The largest three faiths in the world today, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, were all born from the same prophet. Abraham is the centerpiece from which all three of these religions materialized. They are all monotheistic; they believe in the one God, Allah, Elohim, Yalweh, or the Father, depending on the religion.
The Epic Struggle of the Children of Abraham
The largest three faiths in the world today, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, were all born from the same prophet. Abraham is the centerpiece from which all three of these religions materialized. They are all monotheistic; they believe in the one God, Allah, Elohim, Yalweh, or the Father, depending on the religion. Each of these religions has their own sacred texts and belief system, but essentially share the same concept. God created the world out of nothing and created man out of his own image. God is also depicted quite differently by each of the individuals within the specific religions. Yahweh is created as unattractive but still very imposing. Allah is created as majestic, all-powerful, and wise. But, he is also shown as compassionate and kind, and does not walk among humans. And Christians view God as divine, authoritative, and merciful.
"The God of Jews, Christians and Muslims is a God, who in some sense, speaks. His Word is crucial in all three faiths. The Word of God has shaped the history of our culture. We have to decide whether the word "God" has any meaning for us today." - Karen Armstrong
Humans have worshiped Gods from the time they were able to comprehend their beliefs. We do this to find meaning and value in life, as well as feel as if we are protected and eliminate our fears. Unfortunately, as with anything, religion can even be misused, such as zealots who have turned the peaceful religion of Islam into a battle cry of sorts to commit terrorist acts across the globe.
The word of each of these religions is the Bible, Torah, and the Qur'an. All three originated from the same source, but are vastly different. The Bible consists of historical narrative, myths, stories, and prophesies. The Torah is much like the Bible only quite shorter and includes the Book of Revelations. The Qur'an is nothing but the word of the Lord. Within the Christian Bible, much was loosely translated and emphasized or de-emphasized depending on the individual writing the scriptures. However, with the Qur'an, Muhammad was specific about taking down exactly as he Allah and had instructed him, he did not want any wrong interpretations or information nor did he want exaggerations included in the Qur'an.
Judaism originated from the Hebrews, as did Islam and Christianity. They have a special covenant between God that is forever. They also believe that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments for which they were to live by.
Christians follow the teachings of Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus was born in Palestine by a virgin woman, Mary. The Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary carried Jesus but never performed the physical act of intercourse. Jesus accepted the Ten Commandments that the Jewish people received from God, through Moses. After a life of miracles and healing many of the sick and disabled, Jesus was crucified. He was buried and resurrected, where he ascended to heaven.
The founder of Islam was Mohammad, who was the son of Abraham. All Muslims follow what are called the Five Pillars of Islam; belief and witness, daily prayers, spiritual tithing, fasting, and Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life if the are able.
In Islam, Allah is the name of God, and there is no God but God. Christianity recognizes both God and Jesus, Jesus being the Son of God and the savior of mankind. However, within Judaism, Jesus is considered a prophet but rejects the belief of Jesus being the Son of God. However, all three religions recognize only one God, they are truly monotheistic. Furthermore, all three religions teach to love God.
The disagreements among these three religions are ancient and have caused millions to die. One of the most disagreements is because Jesus taught a different religion than Judaism, therefore many believe he was turned over to Pontius Pilate to be crucified. The Jewish people have long been blamed for the death of Jesus Christ, whom Christians revere as the Son of God. There was also the holocaust during World War II; many Germans believed that the Jewish people deserved to die for the role they played in the death of Jesus. Since Jesus died, Jewish people have long been persecuted because of the belief that they were responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. By Muslims and Jews, Jesus was considered another prophet such as Moses or Muhammad.
The conflict between Christian and Muslims originated from the Christians distaste for Islamic spread throughout the Holy Land. This initiated the Holy Crusades which did not last long due to the lack of support, fighting in foreign areas, as well of no logistical plan. In 1453, Muslim fighters captured Constantinople ending the Byzantine Empire rule and giving Islam total control over the Middle East. In modern times, the conflict between Christians and Muslims has been due to Western civilization's support of Israel and its dependence on foreign oil. Most recently this was reflected in the first Gulf War in 1990.
The Judaism and Islam conflict has been ongoing since 1948. After the holocaust, the Jewish people pledged to never be a people without a homeland. Both Jews and Muslims claim Jerusalem as their capital and the most sacred and holy sight within both religions of Judaism and Islam.
Christianity is the only religion that believes in the Holy Trinity; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even though Christians are monotheistic, they believe in God as one part of the Holy Trinity. All three are equivalent to God and share the same divine attributes, whereas Muslims and Jewish people do not believe in the Holy Trinity. They both submit to one God and submit to and obey him and his laws.
The goal of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism is to eventually get to heaven, which is described as a place where God abides and followers go to after death. All three religions believe that in heaven there is no sickness or pain and sins are exonerated. Christians believe that eventually Judgment day will happen. This is also known as the Second Coming of Christ. Christ will come and judge the living and the dead. During this time, the anti-Christ, a false prophet, and Jesus will fight in the Battle of Armageddon. This battle will destroy the earth only to create a new heaven and hell. Judaic tradition's equivalent is called the Day of the Lord, all those that are unfaithful will be judged by God. There will be a war in which good is pitted against evil, and then the apocalypse will happen. Within Islam, there is also a Day of Judgment, it is called Last Judgment. Everyone is held accountable for their actions, those who reject the Qur'an or Allah, will be damned to Hell. Christians believe Hell to be a lake of fire and brimstone while Muslims and Jews believe Hell to be eternal separation from God. However, each religion believes that the soul will either spend eternity in heaven or hell.
All of the differences between these religions have created great conflict in the world, and in the Holy Land. However, their similarities seem to outweigh their differences. Either way, religion will continue to change, it has to be cultivated, it adapts to the changing times. Once it appears to be illogical, it will not be effective and will change, sometimes into something very different.
References:
Fisher, M. P., "Living Religions: Sixth Edition", (2005). Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ
Fisher, M. P., Bailey, L. W., "An Anthology of Living Religions", (2000). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ
Peters, F. E., "The Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam", (2004). Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
Armstrong, K., "A History of God", (1993). Random House Publishing Group, New York, NY.
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