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Does Judaism teach all good people can go to heaven?

Asked by JLeslie (65444points) June 2nd, 2016 from iPhone

I’ve always believed that we, Jewish people, believe all good people can go to heaven. You don’t have to be Jewish, you just have to be good. That each person has their own relationship with God, and God is fine with that. That Jewish people don’t go around trying to convert people, because we don’t worry about the souls of non-Jews, because their souls are not in danger if they are good people.

Am I right? Or, does Judaism teach something different, and I’m just going by what I think, and what many other Jewish people think, but not necessarily what the religion teaches.

I ask, because I was a little taken aback when during a presentation the speaker said the “western religions, Judausm, Christianity, and Islam are intolerant, but the eastern religions at tolerant.” He continued to explain what he meant by tolerant, he said, “the eastern religions don’t think the other religions are wrong and can’t go to heaven like the western religions.”

It annoyed me. I went up to him afterwards and asked why he thought that about Judaism, and that I don’t understand Judaism to believe that Jews are “right” and everyone else can’t get into heaven. I won’t bother telling you the short conversation, but let’s just say he wasn’t getting it, and seemed to be talking about Israel and the Arabs, and not Judaism by the end. Then someone else waiting to talk to him said to me, “your mother has to be Jewish to be Jewish.” I said, “a person can convert to Judaism if they want.” This other guy had no idea you could convert. What the hell is going on? Where am I?

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