...Undoubtedly something Muslim culture and Christian culture have in common is the certainty of monotheism, the belief that there is only one God. Both religions believe that God is eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent, knowing everything that can possibly be known. Muslims worship Allah through praying and reciting the Qur’an, the word of Allah conveyed to Muhammad through Gabriel; whereas Christians worship God by praying to him and Jesus, who they believe is the Son of God, and by using the Bible as their guideline for living their life. Although Muslims and Christians both believe in a monotheistic God, there are vast differences in the way these two religions express their monotheism. First for Christians, the Bible clearly states the monotheism of their God through the story of creation. The Hebrew account affirms that one transcendent God, and not many gods, created everything. For Christians, He is to be worshipped as one God, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (New International Version, Deut. 6:4). One can see how Genesis, in presupposing monotheism, rejects the assumption that polytheism can underlie any valid accounts of creation. Genesis 1 in the Bible purposefully portrays a monotheistic God who is the sole creator and transcendent source of all that has been brought into being. In Genesis 1 of the Bible, Christians are presented with the beginning of a divine drama that can only be examined and understood from a standpoint of faith. Genesis 1 reveals...
Words: 1049 - Pages: 5
...Judaism is considered to be a monotheistic religion, yet the Hebrew Bible shows unmistakable traces of polytheism (e.g., Genesis 35:2, Exod. 15:11, Psalm 95:3). (1) How can it be explained that Judaism is a monotheistic religion but clearly acknowledges other gods? Judaism is an "ethical monotheistic" religion - meaning that its conception of what counts as moral and ethical behavior is derived from a single deity. (2) What relation does Abraham play in understanding the nature of morality within Judaism? Monotheism means the study of one God. However, there are different interpretations of what that means. Each religion interprets monotheism in a different way. For example, Christianity is monotheistic. It is stated throughout the Old and New Testament that thou shalt not worship any god before me (God/Jesus). In Judaism, the Torah, first 5 books of the bible, specifically states that no other god shall be worshipped other than Abraham’s God. It is also considered an ethical monotheistic religion because all of the ethical and moral behavior is defined by God in the Torah. Just like how Christians read in the Bible that thou shalt not worship any god before me, the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible state the same thing. However, Jews do believe in prophets and messiahs. A prophet is a living person such as Moses. Prophets are not divine so they are not worshipped. Same with messiahs. While Christians call Jesus the messiah, Jews acknowledge Jesus and his teachings but...
Words: 389 - Pages: 2
...Bobbs Lyonga Elive Solomon Polytheism in Christianity, true or false? 11th September 2015 Word Count: 4104 Polytheistic Overtones In The Bible Man was created a worshipper. It is a proven fact that there is a universal belief in God, god or gods in every nation on the face of the earth including the most primitive societies. The reason being that after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden as the bible describes in the book of Genesis, man was separated from His creator and became spiritually dead. With a fallen spirit and a blinded mind, man who was created with an intuitive belief and knowledge of the existence of God was drawn by the religious instinct within him to worship something or someone. Unable to find his creator, man produced deities out of his own imagination to worship. Deities of stone, wood, water, fire, air, sun, moon, stars, mountains, birds, kings, emperors etc. giving birth to several religions, the majority being polytheistic and some are still today. Man missed the object of his worship, worshipping the creation rather than the creator. The bible says “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever.”(Romans 1:25). God none the less had an elaborate and well-designed plan for the restoration of fallen man. A plan which existed from the very beginning even before man transgressed, to show the fallibility of proponents of Deism that...
Words: 4207 - Pages: 17
...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...
Words: 1307 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 2300 - Pages: 10
...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 Hebrew Bible for Christians, but the Quran for the Muslims. They still are both...
Words: 472 - Pages: 2
...Contents Introduction 1 History 1 Evolution of Judaism and Christianity 2 Practices of Judaism and Christian 2 Similarities between Judaism and Christianity 4 Differences between Judaism and Christianity 4 Conclusion 5 References 6 Introduction Religion is a sacred entity in many cultures. Throughout the history and even today we see the practice of religion in all the places of the world. Religion is defined as an organized system of belief, ceremonies, practices and worship that centers on one or more gods. Religion continues to be a dominant force around the world, affecting everything from what people wear to how they behave. There are thousands of religions in the world and from that Judaism is the religion of more than fourteen million Jews throughout the world and it was first major religion to teach the existence of only one god. The basic laws and teachings of Judaism come from Torah, the first five books of Hebrew Bible. Christianity is the largest religion in the world with about two billion followers. It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most of the Christians are member of one of the three groups: Roman Catholic, Protestant or Eastern Orthodox. The following pages concentrate on Judaism and Christianity and their history, practices, similarities and differences. History Judaism began about 4,000 years as the religion of small Middle Eastern group of people called Hebrews or Jews. Hebrew or Jews belief they were protected and...
Words: 1969 - Pages: 8
...Each of the various texts referring to the five main religions throughout the world have their own view of God. All of the religions are monotheistic, meaning they only believe in one God. However, one of the religions is not monotheistic and describes “the one” in terms of ‘suchness’ or ‘ultimate truth’. Three of these religions are anthropological. The anthropological aspect is the human shape and how the people picture God. The three anthropological religions include Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In Judaism, it is said that the Lord is their God and the Lord is one. The people of Islam, known as Muslims, believe that no one is to be compared to their God, Allah, inferring that Allah is their ruler and the humans are his slaves. Christians believe that God...
Words: 617 - Pages: 3
...Major Religions Judaism was the foundation for Christianity and Islam. They all recognize some prophets like Elijah, Abraham, Jesus of Nazareth and they worship the same God just by a different name. Despite all the wars and deaths over religious differences, major religions are not really that different from each other; in fact, the similarities should bring people together. They all worship a higher power. “Islam is a monotheistic religion founded by Muhammad the Prophet” (“Islam”); “in Arabic Allah means The God” (Bowker 162). Monotheistic means the belief in only one God alone; just like Christians and Jews that only believe in one god. That’s three religions worshiping the same God. “Judaism holds that here is one all-powerful God (Yahweh) to whom all Jews have a personal relationship” (“Judaism”). Their God is all seeing which means he is every at once. Their God controls and guides their lives. “The central deity of Buddhism is the human spirit” (“Buddhism”). The Buddhists believe that God is in the human spirit. Their God doesn’t control the universe but controls one’s self. In all the religions they have history and teachings written down. The major religions all have sacred writing that has the words of the founders and God. The primary book for Jews is the Bible which is divided into three sections: Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim (“Judaism”). Torah tells the laws, Neviim has the prophets, Ketuvim has the writings. The Old Testament in the Christian Bible...
Words: 736 - Pages: 3
...for centuries. Jews study the Hebrew Bible, more commonly known as the Old Testament of the Bible. Their belief systems contrast each in various ways like there practices, celebrations, beliefs, and history each faith leads to similar ideologies and regulations through the sense of morality and society. The Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible has three main divisions: the Torah (meaning “teachings” or “instructions”) which were given to Moses on the stone commandments, Nevi’im (known as the Prophets), and Ketuvim (which is the Writings). The Prophets has subdivisions, the first subdivision is the Torah that’s written in the eyes of the Jewish people and tells their history. Vast topics are referenced throughout the remaining sections; the Writings, is a collection of hope from the people of Israel through the use of poetry, psalms, proverbs, and prayers (Gill, 2011). But, regardless of the section, “Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself,” which is the golden rule is the primary concept portrayed through the Hebrew Bible. The text used by Judaism is called the Torah. The Torah is sometimes referred to as the Five Books of Moses they are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; the Written Torah can also be referred to as the complete Jewish Bible which is considered as the Old Testament to the Christians. The followers of the Jewish religion do not believe in an Old Testament and New Testament of the Holy Bible as the Christians do, the Jewish text only sees the Old...
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...Era. In addition, Christian Ethics can be defined as “ moral standard, rules or laws which guide the thought, words and deeds of the Christians” (Messer, 2009:10). This quote further explains that it can be considered as part of a code of conduct between the relationship of Christians and God, the human race and of natures surroundings. Islam developed in the country of Saudi Arabia and this tradition is owned by the monotheistic family of faiths (Sanneth, 1996:6). The philosophy of Islam, being a religion, focused on a prophet by the name of Muhammad who was born in AD 570 (Sanneth, 1996:6). This essay will be explaining the similarities and differences of both the Christian and Islamic traditions as well as highlighting some of the ways in which both traditions advocate religious harmony in contemporary society. The first similarity between Christian and Islamic traditions is that both worship one god making both traditions monotheistic and that God is the most supreme being over anyone else of which both traditions worry about the behaviour as well as the beliefs of human beings (Zahniser, 2008:3). The second similarity is that both believe in a Heaven and Hell and God's future judgment, both have Prophets and prophecy’s, including many of the same characters Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Jesus (Neusner et al, 2002:54). The third similarity is that both traditions fast. Within the Bible, it is said that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights (Mathew 4:2-Bible) whilst in the Qur’an...
Words: 1391 - Pages: 6
...Being one of the main world’s religions, Judaism takes a highly significant place along with Christianity and Islam. In fact, all three monotheistic religions demonstrate similar principles of faith and the origins, which lead to Abraham. However, despite similar origin, written experience, and spiritual background, there are sharp differences between Judaism and Islam. The differences between Judaism and Christianity are less distinct, since Christianity is based purely on the Judaic tradition. Despite these similarities, Judaism appears to be a unique religion with numerous interesting and puzzling features, which are necessary to investigate thoroughly. Such valuable aspects of Judaism as the variety of directions, the essence of Judaic...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...January 5, 2012 HUM/130 In Islamic religion, Muhammad is the last prophet that was sent to restore the true religion. He is also believed to be the messenger of God. When a child is born to an Islamic family, he or she has the Shahadah chanted to them. This chant, when translated to English says “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” (Fisher, 2005) This teaching is the first and is done when children a young so that they understand the belief that God is the absolute and that Muhammad is the one that reminds them of this belief. This is the teaching of “The oneness of God and of Humanity.” Another teaching of Islam is that all prophets, form any religion, are sent to pass the word of the one God. This is the teaching of “Parenthood and the Compass of Islam.” As other religions emerged many were monotheistic and some changed or began as polytheistic. Muslims believe that of those religions, any prophets that were part of those religions were sent by the one and only God. Their mission was to bring all other religions back to the true religion, Islam. The teaching of “The relationship to the divine” is a Muslim belief that “God is all knowing and has intelligently created everything for a divine purpose governed by fixed laws.”(Fisher, 2005) One major law in the Islamic religion is the law of Shirk. This law breaks down to the main belief that nothing should we worshiped other than God. In the Muslim religion of Islam, the belief in the unseen life...
Words: 548 - Pages: 3
...ASSIGNMENT COMPARATIVE ETHICS [B-H-J-I] MGT3020-Section 1 Matric No. 0935401 First name: Ziat Abdel-Jallal Gender: Male Matric No. 0920015 First name: Mohamed Sheikh Ali Musse Gender: Male Matric No. 0913681 First name: Mohamed Abdi Muse Gender: Male Due date: 9-12-2011 Submission date: 8-12-2011 Output: Hardcopy Softcopy Responsibility: Group E-mail of sender: aj.ziat@gmail.com Submission: Softcopy e-mail attachment; and hardcopy Destination e-mail: mgt3020@gmail.com Introduction An executive tends to interact with people from different religions and races. He/she is bound to encounter conflict with colleagues, subordinates, and superiors due to different values, and perhaps, varying meaning for the same values. One of the ways to prepare oneself for possible encounters is to be aware of some of the values held by people from other religions. * Islam: The religion revealed to Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) through the Quran, Holy Book of Islam. Muslims are obliged to pray Allah (SWT) five times a day according to a very rigorous schedule, at dawn, around noon, in the afternoon, at dusk and at night. These prayers can only be merged in specific cases, such as visiting a foreign country or during a journey exceeding 80 kilometers. Talking about the workplace, an issue could arise regarding the fact that Muslims have to pray and according to what we stated above, there are two compulsory prayers during the work time – at noon and during the afternoon...
Words: 3017 - Pages: 13
...middle of the first century the generation after Jesus there was no dividing line between Judaism and Christianity(Solomon). Both religions have a big following. However, it goes without saying both religions have a lot in common but are fundamentally different in many ways. Christianity was created the year of Jesus birth. It originated in Palestine and is known as a monotheistic system which means believing in one god that created the entire world. Although denominations differ on how it was created. Christianity uses the old and new testaments of the bible depending on the denominations. Christianity is broken down into three different denominations Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. Each denomination is fundamentally different and have different prospective of what Christianity is. For example, Orthodox does not acknowledged the pope as...
Words: 658 - Pages: 3
