In the eyes of Jews, Jesus does not have the power to save souls; only God can. For Catholics, Jesus is the Son of God who rose from the dead and saved humankind. Jews do not share this belief.
Catholics also believe that Jesus absorbed the sins of the people. For them, Jesus replaced Jewish law and erased the sins of their ancestors. For Jews, the commandments and Jewish law are still binding.
Judaism rejects the idea of original sin -- the idea that people are born with sins and require an act of grace provided by the sacrifices of Jesus to erase humankind's sins (Kreeft, 1987). For Catholics, salvation only exists through Jesus. In the eyes of Jews, humans are neither born naturally good nor naturally bad. They have both good and bad tendencies, and are taught to freely choose the good.
In conclusion, Catholicism and Judaism are both closer and farther apart than any two other religions. On the one hand, Catholics are descendants of Jews; but on the other, Catholicism is a new religion -- one that was indeed based on Judaism but is now an entity of its own.
Conclusion
My initial perceptions of Catholicism were based on stereotypes. After researching this religion, visiting a Catholics Church, and talking to Catholics, I've come to realize that Catholicism is not what I expected it to be. Father Felix showed me the lighter side of the religion, which is based on faith, love and helping one another. In addition, while Catholicism is very traditional, Catholics are flexible in their thoughts,...
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