Judaism: the Existence of G-D | OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625)

Judaism: the Existence of G-D

74 questions
6 subtopics
Group 2 paper
Group 2 paper

Judaism: The Existence of G-D is examined in Component Group 2, religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a Jewish perspective (J625/08), if this is the perspective studied.

That perspective must be one of the student's two Group 1 religions. It covers Jewish beliefs about G-d's nature and relationship with the world, Jewish responses to evil and human suffering, Jewish views on the design and first cause arguments, morality, covenant and the value of arguments for G-d in Judaism, how Jews believe G-d is revealed and Jewish religious experience and perception of the divine.

Sample questions from Judaism: the Existence of G-D

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Jewish beliefs about G-d's nature and relationship with the world

What does Deuteronomy 11:13–21 teach about G-d's relationship with the natural world?

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G-d promises rain and good harvests if Israel obeys, and drought if it turns to other gods. G-d is pictured as governing nature in response to human behaviour.
Jewish beliefs about G-d's nature and relationship with the world

What does Numbers 15:37–41 show about G-d's relationship with humanity?

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G-d gives Israel visible reminders of the commandments in the tzitzit. The passage ends by naming G-d as the one who brought Israel out of Egypt to be their G-d.
Jewish responses to evil and human suffering

What does Psalm 28:7 teach about facing suffering?

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The psalmist calls G-d “my strength and my shield” and trusts in G-d for help. Jews can draw strength from G-d even in times of trouble.
Jewish responses to evil and human suffering

How did Richard Rubenstein respond to the Holocaust?

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Rubenstein argued that belief in a G-d who controls history could not survive Auschwitz. Most Jewish thinkers rejected his conclusion.
Jewish views on the design and first cause arguments

What is the cosmological argument, and how has it been used in Judaism?

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The cosmological argument reasons from the existence of the universe to G-d as its cause. Jewish philosophers such as Maimonides used forms of it.
Jewish views on the design and first cause arguments

How do Jewish groups respond to evolution?

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Reform Jews and many Orthodox Jews accept evolution as G-d's method of creation. Some strictly Orthodox Jews read Genesis literally and reject evolution.
Morality, covenant and the value of arguments for G-d in Judaism

What is ethical living in Judaism?

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Ethical living means behaving justly and kindly in daily life, as the mitzvot require. The Talmud teaches that people should imitate G-d by clothing the naked and visiting the sick.
Morality, covenant and the value of arguments for G-d in Judaism

Why do some Jews value arguments for the existence of G-d?

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Arguments show that faith is reasonable and can be discussed with non-believers. Maimonides believed reason and Torah could not truly conflict.

The 6 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Jewish beliefs about G-d's nature and relationship with the world	Genesis 1:1, ethical monotheism in Deuteronomy 5, Deuteronomy 11 on the natural world, Psalm 24:1, the principle drawn from Deuteronomy 20:19, Numbers 35:2, and why the Torah speaks of G-d in human terms.	12
Jewish responses to evil and human suffering	Abraham questioning G-d, the Flood, Psalms 28:7 and 112:7, the free will defence, hester panim, Holocaust responses from Berkovits, Rubenstein and Fackenheim, and answering an atheist.	13
Jewish views on the design and first cause arguments	Rabbi Akiva's design argument, the cosmological argument in Judaism, the anthropic principle, a world formed for humanity, the Big Bang, evolution and Jewish responses, Psalm 14:1, and atheist objections.	12
Morality, covenant and the value of arguments for G-d in Judaism	The moral argument, covenant and moral consequence, judgement and the purpose of the world, ethical living, Heschel on awe and wonder, the Kuzari argument, and why practice matters more than proofs.	12
How Jews believe G-d is revealed	Scripture, inspirational people and figures from Jewish history, G-d acting in the world, conscience, biblical and modern miracles, how the Mishnah and Maimonides explained them, and an atheist challenge.	12
Jewish religious experience and perception of the divine	Mystical and ecstatic experience, the Baal Shem Tov, visions in the Tenakh, worship and community, the lamp commanded in Exodus 25 and 27, Leviticus 19:27, the fringes, and daily reminders of G-d.	13

Judaism: the Existence of G-D is 74 of the 2,800 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £7

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.