Judaism: God’s Only Religion

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim

Judaism is unlike any other religion: it is the only religion proving its claim of divine origin. In fact, everything in Judaism traces to this proof, thereby validating every Torah ideal as proven. In contrast, all other religions are based on belief and blind faith, and none even attempt to offer proof for their fabricated histories. In fact, the demand for blind faith demonstrates its lack of any proof. For why would a religion ask a person to close their minds and “believe,” if they possessed a valid proof for their claims? We don’t “believe” in history; we know it. Judaism's proof is the same proof that validates history. Judaism proves its divine origin through 2 million Israelite witnesses at Mount Sinai 3300 years ago who heard an intelligent voice emanating from the flames. Had this event never occurred, Moses would not succeed in convincing strangers that they witnessed such a miraculous event, when in fact they were at their homes or elsewhere that day. Had Moses lied and told strangers that they heard a voice emanating from a mountain on fire, they would view him as psychotic. And certainly not one person Moses attempted to convince would then replace their own history and lie to themselves, or their children; the story would die and never reach us. But Moses’ story has reached us…and the entire world. Had this event of God giving the 10 Commandments not taken place, as Jews, Christians and Muslims accept as true, and transmit, we should possess at least an alternate Jewish history. But the fact that there is a singular history of the Jews which includes family names, populations, locations traveled, dates, and the unanimous transmission of this “Revelation at Sinai” that we possess today, Judaism thereby offers the same proof that any history offers: mass witnesses. And as there is no alternative history during Caesar’s reign, and as he was witnessed by masses…just as we are fully convinced of Caesar’s existence, we are fully convinced of God’s Revelation at Sinai where God gave His Torah to the Jewish nation. This is the only time in history were masses witnessed God giving a religion to man. This is the crucial point which exposes every other religion as false. The absence of any event validating divine origin exposes every other religion as false. Every other religion is a religion without God's authorization and completely fabricated by man. They are all deceptions.

Every religion aside from Judaism is human fabrication. This means that the human psyche—not God—is responsible for the beliefs and practices of those religions. The invention of a man-god in Christianity and elsewhere is a projection of the infantile mind dependent on parents. They create their god as the “man” Jesus to satisfy this infantile psychological need for the father. Ancient religions too created idols in human form, for this reason. This religion is not only false based on the reasons stated so far, but it also damages a person by inhibiting his maturation: emotionally and intellectually.

And aside from formal religion, there are individual fantasy beliefs and practices that again are fabricated by man's insecure psyche to placate his fears and assure him of success. These practices include superstitions like rabbit’s feet, lucky horseshoes, broken mirrors, black cats, witchcraft, astrology, seances, omens, signs, and other foolish baseless beliefs. It is the insecure and weak minded person seeking security that believes in anything promising success, even though it has no validation in reality. Jews too are guilty by believing in red bendels, holy books, incantations, locations, and placing notes in walls and in graves: we are prohibited from consulting the dead. Torah says intermediaries are false, and certainly lifeless ones. God gave man senses and intelligence to distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy. And both our senses and our intelligence dismiss all these practices and religions as offering no compliance with reality. Judaism demands that intelligence determines everything we believe and do.

Following the principle of seeking truth and using one’s senses and intelligence, a person can dismiss most of the falsehoods accepted by the world today. But then a person must confront another emotion. People are fooled by the masses. A person has a natural inclination to assume that when many people believe in something, it must be valid. In this dynamic, the public plays the role of the parent. Just as the infant assumes the parent is correct at all times, an adult who is not intellectually mature will project the same parental validity on the masses’ actions and beliefs. But this belief is easily rejected. For there are many religions, each having masses of followers, and each contradicting each other. As two contradictory views cannot both be correct, at least one of those religions is false, regardless of the number of its adherents. Thus, mass followers do not validate a belief, and with this understanding, a person can dismiss most of the falsehoods accepted by the world today. 

And as a great philosopher said, “There is a disease that people believe that which is found in books, and the older the book, the greater the belief.” But according to this view, one must accept a stone god as valid, if that practice is written in a book. The fallacy of this belief is now exposed, and one can no longer respect any idea simply because it is in print, regardless of the age of that publication. Neither masses or books validate a notion as truth: masses can be wrong about their beliefs, and falsehoods could have been printed in books thousands of years ago. The only criteria that validates any history is mass witnesses. Judaism alone offers the only proof of God’s only religion ever given to man.

As Judaism was designed by the same creator who designed the human being, Judaism complies perfectly with the human design to offer the most pleasant and beneficial life. In contrast, other religions demand belief in nonsense, superstition, idolatry, and worse, as they have murdered innocent people in the name of their religions and their false gods. Every Torah law complies perfectly with human nature. This means that Judaism directs a person to the happiest existence. But it is not just the practices that are pleasant. When we study the formulation of each and every command, we find beautiful principles and laws that are structured with great intelligence. Upon witnessing this intelligence, we are filled with an appreciation for God and this is a highly enjoyable state. And when reading of the great Torah personalities and their perfections, we grow in our appreciation for the wisdom God created, which they followed and found enriching lives.

One following other religions should ask himself why he is so careful about choosing doctors and selecting jobs, always following an intelligent plan, but when it comes to religion, he suspends any intelligent thought and throws himself into the abyss of blind faith. There is no good answer for this because it is completely foolish to make any decision without intelligence. But as the masses speak of “belief” and “faith,” and as they deify Jesus and fabricate saints, these personalities and notions rise to the level of cherished unquestioned values. The blind following the blind. But this too can be easily dismantled by asking such a believer, “Will you have faith and belief in an employer who promises a yearly salary paid in one lump payment on Dec. 31?” No intelligent person would sacrifice a year of work based on belief alone. That is far too risky when there are many bills that must be paid and stomachs to feed. Such reluctance to accept this type of arrangement should be applied to religion as well. One should not accept anything as true without validation.

One should also be sensitive to emotions to reject Judaism due to its restrictive quality. A person naturally desires complete freedom and anything which opposes that freedom is viewed in a negative light. Since Judaism has many laws, some people might prefer freedom over the benefits of those laws. But a simple example is helpful. If a person becomes ill and must take a number of medications in different quantities and at certain times each day, he will not look at this as restrictive, but as a benefit, as a means to sustain a healthy life. Now, the person who is convinced of the existence of the soul and knows what can damage it and what can give him eternal life, will value the Torah’s laws and will not view them as restrictive. He will know that God intends good for mankind and His Torah can only give a person goodness and happiness. He will abandon the infantile approach to rejecting any control over his life, and he will welcome God's prescription of Torah.

There are many obstacles when transitioning from the unquestioned life, to Torah life. You must be sensitive to every emotion you sense, and to every thought that occurs to you, and follow reason, seeking truth and not following your feelings. Doing so, you live in reality and can achieve the greatest happiness. But if you choose to follow only that which feels good, many times you will select what harms you and leads to falsehoods. Imagine the person who eats only foods that taste good. In a short time, he will be overweight and ill. The intelligent person studies the body and understands what is healthy, eating only those healthy foods and in the right quantities. He also realizes that exercise is also required. Although exercise requires exertion and removes the person from peace and rest, those good feelings of peace and rest are not to be catered too, if he is to be healthy. 

The same applies to religion. A person can choose to follow ideas that please him emotionally, like accepting a familiar human statue of Jesus as a god, instead of the less familiar feeling of the true abstract, non-physical God. It is more comfortable to believe Jesus died for your sins than taking personal responsibility and applying the effort to change your behavior. But as we now know that reality is dictated by God, who also gave us only one religion, this one religion of Judaism alone is what is true and how God relates to man. Requesting help from the dead, amulets, or from Jesus, you pray to a non-existence. You do not relate to the true God, but in fact distance yourself from reality. Fantasies cannot answer your prayers. Dead men are functionless. But the Creator can do anything. We do not know what God is, but we know He created and runs the world. We must remove any idea and physical image of God from our minds, if we are to be relating to the true God when we pray. He is the God of creation, of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and of the Torah. There are no other powers or forces in the universe.

 If we truly seek happiness, we must live in line with how we are designed, and that is achieved only by following Torah. Only by following God's prescription for our lives will we find happiness. God designed man. God designed Torah. We need God alone, and all other imagined salvations are just that: imagined. 

Shavuos celebrates the only time in history that God revealed a religion to mankind; it is a proven event. At Sinai, God gave us a Torah that demands we trust God alone, and prohibits the belief in nonsense, including prayers and notes to the dead, red bendels, and believing that anything but God protects us. A mezuzah burns when ignited. It cannot save itself; it cannot save you. Maimonides and Meharsha speak harshly against those who view the mezuzah as a protective device. 

Celebrate Shavuos in the manner that God intended: follow His Torah and reject what He rejects.