Judaism: Religion? Culture? Race?

I think that Judaism is first and foremost a religion. Religion is a large part of culture, and the Jewish identity is strongly based on cultural aspects and common themes among people of the Jewish faith. In the most biblical sense Jewish people are all supposed to be descended from the same group of people, which could also classify themselves as a race or ethnicity. All three aspects, religious beliefs, culture, and race seem to come into play here. Religion informs culture, and birth sets religious precedent for most people. Therefore, people who practice a certain religion because they were born into it and raised around it tend to be of similar origin. These similarities may give rise to a secular culture, which may or may not have its roots in the religion such people practice.

Of course, the line here is not black and white. People can convert to the Jewish faith without being “ethnically” from “Jewish” origin. Many born Jews reject the religious aspects of their lives, but still identify with Jewish culture or the characteristics of many people of similar descent. Practicing Jews could also reject the cultural elements surrounding their religion. Because the origins of Judaism stretch back thousands of years, it is virtually impossible tell if modern Jews are really descendents of Isaac, or even what parts of the Old testament are accurate, but the fact that the religion has survived so long shows that viability of Judaism purely from a religious perspective.