What are two major differences between Judaism and most other religions?

Answer 1

Answer

Put simply: pretty much everything about belief, but nothing much else. Everything about Judaism is based on faith (by definition). So anything that any Jewish person does because of their religion is a difference: that it is done for religious reasons, rather than any other reason.

Jews believe there is a god. Atheists do not.

Jews believe that that god really doesn't want them to eat pork. Atheists will eat it if they like it.

Likewise for shellfish.

Jews believe that morals are handed down from a god. Atheists do not believe this.

Some Jews believe that Israel is their land by declaration of a deity, and that any measures are justified in taking it. Atheists would not share this view (and neither would most other Jews).

There are way too many items to list. Anything anyone believes which is based on faith in a deity is outside of Atheism.

Answer 2

• Judaism does not focus on the afterlife
• Judaism is probably the only religion in the world that believes the path to God is easier for non-members than it is for members (non-Jews only have 7 laws to follow and Jews have 613 laws)

Answer 3

The Lutherans are Protestant Christians.

The majority of core tenets found in Christianity completely go against the teachings of Judaism.

Examples of Christian tenets that Judaism doesn't accept:

• Salvation: The Christian concept of salvation and grace
• Sin: The concept of original sin: Jews are born with a clean slate
  
• Damnation: The concept of damnation: Jews do not have a hell or any place for the wicked that is eternal and painful
  
• Afterlife: The concept of heaven and hell: See above
  
• Devil: The existence of the devil: Jews believe that the Satan is in God's good graces.
  
• Messiah: The Christian concept of of Messiah: Jews believe the Messiah to be a man of similar prophetic capacity to Moses
  
• Trinity: The concept of the trinity: Jews believe in One God without partition or difference
  
• Intermediaries: Praying through intermediaries: Jews pray directly to God without priests
  
• Son of God: The concept of a literal child of God: Jews do not hold this.
  
• Expiation: The idea that one man can atone for the sins of another: Jews hold that every man atones for his own sins.
  
• Proselytization: Jews believe that Non-Jews should achieve a good relationship with God in their own faiths whereas Christians believe in actively trying to convert people to their religion to follow the only path to salvation.

These are just some examples, there are far more differences between Judaism and Christianity.

As specifically concerns Lutheranism, there are additional specific differences between Judaism and Lutheranism that Judaism does not necessarily have with all strains of Christianity.

• Solo Scriptorum: The idea that Bible alone shows God's will without scriptural interpretive works. Lutheranism holds this, while Judaism holds that additional sources are necessary.
• Covenant of Grace/Covenant of Works: The idea that some people would do good deeds as evidence that they were the Predestined and others would do good deeds in spite of their future hell. As no amount of good deeds could save you, if you were believed to be condemned and you did good deeds, people would proclaim you a "Covenant of Works" as opposed to a "Covenant of Grace". In Judaism each person is accountable for the sins and receives credit for their good deeds before God.
• Faith Alone: Judaism holds that a person must perform mitzvot or commanded good works in order to achieve a good place in the world to come. Lutherans reject this and hold that faith alone can save, even without works.
• Liberty of Practice: Judaism holds that a person must follow all of the edicts of the Oral Torah in addition to the written Bible. Lutheranism holds that where things in The Bible are not spelled out, these things can be liberally interpreted by the followers and adapted to personal will.