I actually agree with the Jewish concepts, more or less. I believe hell is a state of being without God, and I don't believe in eternal punishment or damnation. I believe one will continue to be in hell until we turn toward God, whether in this life or the next. I'm pretty open-ended in how I view the afterlife. As for Satan, I believe there are two things at work here- 1. Satan in the Jewish meaning, as adversary (which I agree with Jews was not a fallen angel, but rather a test of our faith and moral fiber) and 2. Satan as a metaphor for evil forces- those who willingly and spitefully commit sin, harm others, and go against God. I believe humans and various spirit-entities have free will and can choose evil over good, and this creates a force in the world opposing God. I don't believe in a literal Devil as a fallen angel. I came to these conclusions after studying the Bible and reading rabbis' comments on the Jewish scriptures. I do not, however, think either of these beliefs are necessary for salvation, so it doesn't bother me that most Christians don't see things this way.
As for the Noahide laws, they're pretty basic, but as an anthropologist, I still think they are ethnocentric unless they are defined by the society in question. For example, what is incest? Seems basic to us, but the reality is that many societies do not define some of your first cousins as relatives at all- so, they're fine to marry. What is adultery? In the US, we have an idea of one man, one woman marriage. But in many cultures, many women may be married to one man or vice versa- is adultery defined as extramarital affairs through deception, or sex with more than one partner, or extramarital sex (without deception, as "open" marriages allow)? Blasphemy and idolatry is even more difficult to define. After all, all the other cultures of the earth didn't know the Jewish God. Idolatry is the worship of false gods, but if you believe you're worshipping the real/true god- who gets to decide if it's idolatry? Many Jews now believe Christians are idolators for worshipping Jesus- are they right? Are we? And obviously not too many people have ever kept the law against committing bloodshed- the history of humanity is a history of war.
I believe unless each culture defines these terms on it's own, we get into a sticky situation. As far as I know, Jews are pretty tolerant of other culture's practices, but I don't know how they understand the Noahide laws- do they define what adultery is for the other cultures, etc.? Or how do these get applied? Maybe I'll ask over at the Judaism forum if someone doesn't pop in here and help clarify.
Personally, I think the summary to love God with all one's heart and to love neighbor as oneself pretty much sums it up- all good moral action springs from these two, and efforts toward those ends are in all cultures of the world.
