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[feotakahari]

I recently saw a Jewish blogger post about how the emphasis on punishment over redemption is a Christian thing that seems alien and even cruel from a Jewish perspective. I recently saw a different Jewish blogger discuss a particular adaptation of A Christmas Carol from a Jewish perspective, praising the way it emphasizes punishment rather than redemption. Maybe whether you believe in punishment or redemption isn’t a matter of being Jewish, but just a matter of being you.

Comments

[entanglingbriars]

I'd say that in traditional Judaism seeing punishment and redemption as something you can choose between is probably incorrect. Like Catholicism, Judaism has a strong element of suffering as purgative. That said, because Judaism views suffering as purgative, the idea of eternal suffering is, while not alien to Judaism, certainly fringe. If eternal punishment is a thing, it's only for really bad things like murder, idolatry, and gossip.

I'm not joking on that last. Despite how much we gossip, Jewish theology majorly condemns gossip. There are writings that suggest that it might actually be worse than murder.