What's the difference between Secular Judaism and Orthodox Judaism?

A secular Jew is someone who is Jewish by birth but does not practice any (or very few) of the Jewish rituals, or follow any (or very few) of the Jewish commandments (for example, secular Jews will not keep kosher). They may or may not believe in G-d.

Orthodox Judaism is the most traditional branch of Judaism and is charactertized by strict adherence to the laws laid down in the Torah, and all Orthodox Jews believe in G-d.

The main three branches of Judaism, in decreasing level of traditional observance, are Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. There are also Renewal, Reconstructionist and Humanistic Judaism. You can Google all of them.

Also, there are ultra-Orthodox movements (such as Chabad) which are even more adherent to the commandments than Orthodox (or what one might term Modern Orthodox) Judaism. You can find out about *them* at the link below.

A huge difference. Orthodox follow as much of the Torah as they can. You might not know this, but there are Talmudic scholars working around the clock all over the world for new translations. They are truly admirable for their tenacity in their search for the truth.

Secular Judaism isn't a movement, that's just a way to describe someone that's Jewish that doesn't practice whatsoever but takes pleasure in living the lifestyle and joining more groups.

There are also the Conservative, the Reform, and the Reconstructionists. Even the Orthodox have many sects within their movement.

Garp, you've really unsulted a lot of people here. I am shomer shabbos, I don't drive and I would never DREAM of breaking kosher. Maybe you should consult others before you start throwing around those terms. Very rude.

There is Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and also Reconstructionist Judaism; you could also include Humanistic Judaism or Cultural Judaism too. The latter two would be like the socio-cultural aspects of being Jewish but not necessarily strict belief in Judaism as a philosophy. There are numerous differences between the different types of Judaism and Wikipedia has a very good breakdown of the major differences. But really Jews are not denominational carbon-copies of one another and specific beliefs can vary from person to person, just like anyone else.

Shabbat Shalom :) It's a difference in how literally they approach Torah, for one thing, I would suggest. The ultra Orthodox tend to be more insular. One could also argue that the insane group Nateuri Karta fall under the 'ultra orthodox' heading! I'll stop now so that our more Orthodox Jewish friends can offer more insight :)

Orthodox Judaism is Judaism. Not such thing as secular Judaism. Judaism is a religion.

In a nutshell (light-hearted):

ORTHODOX Jews: Try to uphold all the ethical and practical imperatives of traditional Judaism as they've been handed down in the Torah and Talmud - light the Sabbath candles every Friday night; be in temple early the next morning; don't travel, telephone, touch money, or pose for pictures on the Sabbath; use separate cooking utensils for meat and dairy dishes, etc...

CONSERVATIVE Jews: Observe the moral rules of traditional Judaism but have adapted many of the every day ones to suit modern life. They'll light the candles on important holidays and go to temple as often as they can manage it; they won't work on the Sabbath but see nothing wrong with getting up early to drive to Grandma's house, where they will probably upset Grandma by suggesting she fry up some salami and eggs in the same pan for breakfast.

REFORM Jews: Uphold only the ethical values of Judaism, believing the the practical taboos no longer serve the purposes for which they were intended a few thousand years ago. They probably don't own any Sabbath candles, may spend Friday night partying with their Gentile friends, and the next day will stop for a chilidog with cheese on the way to Grandma's house.

Secular Judaism - Believe there probably is no God, but acknowledge their jewish heritage.

Orthodox Judaism - Believe there is a God and we should follow his rules.

I have a few friends that are both orthodox and secular jews.

secular- not religious or following at all.

reformed- not really religious either but they bend the rules if they follow any at all to suit their lifestyles

conservative- traditional in some way but not really religious

orthodox- [what i am trying to be] believes in GD 100% and tries to follow all of the laws and if they dont they still believe in all of the laws. for example- i am growing up in a conservative home. i wear pants and dont keep Shabbat in my home but i still believe in the orthodox way of thinking and now im trying to wear skirts more and im trying to limit what i do on Shabbat and go to an orthodox school.

ultra orthodox- these are the really religious people who youll see in the stockings, long skirts, suits, mostly black, etc.