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Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Similarities

There are a few common roots and many common elements to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--the so-called Abrahamic religious heritage. Here are a few major ones that these religions share similarities:

Belief about God.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions, namely they believe that there is only one God. Jews and Muslims greatly stress the oneness and unity of God. The affirmation of the oneness of God by Christians is sometimes misunderstood, because Christians believe that the one God is triune (the Holy Trinity). However, this is not a denial of monotheism but an affirmation of the complexity of the Divine Being.

All three religions believe that this God is the origin and source of all that exists. God cares about the entire creation and desires the well-being of all. God is just and has provided basic rules for our guidance so that we may be good and righteous, according to God's intention. God is also merciful; by means of God's grace we are given strength to be more like what we ought to be.

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The Future

No matter how difficult the past and present may be, the three religions are hopeful about the future. Evil and suffering cannot ultimately prevail. God has provided a condition (or state of being) for which our three religions have different names, but we agree on the term Paradise. This future will bring about God's unchallenged rule; unconditional bliss for all who live with God.

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God's Guidance

God did not leave us without guidelines for behavior. God provided us with sound basic rules to live by as well as a rational mind to learn how and when to apply those rules to our everyday life. All three religions, for example, abhor murder, the arbitrary killing of innocent people. Likewise, God wants us to be telling the truth and not to take from others what rightfully belongs to them. We are to respect the dignity of every person and help especially those who are not capable of helping themselves, such as widows, orphans, and the poor. All three religions believe in Golden Rule: doing to others what we wish others do unto us. All three religions foster modesty, moderation, and honest work. We are to submit ourselves to the will of God.

All three religions closely link religion and morality. Religion is to be manifested by showing concern for the well-being and dignity of others, in a life of service to others, and in personal and social ethical behavior.

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Perhaps two factors can explain the hostility that has often characterized the relationships among these religions. First, all three have been proselytizing religions--although Judaism abandoned this practice early in the Christian era-- and their very closeness has made them bitterly competitive. Each has had some feeling that it has come the closest to the essential truths of God and the world, and that the others have somehow failed to recognize this. Both Christianity and Islam, for example, accuse Judaism of stubbornly refusing to accept later revelations that modify and update its original truths. Both Judaism and Islam accuse Christianity of a kind of idolatry in claiming that God begat a son who as actually a form of God and who walked the earth in human form. Both Judaism and Christianity argue that God did not give a special, final revelation to Muhammad. In each case these religions have looked at one another and said that, despite elements of deep commonality, there exist also fundamental heresies. Indeed within each of these religions, at various times, splits have turned one group against another amidst cries of heresy and calls to armed opposition. Truth was to be maintained, asserted, and defended through the force of arms. (Religions with less insistence on doctrinal correctness, such as Hinduism, and Buddhism, have had less, and less bitter, religious warfare.)

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Differences and similarities between the three great monotheistic faiths: Christianity, Islam and Judaism

Origin of the Name   
Christianity: From the Greek christos, 'Anointed' - referring to Jesus Christ.   
Islam: Derived from an Arabic word for 'submission'. Also related to the Arabic word salaam, 'peace'.   
Judaism: From the Hebrew:Yehudim, 'Judah'.

Founder
Christianity: Jesus Christ (c. 4 B.C. - 30 A.D.)
Islam: Mohammed (570 - 632 A.D.); n.b. Muslims regard Mohammed more as the restorer of the true monotheistic faith, rather than the founder of a new religion.
Judaism: Abraham (First Patriarch, born c. 1800 B.C.)

Divisions         
Christianity: Three main groups: Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic.
Islam: Two main groups: Sunni and Shia (The division occured due to a dispute as to the legitimate successor of the prophet Mohammed). There is also a mystical/ascetic movement in Islam known as Sufi.
Judaism: Several divisions, including Hasidic, Conservative and Reform Judaism. Ethnic groupings include Ashkenazi (the majority) and Sephardic Jews.

Followers (2009 estimates)
Christianity: 2.2 billion
Islam: 1.5 billion
Judaism: 14 million

Nature of God
Christianity: One God, who exists in three distinct persons (The Trinity): Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
Islam: One God (Arabic: Allah), who is not a trinity. The Islamic view of God is called strict Monotheism (Quran 112:1).
Judaism: One God (known in English as 'Yahweh' or 'Jehovah') - "...Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4).

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Other Traditions
Christianity: The writings of the early church fathers and ecumenical councils, including the Creeds.
Islam: The Hadith, a collection of traditions/sayings of the Prophet Mohammed. The Hadith functions as a supplement to the Quran, giving guidance to Muslims for daily living.
Judaism: The Talmud, an oral tradition explaining and interpreting the Tanakh. It includes the Mishnah - a code of Jewish law.

Examples of Rituals
Christianity: The Sacraments, including Baptism and Holy Communion(Eucharist). In Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, five more are added, viz: Confirmation (Chrismation), Marriage, Penance, Holy Orders and Anointing of the sick. Prayer is also an important part of the faith.
Islam: Five important rituals (known as the pillars of Islam): 1) Shahadah - A profession of faith; 2) Salat - Prayer five times daily: 3) Zakat - alms giving; 4) Sawm - Fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan; 5) Hajj - Pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca.
Judaism: Rituals include the Circumcision of newly born Jewish males, Barmitzvah - a ceremony marking the 'coming of age' of Jewish Boys and observation of the Sabbath (Shabat). As in the other faiths, prayer is important. The Jewish prayer book is called the siddur.

Sin
Christianity: We inherit a sinful nature through our common ancestor Adam, who rebelled against God. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins through his death on the Cross (Romans 5:12-17).
Islam: There is no concept of original sin, nor vicarious atonement. All Humans are born sinless, but human weakness leads to sin.
Judaism: Judaism rejects the doctrine of original sin. Atonement for sins commited is made through seeking forgiveness from God in prayer and repentance. In addition, the day of atonement (Yom Kippur) is set aside specially for this purpose.

Salvation
Christianity: By grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Islam: Achieved through good works, thus personal righteousness must outweigh personal sin (Quran 23:101-103).
Judaism: Through good works, prayers and the grace of God. There is no parallel to the Christian view of substitutionary atonement.

Hell
Christianity: A place of everlasting punishment for the unrighteous (Matthew 25:46). There is no crossover between Heaven and Hell.
Islam: A place of torment and fire (Quran 25:65, 104:6-7). In Islam, Hell is known as Jahannam. Jahannam has several levels and a person may not necessarily spend eternity there.
Judaism: Tradtionally, there is the concept of Gehinnom or Gehenna - those who die in sin may suffer temporary punishment, but certain sins merit eternal punishment. However, Judaism's ideas of the afterlife have varied widely among different groups and in different time periods. For the most part, Judaism does not emphasize the afterlife.

http://christianityinview.com/

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This narrative does not occur in the New Testament, but (as I mentioned briefly in one of our more unusual cover stories), a version of it clearly features in the Koran. It describes how Mary's parents, having dedicated their future child to God, were initially surprised to find that their offspring was a girl. But "the Lord accepted her graciously and made her to grow into a fine child" who was entrusted to the priest Zachariah, who later visited the young girl "in the sanctuary" and discovered that God was providing her with everything she needed.

Not many Christians, even learned ones, know about the Koranic story. For them, the narrative of Mary's childhood is rooted in a text called the Proto-Evangelium, ascribed to James, the first Christian bishop of Jerusalem, whose followers were mainly of Jewish origin. In reality the text we now have may not be that old, but the perceived link with Bishop James and his Christian-Jewish flock is significant. Early Christians saw the story of Mary's early years as a way of understanding both the connection and the disconnect between their faith and the older religion of ancient Israel. To most Jews however, the idea of Mary's body replacing the temple would make little sense; it is supercessionist, which has become a dirty word in Jewish-Christian dialogue.

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Compared with all that, the Christian tradition which links the shuttered gate to Mary's body seems less contentious, and indeed less likely to trigger a world war. But it all goes to show how a common love of the same people, places and texts has never been enough to make people love one another. Often, the opposite happens.

In Russian, one way of saying "the two of us have no reason to quarrel" is "U nas nechevo delit'" which could be translated "We have nothing to divide up" or "We have nothing to share out." For better or worse, Abrahamic monotheists do have much to share. So too, much to bicker about.

http://www.economist.com/

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