...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, believing in the same single supreme God as its two Semitic cousins. However, the Christian faith also maintains certain uniquely characteristic religious claims about Jesus Christ, and this gives rise...
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...The world we live in is surrounded by many faces of different colors, separate beliefs and values that makes the essence of one’s life. Throughout our day to day life it is impossible to not come in contact with someone that does not believe and share the same 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...
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...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...
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...people think, but I am going to share only a few of their common religious themes and people, starting with the fact they are all monotheistic religions. Monotheistic means they only believe in one god and not only do they share this belief, but specifically the belief about God (that’s God with a capital G). They all believe that God is the creator of this world and that because of Him, life exists. They believe that God has a plan for you, and if you follow him, you will live a good life. All three of these religions also believe in this idea of “paradise,” a place to go after death and be with God. Each religion may have a different name for this place in the future, for example, the Christians call it Heaven, but it is a common place all three religions believe in and they believe you will get there only if you believe and ask God for forgiveness of your sins. They are all known as Abrahamic religions because they all believe in the story of Abraham and believe our history traces all the way back to Abraham. Abraham is the one who brought the idea of monotheism, and his followers passed this down generation after generation. Although Muslims saw Abraham as a prophet, while Jews saw Moses and Christians saw Jesus as their prophet, all three religions believe that Abraham was real and that his story with God was real. All three religions share the idea that God has left a written message on this planet for us, which can be thought of like a holy book, since it is called the...
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...similarities between Islam and Christianity. This work will include quotes from both religious texts Both these religions are monotheistic, which means they believe there is only one God. Islam and Christianity are also Abrahamic religions; both religions have spiritual ties connecting them to the prophet Abraham. There are a few common roots and many common elements to Christianity, and Islam-the so-called Abrahamic religious heritage. Belief in God Thou shalt have no other gods before me (The Bible exodus 20.3). Do not associate another deity with God (The Quran 17:22). Both the above quotes show that Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions, they believe that there is only one God. 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. The two religions believe that 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. Humans These two religions believe that human beings are the highest creatures on earth and we are the children of Abraham. God created...
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...Stephanie Garza 7/6/14 What is Religion? When saying the word religion, one just says the word without really knowing what the definition is. The term religion originally indicated that there is a bond uniting those who share it closely with one another. The term most likely originated from the Latin word religare, which literally means to tie and bind. Many westerners define the word by their beliefs, or more specific, a belief in a supreme being. However, if this were to define religion then many primitive Asian religions would be excluded. So even though the word religion is said everyday, it is a lot harder to define than one would think. If you were able to go back in time to first century Rome and ask a roman “What religion are you?” they would look at you puzzled. But if you were to ask them “Are you religious?” they would immediately respond with “Of course!” Religion and culture were two sides of the same coin, there was no difference, it was just part of life. However, with the Abrahamic religions, religion and culture were separated. This happened because monotheism created secularism, or a distinction between humanity and God. Many religions have myths and rituals. A myth is a symbol of stories about the origins of humanity and their destiny in the world. Rituals are actions that often involve symbolic reenactments of such stories. Myths convey the essential truths while ritual connects an individual and the community to the sacred. When religious, one is either...
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...Comparative Analysis: 1. Differences between Jewish denominations, which are more commonly known as "movements," reflect varying responses to changing times and cultures. The historical Jewish movements (Pharisses, Sadduccees, and Essenes) were responses to the Roman 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...
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...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...
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...“GOD IS NOT YET DEAD” The pervasive presence and usages of religion in all the spheres of contemporary social life. INTRODUCTION : Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others for thousands of years. In philosophical terms, such arguments involve primarily the disciplines of epistemology (the nature and scope of knowledge) and ontology (study of the nature of being, existence, or reality) and also the theory of value, since concepts of perfection are connected to notions of God. A wide variety of arguments exist which can be categorized as metaphysical, logical, empirical, or subjective. Does God exist? Is there a god? The existence of God is subject to lively debate in philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and popular culture. The Western tradition of philosophical discussion of the existence of God began with Plato and Aristotle, who made arguments that would now be categorized as cosmological. The field of theodicy arose from attempts to answer this question. Other arguments for the existence of God have been proposed by St. Anselm, who formulated the first ontological argument; Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Aquinas, who presented their own versions of the cosmological argument (the kalam argument and the first way, respectively); Descartes, who said that the existence of a benevolent God was logically necessary for the evidence of the senses to be meaningful; and Immanuel Kant, who argued that the...
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...Studying Religion Darrell Wojnar REL134 September 10, 2014 Bruce Weightman Religion has always been with us. Throughout history, it has expressed the deepest questions human beings can ask, and it has taken a central place in the lives of virtually all civilizations and cultures. As we think all the way back to the dawn of human consciousness, we find religion everywhere we turn. Traditional religion is a system of beliefs that involves worship of a God or gods, prayer, ritual, and a moral code. Monotheism is the common core of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam which is the faith or belief in one God. They are referred to as Abrahamic religions because all three trace their origins to a common prophet, Abraham. As we said earlier, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have much in common, more than they do with other world religions, for instance: Consider themselves “Children of Abraham”, Started in Middle East and spread throughout the world, Weekly community worship in special/sacred buildings (synagogue, church, mosque) Practice fasting at certain special times/seasons of the year, Expect God's future intervention in the world (Messiah; Judgment Day; Universal Redemption) and Some religious/ritual restrictions (foods not to eat, special clothing to wear, times for sex, etc.). Many fields of study look at religion from a variety of perspectives, as Sociology, this is the study of patterns and trends in human societies and cultures. Researchers in this field utilize a number...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Nerkeda Bulter, Regina Edwards Lakisha Lewis Sinceria Lewis Religion/134 October 11, 2012 Stephanie Cripps Contemporary Issues in Western Religions This paper will reflect research on contemporary 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...
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...life in this world is one of the teachings that are brought out in the Zoroastrian scriptures as from the beginning. This faith that started during the ancient times continued growing and finally it became the pillar of the later Zoroastrian hence the basis of almost all the aspects of human religious life. As a result of this faith other religions also felt its impact more specifically on Judaism then later on Christianity and Islam. Zoroastrian eschatology basically brings to conclusion the creation story, how the world exists as is depicted in the sources from the later Zoroastrian and this formed the basis for Ohrmazd and Ahriman’s battle. Contrary to this, monotheism brings out the existence of only one supreme that has control over everything. This paper will discuss the influence of the Zoroastrian eschatology and the impact it had on religious life afterwards. Conclusion of human existence comes when life on this world comes to an end; this eschatological period brings to an end the cosmic struggle and brings out the fruits of the efforts of Ohrmazd, having the assistance of other humanities hence bringing out the notion that there is victory in the good deeds (Faith 19). On the other hand eschatology is used to reflect the moral life and religion on earth, this has been compare to the justice courts where motivation and punishments are rewarded and implemented respectively. Contrary to the frequent injustices which are quite normal and evident in the real world, real moral...
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...wider world and from within. Muslims feel that Islam is the way of life. They feel Islam is the way due to their system which controls and governs more than 1.2 Billion lives of women and men around the world (http://answering-islam.org/Nehls/tt1/tt1.html). Islam’s goal is for all people to submit to the Islamic religion. With Islamic religion spreading over counties across the globe, they are now facing challenges within their own religion and throughout the world (http://answering-islam.org/Nehls/tt1/tt1.html) The commonality between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity is that they are sometimes called “Abrahamic religions” due to their history being traced back to Abraham in the Bible. These three religions also share their theism which is of strict monotheism faith. These religions also share common characteristics which are that they believe there is only one God. Each religion also believes that in good afterlife there is eternal heaven or paradise and bad afterlife results in damnation or eternal hell. The people is another commonality and that each person soul is important and the need to be saved and do have a choice to be a good person or not (http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islam_judaism_christianity.htm ). Islam response to the challenges in the modern world is to implement what they have seen and to embrace it. The starting point of changing Islam from being a simple religion of only a prophet and his disciples to a more complex religion which...
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...Religion overview week 4 Theravada Buddhism | Mahayana Buddhism | Hinduism | Traditional Judaism | The Gospel | Meaning of birth | We are reborn from a previous life until we reach nirvana (extinction of all desire and release from suffering). The cycle of death and rebirth is called samsara. | We are reborn from a previous life until we reach nirvana (extinction of all desire and release from suffering). The cycle of death and rebirth is called samsara. | We are reborn from a previous life until we realize our "oneness" with Brahman. The cycle of death and rebirth is called samsara. | We are made in the image of God and come into the world with the capacity to opt for good or evil. | We are made in God's image but come into the world inclined to sin because of the sin of Adam. Redemption is needed. | Way to Truth | Follow the teachings of Buddha, e.g., the Four Truths and the Eightfold Path. The written Scripture, the Tripitaka ("three baskets"), includes the teachings of Buddha. | Through the study of scriptural texts running to more than five thousand volumes. | Spiritual disciplines like yoga enable one to achieve the enlightenment and truth needed. Suffering and samsara result from ignorance of self-truth. Vedas are scriptures that hold final authority. | Bible (Hebrew Scriptures). Oral Law provides the authoritative interpretation for knowing how to live. Truth is seen in deeds more than in creed, although a cardinal tenet of belief is the Unity of God. | Bible...
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...Chapter 1: IMAGE JUDAISM God as One Second commandment (A): “You shall have no other gods before me” Abraham “Father of monotheism” Distinctiveness of Israel “Gods of the heathens are nought” Examples: Maimonides 2nd principle (Box 1.1) – “God is one” Yigdal hymn (p. 29) – Maimonides put into poetic song, part of Jewish daily prayer book Shema (Box 1.2) – Part of official evening and morning prayers – Also inscribed in black ink on “kosher” animal skin parchment, placed inside containers: Tefillin – strapped to forehead and left arm at weekday morning prayers => Mind, head, heart Mezuzah – fixed to doorposts of Jewish homes at eye level => constant reminder of oneness of God each time the believer passes God as Invisible & Indivisible Second commandment (B) ...You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;5 you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. Moses and the “face” of God Maimonides’ 3rd principle: God is incorporeal – metaphorical language – Jewish scriptures and Talmud occasionally refer to God’s hands, eyes, mouth etc. but Jewish insists that such anthropomorphisms are...
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