A Comparison Of Judaism, Islam, Christianity

A Comparison Of Judaism, Islam, & Christianity

Religion is one of the driving forces behind many of the events and attitudes that have shaped our world. Throughout the centuries, laws have been enacted; cities and countries have been created and destroyed; and wars have been fought, all to promulgate or protect one religion or another. This paper will examine aspects of the three major Western religions of the world: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Topics covered will include the origin of all three religions, the view of God held by each tradition, and conflicts. Several of the beliefs of these religions will be examined, such as judgment, and the Trinity.
Origin of Judaism
The origins of Judaism can be traced back to the stories of the Old Testament, or Tanakh. Although these stories cannot be substantiated by other historical means (there are no historical references to the Hebrews until 1230 BCE) careful examination of the Tanakh indicate that Abraham, the first patriarch of the Jews, lived between 1700-1900 BCE.
Abraham, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob are said in the Bible to form the nucleus of the new religion. These patriarchs, along with their wives Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel (the matriarchs) established their new religion in the land of Canaan.
Jacob fathered twelve sons. These men became the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Due to famine in Canaan, these men moved with their families to Goshen, which was located in Egypt.
The lot of the Jews in Egypt was not good. About four centuries after the relocation from Canaan to Egypt, the Israelites had become the slaves of the pharaohs, building the massive monuments that are still standing to this day.
In the book of Exodus, the new leader of the Jews, Moses, leads the people out of bondage in Egypt. The defining moment in the Jewish tradition occurs when God speaks to Moses and presents him with the Ten Commandments engraved on stone tablets. After forty years, the Jews returned to Canaan, driving out the current occupants and naming the captured city of Jerusalem as the capital. It was here, in the city of David, that the first temple was built.
Origin of Christianity
At the beginning of the Common Era, Jesus Christ was born in the city of Bethlehem. Very little is known about his childhood. Around the age of thirty, Jesus began his ministry with his baptism by John the Baptist, and the gathering of the twelve disciples. While spreading the gospel, Jesus performed many miracles and healed many of the sick and disabled.
Because of his radical beliefs, Jesus ran afoul of the Jewish leaders and the local Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate. He was crucified and resurrected, ascending to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.
After being called to serve by a vision of Christ, Apostle Paul (Saul) began to really spread the faith from 48 to 62 CE. Paul’s missionary journeys spread the faith throughout the entire Mediterranean Basin by 100 CE.
During the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine, Christianity became the official religion of Rome in 313 CE. This is the beginning of what would evolve officially into the Roman Catholic Church within the next few decades.
With the fall of the Roman Empire in the west, the western and eastern traditions began to drift apart, and in 1054 excommunicated each other. After western Crusaders ravaged Constantinople in 1204 CE the rift was permanent.
In Germany, a new branch of Christianity developed in 1520 CE when Martin Luther expressed doubts over the legitimacy of indulgences and papal infallibility. Excommunicated from the Catholic Church, Luther was responsible for the Protestant Reformation.
Origin of Islam
In the fortieth year of his life, Muhammad received his revelation from the angel Gabriel in 610 CE. Over the next ten years his mission faced an uphill battle just to survive. The persecution of the Muslims in Mecca under the Quray*censored*es was such that the Hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Medina became necessary in 622 CE.
Consolidating his power base in Medina, Muhammad fended off attacks by Mecca and in 630 made a triumphant return to Mecca. “In 630 CE the prophet returned triumphant to Mecca with such a large band that the Meccans did not resist. The Ka’ Bah was purged of its idols and from that time to the present has been the center of Muslim piety”(Fisher, p.350). Many of the Meccans converted, and the former adversaries were pardoned. In 632 CE Muhammad died, and Abu Bakr was named the first Caliph.
Under the fourth Caliph, the Muslims split into two sects over a disagreement over who would be the rightful successor in 661 CE. These two branches are the Sunni (which eighty percent of Muslims claim to be), and the Shi’ites (which compose the remaining twenty percent of those who practice Islam).
The View of God
The arguments on the existence of God constitute one of the finest attempts of the human mind to break out of the physical world and go beyond the sensible to a phenomenal or spiritual realm of experience.
Certainly the question of God’s existence is the most important question of human philosophy. It affects the whole tenor of human life, whether man is regarded as the Supreme Being in the universe or whether it is believed that man has a superior being that he must love and obey or perhaps defy.
According to what is being read and personally interpreted or what is being taught through others there are basically three ways one can argue for the existence of God. First, the priory approach argues from a conception of God as a perfect being whose non-existence is inconceivable. Second, the posteriori approach gives evidence from the observable world insisting that such a structured design requires a designer. Third, the existential approach asserts direct experience of God by way of personal revelation. This particular approach is not learned, but is more of an experiential view.
The great religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity all share some or all of these elements of presenting God in their faith. Although these religions are not ecumenical to each other in a regular sense it may be stated that their central focus of worship is God. The God of worship, known to them, is not to be shared with relics or objects of worship considered being idols. These three religious believe in a creed of monotheism. However, according to one’s personal convictions this is where the similarities between the three faiths end. Those outside one’s particular camp of faith are considered be pagans or infidels or simply unbelievers.
Comparing the view of God between Islam, Judaism and Christiantaiy would reveal some similarities but Judaism and Christianity will come closer in doctrine. This is because of the Old Testament. Both Judaism and Christianity reject the Origin of the Islamic faith. These are broad statements in comparing the three but still are general facts.
From infancy, Muslims are taught about the oneness of God, hence monotheism. Muslim theology also advocates unity of the human race as one family under God and reject the Biblical teaching of a “chosen” people. To the Muslim, Allah is the name of God that encompasses all the Holy divine attributes. As in the Jewish faith, Jesus is regarded as a prophet but is rejected as the Holy Son of God.
Judaism, at least from a traditional religious sense, draws its belief in a monotheistic existence of God from the Old Testament writings. In traditional Judaism, God is often perceived as a loving Father who is infinitely majestic with divine power. The central prayer of any Jewish religious service is to “love God” as instructed in the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 6.
The view of God presented in the scriptures of the New Testament along with the Old Testament is the basis of Christian doctrine. The evangelical belief in God is that of a True Godhead. That is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The idea of Jesus as the Holy Son of God, as previously mentioned, is rejected by Muslims and Jews alike. The Old Testament speaks of a Messiah that would atone for the sins of the world and the New Testament teaches about Jesus the Son. He is accepted and worshiped as God by all evangelical Christians. He is essential to Christian God worship. Even though it may be difficult to understand why Christians still only worship one God, they consider themselves to still be monotheistic.
Conflicts
The religious conflicts between Judaism, Christianity and Islam have been numerous throughout history and continue to this day. These disagreements are ancient, and some say that they will never be totally resolved. Killing in the name of God remains a sad commentary in the history, present day, and future of mankind.
One could argue that the first conflict arose with the founding of Christianity. Because Jesus attacked traditional Judaism, he was given over to the Romans to be crucified. During the Spanish Inquisition, many Jews were persecuted as heretics and had to flee from their homes. Much persecution of Jews by Christians has been justified by the belief that the Jews were responsible for the death of Christ. In Nazi Germany and after the fall of the Third Reich, many Germans said that even though what happened to the Jews of Europe during World War Two was horrible, they did bring it on themselves because they were responsible for the death of Jesus.
The Christian/Muslim conflicts began during the seventh century CE, with the fall of the Byzantine cities in Egypt and the Holy Land within ten years of the death of Muhammad. “Europeans watched in horror as the Holy Lands became Muslim and the “infidel” advanced into Spain” (Fisher, p.382). This European advance was finally checked in France at the battle of Tours in 732 CE.
Between 950 and 1300 CE, under the aegis of the Pope, Europe tried to roll back the Islamic gains and retake the Holy Land in the Holy Crusades. Lacking the logistical support and leadership necessary for success, the Holy Crusades were over when the fourth Crusade ended in utter defeat. Roughly one hundred and fifty years later, the Muslims finally put paid to the whole issue in 1453 CE with the capture of Constantinople, causing the collapse of the Byzantine Empire and giving Islam total hegemony over the entire Middle East. Today the Christian/Muslim conflicts have more to do with the West’s support of Israel and the West’s dependence on Arab oil. And although open warfare between the Islamic world and the West has not really happened except in the 1990 war with Iraq, (which was over oil, not religion) terrorism is still a source of friction between the two cultures.
The Jewish/Islamic conflict began in 1948 CE with eviction of Arabs from their homes and the ensuing creation of the state of Israel in what was formerly known as Palestine. Wars between the Arabs and the Jews have taken place time and again to decide the fate of Israel. After nearly sixty years, there still seems to be no end in sight. The Palestinians yearn for a homeland that can never be as long as the state of Israel exists. Because of the Holocaust during World War Two, the Jews vowed to never again be a people without a homeland. Both claim Jerusalem as their rightful capital and as a sacred site to both religions. Compromise seems impossible on this issue.
The Trinity
The core beliefs of most religions require people to submit themselves to a higher power. When dealing with western religions such as Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, all have monotheistic views. Monotheism is the worship of a single God of the universe. Even though each of these religions believes in worshipping one single God, they all differ when it comes down to their core belief.
The Islamic religion believes in one God, who they call Allah. They completely submit to only him and obey all his laws. Unlike Christianity, the Islamic religion does not believe in the Trinity. They believe Jesus was just another prophet just as Moses, Isaac, and Abraham were. Adam was the first prophet and Muhammad was the last.
The Judaic religion believes that humans are made in God's image and have direct contact with God. People are ultimately able to chose between good and evil. It is believed by this faith that God is going to send a Messiah. Both of these religions contradict Christianity because of the Holy Trinity.
One of the core beliefs of Christianity is the existence of the Holy Trinity. There is one God who is part of the Holy Trinity, which consists of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. According to Grolier Encyclopedia, All are equally God and so are one, each sharing in the divine attributes of ultimacy, eternity, and changelessness; yet they are distinguishable in their relations to one another and in their roles. There are several examples in the Holy Bible describing how God is present in the form of one or all forms of the Trinity.
The first example of all parts of the Trinity being present at once is when Jesus was being baptized by John the Baptist. The verse can be found in Matthew 3:16-17 and it states, And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. In this verse, Jesus Christ is equal with God, and the Holy Spirit is equal with the Father. The Holy Spirit also appears at the baptism in the form of a descending dove. In this scripture, we have all forms of the Trinity present at one time.
Another example of the Trinity is God in the form of the Son (Jesus Christ). The purpose of God coming to earth in human form was so Jesus could be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Instead of people sacrificing animals unto God, Jesus was sent to be the ultimate sacrifice to die and pay for the sins of the world. The doctrine of the Trinity contradicts the Islamic beliefs because Muslims believe that God can not be represented in any worldly form. The last example of God in the form of one of the Trinity is when Jesus died to sit on the throne in heaven. Jesus said in John 5:5, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever: The Comforter is another name for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to continue what Christ did while He was on earth. His purpose is to help and strengthen in difficult times, intercede in prayer, and aid in any way needed by the believers.
Judgment
The goal of all these different religions is to ultimately get to a place called heaven. Heaven can be described as a place that believers go after death where God abides in a righteous state of being. In Islam, paradise or the garden is a place of physical as well as spiritual delights for the saved. Since the Holy Qur'an was sent down from heaven in Arabic to Muhammad, it serves as a guide for the believers to get to paradise. In Judaism, it is believed that heaven is to abide with the Hebrew God Yahweh. Only exceptional human beings, such as Elijah, are raised after life on Earth. Since the Jewish people do not believe in the New Testament, exceptional human beings would be considered people like Moses, Abraham, Jacob and his twelve sons (the twelve tribes of Israel).
In Christianity, the final goal is a new, transformed, and redeemed world where Christ abides with his people in holy perfection. There will be no sickness or disease, and all sins will be erased. From the dust, man was formed, and to the dust he shall return until the resurrection of Christ. All the dead bodies and souls will be resurrected and reunited in heaven with Christ. Some Christians also believe that ultimately the earth will be destroyed and a new heaven and earth will be formed. Once this takes place, all believers will possess new bodies that are real and tangible, but yet immortal.
In order to get to heaven, all members of these religions must go through some form of judgment. The Judaic tradition calls this day the Day of the Lord. During this time, all that are unfaithful to God will be judged. There will be a battle of good versus evil, followed by a world catastrophe. In the Islamic tradition, there will be a Last Judgment. After death, everyone will be held accountable for his or her deeds. Everyone who rejects the holy Qur'an and Allah will be damned to Hell. The Christians also believe in a judgment day. Their judgment day occurs after the Second Coming of Christ for the Great Judgment Day. During these times there will be an anti-Christ (false prophet), and Jesus Christ will defeat him in a battle called the Battle of Armageddon. During the judgment day believers and non-believers will be judged on their beliefs and works. It is clear that all three religions believe in some type of judgment at the end of death to account for one's beliefs.
Heaven and Hell
After the judgment day in each religion, each person will either go to heaven or hell. Hell is defined as a state of being of unrepentant souls who are damned to eternal punishment after death.” The Islamic and Judaic religions describe hell as being eternally separated from God. The Christians describe hell as a burning lake of fire and brimstone. In each religion, the soul does not reach a final resting-place. People will either spend an eternity in heaven or hell, once they have been judged. In each religion there has to be some point of salvation, through God's grace. Although they all have monotheistic views of God, they all have differences when it comes to the core of their beliefs.
Conclusion
After examining these aspects of the three great Western religions, it appears that the similarities between them actually outweigh the differences. All are monotheistic traditions believing in the same God, all three trace their lineage to Abraham, and each believes in a judgment day followed by an afterlife spent in either Heaven or Hell.

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