World Religions And Traditions Ii

World Religions and Traditions II

REL/334

Abstract

In my paper I will compare Judaism, Islam and Christianity which will include beliefs from each of the religions.

COMPARING RELIGIONS PAPER

Judaism: Never great by world standards, the small nation of Israel was repeatedly defeated and finally dispersed throughout the world. But the Jews are unique in that they maintained their identity in the midst of a large number of diverse cultures. Thus, although a religion closely tied to one ethnic group, Judaism has had a profound effect on beliefs and practices throughout the West and the Near East.

There is a bewildering variety of Jewish groups and nationalities, many of whom are strange to each other. One loose way of dividing modern Judaism is into four groups: Orthodox Jews, Reform or Liberal Jews, Conservative Jews and Hasidic Jews. Orthodox Jews, maintain strict adherence to traditional customs; Reform or Liberal Jews attempt to apply broadly Judaic notions to contemporary culture in a humanistic manner; Conservative Jews try to forge a middle way between the previous two, hoping to maintain strong Jewish identity; and Hasidic Jews follow a mystical path.

Christianity: It is very clear from the Bible's own testimony and that of Jesus Christ and the Old Testament prophets that Scripture is to be regarded as the respected word of truth on all matters of basic doctrine. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished (Matthew 5:18).

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (Timothy 3:16-I ).

Islam: In the seventh century A.D., Muhammad thought to be the last prophet in a line that includes Abraham, Moses, the biblical prophets, and Jesus founded a strict, monotheistic religion in reaction to the polytheism and lawlessness of the existing Arab culture. Within a century Islam had conquered an area greater than the Roman Empire at its height. Today Islam is almost the sole religion of all Arab countries and has major communities in Africa as well.

Muslims reject the title "Muhammadanism," for Muhammad is thought to be only a carrier of the truth and not divine in any way. The Koran, for the most part a series of short teachings, is intensely revered by Muslims as the final word of God, the culmination of what was only begun in the Bible. The word Islam refers to the peace that comes from surrendering to God.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three of the world's oldest, and largest monotheistic religions. These religions share a variety of customs, beliefs, and even practices. But at the same time, there are enough differences to make the three religions and cultures oppose each other greatly. Even some similarities between the three have been the source of conflict for thousands of years. All three faiths, Jewish, Christianity and Muslim believe in one God. Being monotheistic just means that the belief is in one God. This is the most obvious similarity between the three religions. In fact a Muslim is defined as anyone who says "There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God"; and the basic creed of Judaism says "Hear, O likenesses for the thousands of followers of both Judaism and Christianity.” Gabriel told Muhammad that he was the messenger of God. The God of Islam was Allah. In their holy book, the Qua'ran, there are 5 pillars in which you must follow to be a Muslim. Acts of worship in Islam are embodied in the "five pillars": A Muslim must (1) recite the basic creed, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet"; (2) recite prayers in praise of Allah five times daily while facing Mecca; (3) give money to the poor; (4) fast for one month a year; and (5) make a pilgrimage at least once during his lifetime to Mecca, the city where Allah revealed the Koran to Muhammad.

Although Islam and Christianity have many differences, there are many things that are also alike; such as, they each have a Holy Book telling the history of their religion and the rules of it. The three religions also have Holy Cities which many devoted people travel to each year to try to bring them closer to God. So even though the three are very separate religions, they are very alike. These differences as well as the continuing argument over the promised land of Israel/Palestine continue today to escalate the war in the sacred area and drive a wedge even further between the two groups. The truly frightening part of all this is that Holy Wars are extremely hard to resolve. When two groups are fighting over land that was promised to them by a divine entity whose existence can't even be proven, there aren't a whole lot of options for peace. All the world can do is educate themselves and try to accept the different religions and continue to look for some sort of compromise.

Another comparison I made based on readings. I’ll start with:

Supreme Being: In Christianity, there is only one God. God has revealed Himself as three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is Creator and Lord of everything that exists (Gen 1). In Judaism, there is one God who reveals Himself as Person. He is