...Christianity, Judaism and Islam serve to be three of the most prominent religions practiced and studied within the contemporary generation today. Moreover, each religion is classified by its own individuality and traditions, however similarities are present between the three leading them to reach a single focal point within the subject of religion. For example, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are a derivation of “Abrahamic Traditions” as each religion holds a significant connection to the patriarchal ancestor, Abraham (Molloy 2013). Furthermore, each of the three religions are defined as monotheistic (Molloy 2013) as their beliefs reside under the guidance of one God who is viewed as omniscient and omnipotent (Molloy 2013) leading to similarities...
Words: 280 - Pages: 2
...Christianity, Judaism and Islam serve to be three of the most prominent religions practiced and studied within the contemporary generation today. Moreover, each religion is classified by its own individuality and traditions, however similarities are present between the three leading them to reach a single focal point within the subject of religion. For example, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are a derivation of “Abrahamic Traditions” as each religion holds a significant connection to the patriarchal ancestor, Abraham (Molloy 2013). Furthermore, each of the three religions are defined as monotheistic (Molloy 2013) as their beliefs reside under the guidance of one God who is viewed as omniscient and omnipotent (Molloy 2013) leading to similarities that bring each religion...
Words: 539 - Pages: 3
...Christianity, Judaism and Islam serve to be three of the most prominent religions practiced and studied within the contemporary generation today. Moreover, each religion is classified by its own individuality and traditions, however similarities are present between the three leading them to reach a single focal point within the subject of religion. For example, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are a derivation of “Abrahamic Traditions” as each religion holds a significant connection to the patriarchal ancestor, Abraham (Molloy 2013). Furthermore, each of the three religions are defined as monotheistic (Molloy 2013) as their beliefs reside under the guidance of one God who is viewed as omniscient and omnipotent (Molloy 2013) leading to similarities that bring each religion...
Words: 649 - Pages: 3
...Judaism It is interesting to note that the three major religions of the World, even in contemporary times, are all religions that have Abrahamic traditions, and that they remain at the forefront of social, political, and cultural events worldwide: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All are called Abrahamic religions because each utilizes the teaches of Abraham in its central historical view of the world. Each of the three Abrahamic faiths are monotheistic, and actually account for over 50% of the world’s population, or almost 4 billion people (Christian Science Monitor, 8/4/98). Note, too, that besides the three major traditions, other religions cite their traditions from Abraham: Mandaenism, Rastafairnism, Bahai, Samaritan, and the Druze (“Why Abrahamic?”) It is also interesting to note that within these three religious teachings, there are considerable areas of commonality, yet the three are often at odds with one another over political and social issues, even in the contemporary world. The name Judaism comes from the Hebrew word Yehuda, meaning celebrated or praised. This set of beliefs originated from the ancient tribes of the Middle Eastern deserts, the Israelites, and told within the Talmud, or the ancient Hebrew Bible. In essence, Judaism is the special relationship that the Children of Israel have with God, and that special relationship derived from promises and covenants of law, tradition, and civil rights. Many scholars, in fact, see Judaism...
Words: 1770 - Pages: 8
...practice and religion base as you do. There are several different religion but the main three are Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. In the beginning Christianity, Judaism, and Islam was somehow connected, unfortunately due to disobedience what was first one end up becoming three, in which caused different beliefs followed by different gods. Along with these beliefs came may struggles to obtain and carry out the very thing that they were proven to be right, pure and true. The Islamic religion believes that Allah “was the creator and sustainer of life” (Molly, M., 1999, Page 425.) Christianity believes that God is the creator and sustainer of life. Judaism also believes that God is the creator and sustainer of life. All three religion believes there is a higher power. Islam describes Jesus as a prophet as described here, “He encountered angels and the great prophets of the past, including Abraham and Jesus,” (Molly, M., 1999, Page 428) Judaism also describes Jesus as a prophet as well because Jesus, in their opinion, did not save the Jews. They believed that the real Messiah was going to become their military leader on earth and create an Eden in Jerusalem. They had expected the real Messiah to expel the Romans and rule the new world. (Molly, M., 1999, Page 346) Both the Jews and Islam are able to trace their way back to Abraham. The Jews are the descendant of Isaac and Islam is the descendant of Ishmael. Ishmael’s mother was Hagar, who was Sarah’s slave, and his father was...
Words: 2300 - Pages: 10
...Zoroastrianism and Its Influences on the World With a membership of about 200,000, the importance of Zoroastrianism is far greater than its numbers suggest. Closely related to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, its concepts of Satan, angelology, demonology, a deliverer, future life, paradise and judgment in these religions may have been directly or indirectly derived from Zoroastrianism. Founded by the Iranian prophet and reformer Zoroaster in the 6th century BC, Zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. Its concepts of one God, judgment, heaven and hell likely influenced the major Western religions. History of Zoroastrianism The origins of the Zoroastrian religion are shrouded in mystery. The prophet Zarathustra, later referred to by the Greeks as Zoroaster, founded Zoroastrianism roughly between the 16th and 10th centuries BCE. Zoroaster's birth date is also uncertain and modern scholarship currently suggests he lived in northern or eastern Iran or nearby such as in Afghanistan or southern Russia. In Zoroaster’s thirties he had a revelation in which he saw an angel who told him that there is only one true god and that God’s name was Aura Mazda (Clark, 1998). It is certain that by the year 549 B.C.E., Zoroastrianism had become a major world religion. It was Cyrus the Great, first ruler of the Persian Empire, who ordained Zoroastrianism as the official religion of his state. It was this same Cyrus that liberated the Jews from the occupation they...
Words: 3646 - Pages: 15
...tolerant of others. The major Abrahamic religions of the world today consist of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and are structured similarly, but differ in many ways, and all have their own issues with extremists that might be more tolerant if they were to understand how close these religions are to one another. The study of the structural similarities is important in understanding each of these groups. The approach of studying Christianity, Judaism, and Islam can be similar in many ways. Firstcomma one wedelete personal pronouns… must understand where the religious beliefs come from. White (n.d.), “The religious texts and traditions are born within these groups unite and mold the communities that share them into a whole civilization and evolve into worlds of common thought and composition” (Extremism). All Abrahamic religions believe in a single god with a divine plan. Followers believe that life is predetermined by god and that god has a fixed plan for each individual. Supporters of these faiths all have a sacred area where praise, ritual and material expression is practiced, whether it be the Christian’s church, the Jew’s synagogue, or the Islamism’s mosque. These people all have a strong belief in ethics, community, central myths, and sacredness. They share many common ideas in where and how they practice their beliefs, but where their beliefs come from and what they believe in are very different. The practices of Christianity, Judaism and Islam are diverse in who they praise...
Words: 822 - Pages: 4
...Comparing and Contrasting Judaism, Christianity, and Islam “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” This was said by Stephen R. Covey and it means that similarities relate people to each other but differences cause them to become stronger by making them stand alone. Though they are similar in ways such as having multiple denominations, holy locations, and being linked to Abraham, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are different. They are unique in how they live their daily life, the way they worship, and their ages. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share many similarities but also many differences. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity have many things in common. For example, they all have multiple denominations within their religion....
Words: 561 - Pages: 3
...religious traditions have striking differences from others, many tend to share several common themes. Examine the basic tenets of the following two religious traditions: 1. Judeo/Christian and Islam, and then describe the significance of the similarities that you find. Jews and Muslims both worship the same God. Both Judaism and Islam faithfully believe in the existence of one and only one God. Many Americans understand that Jews and Christians worship the same God; however, they may be unaware that Muslims also worship that very same God. The Quran discusses Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, and other biblical figures; the Islamic scripture itself makes it abundantly clear that the God of Muhammad, and the God of Jesus, and the God of Israel are of the same God. Since the Muslim God is also the Judeo-Christian God, Allah is in fact identical with and not different from the Hebrew God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are together regarded as “Abrahamic” religions, insofar as all three of them share common roots, which are traditionally traced back to the ancient Hebrew patriarch Abraham. (As founded by Muhammad in the 7th century AD, Islam was born in Arabia, and both Jews and Arabs are likewise classed as “Semitic” peoples; each group is traditionally regarded as descended from Shem, a son of Noah.) Jews and Muslims both reject specifically Christian beliefs about Jesus. Christianity is likewise an Abrahamic monotheism...
Words: 1214 - Pages: 5
...not always mean killing yourself in the name of god but rather it is a peaceful journey the individual takes by himself. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all have their own versions of martyrs and martyrdom. These three religions often share many similar characteristics and they do have similar ideas of martyrdom but they also do have stout differences. This paper will ponder what martyrdom means to each religion and the differences between martyrs among the Abrahamic religions. Out of the three Abrahamic religions, martyrs are least prominent amongst the Jews. In the Jewish religion a martyr is associated with “Kiddush Hashem”. As said by Huseyin Cicek “Everyone who lives according to Kiddush Hashem is witnessing, and is a witness of, the one and true God. Every religious Jew has to live according to Kiddush Hashem, if he or she seeks salvation, because life is a gift from God. The only way of honoring God is Kiddush Hashem”. Cicek states that every religious Jew has to live according to the Kiddush Hashem, if this is so then every Jew that practices their religion is a Martyr. According to Rabbinic Judaism voluntary death is not permitted but fighting the enemies of Judaism is permitted. Rabbinic Judaism allows Jews to fight for their religion in a war but it does not allow suicide in the name of god. A martyr according to Rabbinic Judaism is a person who dies following the rules of the Torah....
Words: 1700 - Pages: 7
...Abstract and Keywords The Introduction shows the ambiguity surrounding the term “Abrahamic religions.” Although the category is usually believed to be based on inclusivity, the introduction suggests that it can just as easily function as one of division and exclusivity. For example, each “Abrahamic religion”—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—has used the mythic figure of Abraham to legitimate itself and, in the process, establish its authenticity by invoking the claim that its members are Abraham’s true, spiritual descendants. So rather than claim that the category “Abrahamic religions” names some historical phenomenon, this chapter argues that it functions as a form of wish fulfillment and ecumenicism. On the cold morning of February 25, 1994, which just happened to coincide that year with the Jewish holiday of Purim and the Muslim month of Ramadan, an American-born physician dressed as an Israeli soldier made his way, as tens of thousands of Jewish and Muslim worshippers had before him, to the cave of Machpelah in Hebron. There, at the tomb of Abraham, Jews and Muslims prayed awkwardly with one another as they had for centuries. On common ground, each invoked the God of Abraham in the traditional manner prescribed by their respective traditions. On this particular morning, however, Dr. Baruch Goldstein raised and pointed his machine gun at the crowd and began to shoot indiscriminately at the Muslim worshippers. Screams of horror pierced what had just a few seconds...
Words: 377 - Pages: 2
...rule of Israel, while the major modern movements (Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative) are responses to the modern, secular culture of Europe and America. Jewish denominations differ from one another primarily with regard to practice. Orthodox Judaism is the most traditional expression of modern Judaism. Orthodox Jews believe the entire Torah - including "Written," the the Pentateuch, and "Oral," the Talmud) was given to Moses by God at Sinai and remains authoritative for modern life in its entirety. Reform Judaism is the most liberal expression of Judaism. In America, Reform Judaism is organized under the Union for Reform Judaism (known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations until 2003), whose mission is "to create and sustain vibrant Jewish congregations wherever Reform Jews live." About 1.5 million Jews in 900 synagogues are members of the Union for Reform Judaism. Conservative Judaism may be said to be a moderate position between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. It seeks to conserve the traditional elements of Judaism, while allowing for modernization to a less radical extent than Reform Judaism. The teachings of Zacharias Frankel (1801-75) form the foundation of Conservative Judaism. Hasidic (or Chasidic) Judaism arose in 12th-century Germany as a mystical movement emphasizing asceticism and experience born out of love and humility before God. The austere religious life of these early Hasids ("pious ones") is documented in the Sefer Hasidim ("Book of the Pious")...
Words: 2654 - Pages: 11
...5 Influences of Christianity in America Christianity is the largest religion in the United States, with around 78% of those polled identifying themselves as Christian, as of 2009. This is down from 86% in 1990 and slightly lower than 78.6% in 2001. Christianity was introduced to the Americas as it was first colonized by Europeans beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today most Christian churches are Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, or Roman Catholic. Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, claiming over a billion members. Its spiritual and administrative head is the Pope. The Church's leadership body in the United States is the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, made up of the hierarchy of bishops and archbishops of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, although each bishop is independent in his own diocese, answerable only to the Pope. Catholic beliefs and worship are detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (or CCC) is the official text of the teachings of the Catholic Church. A provisional, "reference text" was issued by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992 "the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council" with his apostolic constitution, Fidei depositum. The new Catechism was first published in 1994 in French and was then translated into many other languages. Catholic tradition and doctrine holds that...
Words: 1782 - Pages: 8
...Understanding Islam Name Course Tutor Date Understanding Islam Christianity, Islam and Judaism Religious beliefs, traditions of social behavior, governmental structures and laws of today discover their foundation in the progress of three major belief classifications - Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Even though, number of various spiritual movements has increased all over the years, these three belief classification have mad the most influence on development of the West. To better appreciate this influence, it is essential to draw the progress of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and assess the correlations between them. Whereas, each belief category is distinctive, there are several similarities because of their common foundations. According to Smith, (1991), Christianity, Islam and Judaism are all referred to as Abrahamic religions because they all mention Abraham as their originator. As such, they have several general beliefs. Christians and Jews share some of the similar Holy Scriptures that is the first five books of the Old Testament in the bible. There are a not many common foundations and several common aspects of Christianity, Islam and Judaism –in what is referred to as Abrahamic spiritual heritage. Similarities The beliefs and practices of Christianity, Islam and Judaism most significantly starts with the originator of the Hebrews called Abraham ca 1800 B.C.E. Historically, these ideas were also pledged to by nomadic tribes, who settled...
Words: 3103 - Pages: 13
...issues in Western Religions. The main objective is to elaborate on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The other key focus is to uncover the struggles within its historical and modern times. Islam is an interesting subject because it has plenty history surrounding Islamic cultures, and the contrast between Judaism, and Christianity. Nevertheless, revealing how time has change from than to now also captivate some attention. Exploring the foundation surrounding Islam such as Abraham, and the other forefathers is rewarding when searching the history of these three religions. Historical connections Islam and Judaism share connections starting very early in history with the patriarch Abraham. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, and Isaac, who eventually went on to lead two different groups of people. Ishmael led the Arabs who later became known as the Muslims and Isaac led the Israelites who later became Jews. These two different groups of religions grew and traditions known today in modern religion. Each religion shares a monotheistic belief and has similar belief in prophets. The Tanakh tells the story of Exodus that God chose Moses to lead the Jews out of slavery into freedom (Molly, 2010). Muslims also believe that Moses and several other historical figures, including Isaac, and Ishmael were prophets of God. Judaism connection to Christianity is through Jesus, and the Old Testament. Christianity developed from Judaism; the Tanakh...
Words: 2215 - Pages: 9