted 365 mitzvot that Jews must not do ( negative mitzvot), and 248 mitzvot that Jews must do ( positive mitzvot). Some mitzvot are for everyday life, and some are only for special times, such as Jewish holidays. Many of the 613 mitzvot are about the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and cannot be done now, since the Temple was destroyed.

Some of the mitzvot are about how people must act to other people. For example, they must give charity to a poor person, or help a person who is in danger. They must not steal or lie. These are ethical and moral mitzvot.

Some mitzvot are about how people must act towards God. For example, they must respect God's name, or not work on the Sabbath. These are religious or ritual mitzvot. Jews believe that God tells them to do both ethical and religious acts.

Jews see mitzvot as acts that sanctify - bring holiness - to the world and bring people and the world closer to God. Jews do the mitzvot to sanctify the physical world and the things in it, such as food and drink, clothing, and natural activities such as work, or seeing beautiful sights. Before doing many acts, such as eating, Jews say a blessing - a short prayer - that God makes and gives a person the things that they need for life. In Judaism, life is most holy and important. A Jew must stop doing other mitzvot of the Torah to help save another person's life.

Jews believe that they must do the mitzvot with happiness and joy because the Bible says "Serve God with joy; come before God with singing" (Psalms 100:2). Doing a mitzvah helps a person come close to God and that makes the person happy. A group of Jews called the Hasidim say this is the best way to live. They say that worrying takes people away from joy and they will not see the beauty and good in the world.

Many mitzvot in the Torah are about the Land of Israel. The Talmud and later books call these mitzvot "commandments connected to the Land" because Jews can only do them in the Land of Israel. For example, Jews give gifts to the poor or the priests from their fields every year, take fruit or animals to the Temple in Jerusalem, and must stop working on the land every seven years (the "shmittah" - sabbatical year).

The Land of Israel

The Land of Israel is holy in Judaism. A Jewish belief is that God created the Earth from Mount Moriah in Jerusalem in the Land of Israel, and He is always closest to this land. Jews believe that this land is where God told the Jewish people to build a society to serve Him, and many mitzvot ( commandments) in the Torah are about the Land of Israel.

The Jewish people believe their history as a nation begins with Abraham. The story of Abraham in the Torah begins when God tells Abraham to leave his country. He promises Abraham and his descendants a new home in the land of Canaan. This is now known as the Land of Israel. It is named after Abraham's grandson, Jacob, who was also called Israel and who was the father of the twelve tribes. This is where the name "Land of Israel" comes from. The land is also called "the Promised Land" because in the Torah, God promises to give the land to the children of Abraham (Gen 12:7, Gen 13:15, Gen 15:18, Gen 17:8).

The rabbis of the Talmud understood from the Torah (Num 33:53) that it is a "mitzvah" for Jews to live in the land of Israel. They saw living outside of Israel as not natural for a Jew. Jews often called the land outside of Israel "galut." This is usually translated as " diaspora" (a place where people are scattered), but the word more closely means " exile".

The Messiah and Saving The World

The story of leaving Egypt, called the Exodus, is very important in the way the Jewish people understand the world. The Torah tells how God took a group of slaves, the Israelites, from slavery, and tells them how to be His partner to build the world. Jews see this story as a model for the whole world. In the future, the whole world will change, and all the people of the world will serve the one God. This will be God's kingdom on Earth. They believe the whole of Jewish history, and world history, is part of this process.

The prophets taught that God would send a person to the world who would help all the people of the world see that God is the maker, king of the world and has supreme power. This person is called the Messiah. The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word mashiah, which means "the anointed one". The Book of Isaiah says the Messiah will be a just king who will unite the Jewish people and lead them in God's way. The Messiah will also unite all the people of the world to serve God. People will act with justice and kindness, and the whole world will be filled with peace.

Jews still wait for the Messiah to come. They believe that this will be a person. Other Jews believe in a future time when justice and peace will come through the cooperation of all people and the help of God.

Jews believe that to know what God wants them to do, they must study the books of Torah and its laws and do what they teach. These include both laws about how to behave to other people and how to serve God.

The two most important groups of books in Judaism are the Bible and the Talmud. The beliefs and actions of Judaism come from these books. Jewish teachers and scholars wrote more books, called commentaries. They explain and say more about what is written in the Bible and Talmud.

The Torah is the most important of all Jewish writings. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible (known to Christians as the "Old Testament") make up the Torah. The Torah contains the basic laws of Judaism and describes the history of the Jews until the death of Moses. Jewish tradition says that God told Moses what to write in the Torah, which is also called the Five Books of Moses. Religious Jews believe that Moses brought the Ten Commandments and the Torah down from Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments are special because they were heard by all of the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. However, in traditional Judaism, all of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah are equally important.

Jews divide the Hebrew Bible into three parts and call it the Tanakh. The three parts are the Torah, which is the first five books; the Nevi'im, which are the books of the prophets; and the Ketuvim, meaning the Writings, which are other books of history and moral teachings.

Rabbinic Jews also believe that there is another part of the Torah besides the five books of Moses. It is called the Mishnah, also called the Oral Torah or Oral Law. It explains how to follow the laws written in the 5 books. There is a commentary (explanation) of the Mishnah, called the Gemara. Together, the Mishna and the Gemara make up the Talmud. But Karaite Jews believe that there is no additional Torah besides the five books of Moses.

Traditional Jews believe that God gave the written Torah and the oral Torah to Moses and that Moses told it to the Jewish people, and that it is the same today as it was back then. Traditional Jews also believe that all of the commandments must still be followed today.

Liberal Jews believe that the Torah was inspired by God but written by human beings. Liberal Jews believe that all of the ethical laws in the Torah must still be followed, but many ritual laws do not need to be followed today.

It is considered good in Judaism to talk about the commandments and to try to understand how to follow them. The Talmud has many stories about Rabbis who argued about the commandments. Over time, some opinions have become the rule for everyone. Some rules are still being argued about. Jews praise logical argument and looking for truth.

There is no single leader of Judaism who can decide how to follow the commandments or what to believe. Even though Jews believe different things and they disagree about the rules, they are still one religion and one people.

Daily way of life

Kashrut: Jewish food laws

Jews who follow the religious rules called "kashrut" only eat some types of food that are prepared by special rules. Food that a Jew can eat is called kosher food.

Traditional Jews are very careful about kashrut. They usually cannot eat many foods in non-kosher restaurants or in the home of someone who does not keep kosher. Sometimes, this makes it hard to visit people or to do business. It is important to understand that this is part of their religion. People help avoid this problem by choosing to dine with Traditional Jews in a kosher restaurant or serve them kosher food in their home.

Liberal Jews are not so careful about kosher, although some of them may keep some rules.

Kosher foods

Jews can eat any fresh fruit or vegetables that do not have any insects on or in them.

Jews can eat any fish that has scales and fins. This includes fish like salmon and tuna. They cannot eat seafood like shrimp, lobster, or mussels.

Jews can eat meat of any animal that chews its cud (food which has already been partly digested), and has split hooves. For example, cows, sheep, deer, and goats. However, the meat must be slaughtered and prepared in a specific way to be kosher.

Jews can eat many common birds such as chickens and turkeys and duck. The birds must also be slaughtered and prepared in a specific way. Jews can't eat birds of prey, like vultures.

Foods sold in stores or restaurants must be checked by a Jew who is an expert in Kashrut. The name for this person is "mashgiach," or kosher overseer. He makes sure that the kosher rules were kept. Foods bought at the store often have a symbol called a hechsher on them to tell the customer that the food have been checked. Many everyday foods have a hechsher.

Honey is an insect product made by bees, but it is kosher.

It is a well-known myth that kosher food must be blessed by a rabbi, a rabbi cannot bless a food and make it Kosher.

Non-kosher foods

Some call non-kosher foods "Treifah," meaning "torn." This is because the Torah says not to eat an animal that has been killed or torn by another animal.

Jews cannot eat animals that do not have split hooves or animals that do not chew their cud. Unlike cows and sheep, pigs have split hooves, but do not chew their cud and are therefore not kosher.

Jews cannot eat rodents, reptiles or amphibians.

Jews cannot eat any sea animal that does not have scales and fins. For example, sharks, eels, crabs, shrimp and lobsters are not kosher.

Jews cannot eat birds that eat meat like vultures, which are mentioned in a list in the Torah.

Jews cannot eat any insects, except for a few types of crickets or locusts.

Other kosher rules

There are other rules for kosher food as well.

Animals must be killed in a certain way, including using a fast strike across the neck with a very sharp blade which makes sure that the animal dies quickly.

All the blood must be removed from an animal before the meat is eaten. This is done by soaking and salting the meat.

A Jew cannot eat a meal that has both meat and milk in it. This comes from the rule (in the Torah) that a Jew must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. Because of this, Jews use separate dishes and utensils for foods that have meat in it, and foods that have milk in it.

After eating meat, many Jews do not drink milk products before a time period between 1 to 6 hours has passed.

Kosher food must be cooked in a kitchen for actual kosher food. If the kitchen has been used to cook non-kosher food, such as rabbit and pig then the kitchen must be cleaned in a special way before it can be used to cook kosher food.

One of the commandments is to keep the Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat. Shabbat starts every Friday at sunset and ends on Saturday at nightfall. Shabbat is a day of rest to thank God for making the universe.

The tradition of resting on Shabbat comes from the Torah. According to the Torah, God created the world in six days and on the seventh day, Shabbat, He rested. Many Jews go to their temple or synagogue to pray on Shabbat.

Religious Jews follow special rules on Shabbat. These rules require Jews not to do creative work on Shabbat. One reason for this is to give people a break from all the things that make them busy during the week. This helps them focus more on appreciating God, their family, and the rest of creation. Also it reminds people that God is the creator and ruler of the world; and no matter how great a person's creative power is, it cannot compare with God's creation of the universe and everything in it. Many of these categories of creative work include actions that people might not think of as work. For instance, on Shabbat a Jew cannot:

Traditional Jews are very careful about Shabbat. It is a special day. They clean their houses and prepare special food for Shabbat. They dress in their nicest clothes. They sing beautiful songs and say extra prayers in the synagogue. They have dinner and lunch with their families. Many families also invite guests for dinner and for lunch. They eat special delicious food, and sing together traditional Shabbat songs. On Shabbat afternoon people study Judaism together or just visit friends.

Liberal Jews do not follow those rules. Some do go to synagogue, visit friends, or have special meals. But they may also talk on the phone, drive cars, and go shopping.

Important points in a Jewish life

Birth

Brit Milah (for boys) a circumcision ceremony when a boy is 8 days old. It includes naming the baby. Some non-Orthodox Jews practice Brit Shalom, a baby naming ceremony for Jewish boys without circumcision.

Pidyon haben (for boys) is when a father does a special ceremony to redeem his wife's first son from the Temple, as originally all firstborn boys were sent to serve in the Temple. Levites (a tribe of Israel) and Cohanim (priests) do not do this ritual.

Bat Mitzvah (for girls) a 'coming of age' ceremony when a girl turns 12 (13 for some Jews). Bat Mitzvah means "daughter of the mitvah" or "daughter of the commandments" in Hebrew. Once a girl turns 12 (or 13), she is considered a woman and is expected to follow Jewish law. A ceremony is not required. Bat Mitzvah not only refers to the ceremony, but also to the girl herself.

Bar Mitzvah (for boys) a 'coming of age' ceremony when a boy turns 13. It includes reading the Torah and special prayers. Bar Mitzvah means "son of the mitzvah" or "son of the commandments" in Hebrew. Once a boy turns 13, he is considered a man and is expected to follow Jewish law. A ceremony is not required. Bar Mitzvah not only refers to the ceremony, but also to the boy himself.

Having Children

Death

Kinds of Judaism

For a very long time, most Jews in Europe believed the same basic things about Judaism. Jews in other lands had different beliefs and customs than European Jews. About 200 years ago, a small group of Jews in Germany decided to stop believing in many parts of Judaism and try to become more "modern" and more like Germans. Those Jews were called Reform Jews.

Today there are three main kinds of Judaism: Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism. There are also kinds with a smaller number of people, such as Reconstructionist Judaism, and Karaite Judaism. Each group has its own practices according to how it understands the Jewish laws. For example, Reform (also called Liberal or Progressive) Judaism encourages people to choose the ways to be Jewish that mean the most to them based on the traditions. Reform Judaism teaches Jews to focus on the ethical laws of Judaism. Conservative Judaism developed after Reform Judaism. The leaders of Conservative Judaism felt that Reform Judaism was too radical. They wanted to conserve (protect) Jewish tradition instead of reforming (changing) it. Orthodox Jews do not believe that Reform or Conservative Judaism are correct because they believe that the laws given by God are timeless, and can't be changed.

In the most recent survey of Jews in the United States in 2000-2001, it was found that 35% of American Jews say they are Reform, 27% say they are Conservative, 10% say they are Orthodox, 2% say they are Reconstructionist and 25% do not say what type they are.

In Israel, almost all Jews go to Orthodox synagogues. There are very few Reform or Conservative synagogues, but there has been a steady increase since 2009. In Israel, Jews do not call themselves Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox. Instead, they mostly call themselves "Haredi" (completely religious) "Dati" (basically religious), "Masorati" (traditional/conservative) or "Chiloni" (secular). Surveys suggest about 20% of Israelis say they are secular, 25% say they are Dati or Haredi and 55% say they are traditional.

Names of God

Names are very important in Judaism. Many Jews believe that a name not only tells you who someone is, but also tells you something about them. Names of God are very special in Judaism, so Jews do not write them or speak them fully but use other words instead. That is why some Jews write G-d, with a "-" instead of an "o."

HaShem Means "The Name". It is the word Jews use most often when not praying to talk about God.

Adonai means "My Lord." This name tells Jews about God's position. God is the King of the World, and his name Adonai lets us know that.

Elohim means "one who is strong enough to do everything." This name is used when talking about God's power to create or God's justice. This tells us that God is the creator and that God rules the world with just laws.

The two names above are so special that Orthodox Jews use these names only when they pray and read the Torah. When they are not praying or reading the Torah, they say "Hashem" (The Name) or "Elokim".

God - Some Jews write "God" by replacing the "o" with a dash, like this: "G-d". They do this because God's name is very holy so they are not allowed to throw away a piece of paper with "God" written on it. However, if by accident "God" is written, then the paper can be disposed of in a special way and buried in a special place. Others say that "God" is just an English word, not Hebrew, and so it is not holy.

YHWH ("Yehovah"/"Yahweh") is the most sacred name of God in Hebrew, and is not pronounced by most Jews. No one knows where the name came from, or what exactly it means. It looks like the Hebrew word "hayah," which is the verb "to be." (According to Hebrew scripture, when Moses asked God who God was, God told Moses I am that I am/I am who I am.) Jews believe that the name YHWH shows that God is endless. Instead of trying to say it, most Jews say " haShem", which means "The Name." Some people pronounce this name as Yahweh, or Jehovah. Scholars of religion sometimes refer to "YHWH" as the Tetragrammaton, from Greek wo.

Images for kids

In Spanish: Judaísmo para niños

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The Father

The Son

The Holy Spirit

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In this artical it is started that giving out eggs on easter is repersentitive of Jesus reserecting.

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Christianity for kids Learn about religion - Super Brainy Beans

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Christianity for kids learning at Primary School. What is Christianity? How do they worship? Where do they worship?

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Judaism is more then just a reilgion as stated in this artical it is also an ethnic gruop, and which a person could be jewish, if they have on jewish parent or have converted to judaism.

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Judaism

Judaism is around 3500 years old and is one of the oldest of the world's It's also the smallest, with only about 12 million followers around the world. In ancient times Jewish people were called monotheistic religions-religions with only one god. Abraham is believed to be the father of the Jewish people. The story of Abraham is told in the Torah or what Christians call the Old Testament. Hebrews or Israelite. Jerusalem is their most holy city and the capital of Israel-the only nation where Jewish people are the majority of the population.

The most important person in Judaism is Moses.According to the Torah, Moses is the leader who freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt. However, there is no written evidence of this enslavement story in Egyptian writing. According to Jewish writing, when Moses and the Hebrews left Egypt they traveled through the Sinai Peninsula.One night he climbed Mount Sinai and it is believe that God gave him the 10 Commandments that eventually became part of the Old Testament.The 10 Commandments provided the Jewish people guidelines of how to live their lives.The most holy Jewish books are the (Old Testament), which is part of the Te Na Kh--an acronym for Torah (teachings), Nevi'im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings). Another book called the Talmud provides instructions on how to follow Jewish teachings.

The Jewish word for god is Yahweh. Jews worship in (yam-moo-ka). In most cases, worship takes place in the Hebrew language.The Jewish spiritual leaders are called synagogues . Men and women usually sit separately in the synagogues.Men are required to cover their heads with a hat called a yarmulke rabbis (rab-eyes). Unlike leaders in many other faiths, a rabbi is not a priest and has no special connection with god. Another difference is the belief in the afterlife.Jewish holy books mainly talk about life in Earth, and rarely mention anything similar to a heaven or hell.

Part of Jewish life revolves around eating the correct food. Kosher foods are those that follow Jewish law. This means no mixing of dairy and meat, no pork or pork products and no shellfish. Jews can eat meat from any animal that chews its cud and has a split hoof such as cows, goats, and sheep-rabbit, pig, horse, dog, and cat are not kosher. Jews may eat fish that have both fins and scales that are detachable from the skin.

Just like any religion, there are different levels and types of belief or different denominations such as Orthodox, Reform, and Liberal Jewish faiths.There are special ceremonies when Jewish boys (aged 13) and girls (aged 12) become adults.Bar mitzvah is for boys and Bat mitzvah is for girls.Traditionally, Jews say prayers three times daily, with a fourth prayer added on holidays.Yom Kippur is the most important Jewish holiday. Jews traditionally observe this holiday with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue.

The Old Testament says the "Messiah" will come to Earth and save the Jewish people. Jesus was born into the Jewish religion. There were certain things about Judaism that he thought were wrong, so he began preaching new ideas. He was thought of as a rebel preacher, however some people thought he was the Messiah. After Jesus was killed, his followers went on to start a new religion called Christianity. That is why Christianity and Judaism share religious writing, characters, and beliefs.

The confusing thing about being Jewish is that it is more than just a religion.It is also an ethnic group.People can be Jewish even if they don't follow the religion.According to traditional Jewish Law, a Jew is anyone born of at least one Jewish parent OR someone who has converted to the religion of Judaism.

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Judaism Judaism is around 3500 years old and is one of the oldest of the world's It's also the smallest, with only about 12 million followers around the world. In ancient times Jewish people were called monotheistic religions-religions with only one god. Abraham is believed to be the father of the Jewish people.

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Sunday morning Kids Church, monthly Kids Clubs, and Pro-D Fun Days are all designed to help our young to know Jesus and to make Him known.