Christian, Islam, And Judaism
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Vinh Phan
Chris Verschage
Hum 2133 — W03
April 19, 2008
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
Every religion has its own goal, and their own path and believe to reach their goals, however there are also many similarities in believes. Although the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam may see things differently, they all fundamentally hold the same values and codes. To Islam, the Prophet Mohammad’s teaching is a complete and final revelation. On the other hand, according to the bible, Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the true lord and savior will grant you the access to heaven in the afterlife. Judaism is founded by Abraham, and it is the base from which both of the other two religions sprung. Even though the three religions differ in many areas and on many aspects, they also agree on the monotheistic, the belief in �One True God.’ Those religions have many similarities and a number of significant differences about God, role of women, prayer, and salvation.
The conception of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is monotheism, the belief in the existence of a single indivisible God. The three of religions maintains that there is only one God, who is active in and concerned about the world. These religions are also patriarchal, male-dominated, which has resulted in God being described as “He.” However, how Christians, Judaism and Islam conceptualize God in their respective theologies is actually quite different. In Christianity, God is the supreme creator and ruler of the universe. Christians believe God is infinite, omnipotent, all-powerful, perfect, personal, eternal, unchanging, holy, all-knowing, and all-loving. Their idea of God is shown in the belief of the Trinity. God is one, but with three aspects: God is Father, the creator, ruler, and sustainer of all life, and divine judge; God is the Son, who is Jesus, God made incarnate and savior of humanity; and the Holy Spirit, who is God working in the world. Both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus, however, the major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ. In Christian scriptures, God never claimed divinity while the emphasis in the Islamic theology of God is “absolute unity;” God is sublimely one. Muslims think that by believing in the Trinity, Christians believe in three Gods. For them, God is One God. Judaism views the existence of God as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe, and the existence of the universe is sufficient proof of the existence of God. Like Islam, Judaism also believes that there is only one God, no other being participated in the work of creation. With them, God is the only being to whom they should offer praise, no other is their God, and they should not pray to any other. They believe that everything in the universe was created by God and only God.
Prayer is to speak to God, to put ourselves in touch with God, remind us of His greatness, goodness. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam thought that through praying they are allowed to come into the presence if the Creator and Sustainer of the university, however, there are the differences in the purposes of prayer. Prayer is an important theme in Christianity. Prayer is the one way that Christians can commune with God on a daily basis. It is absolutely necessary that the Christian spend time in earnest prayer. To Christians, prayer is a meaningful act; they realize the full blessings that are available through prayer. They believe that God does hear and answer their prayers. They think that prayer can helps them to overcome temptation, to realize those things with they need and desire, to help others to get well, to be forgiven, and to overcome sin, etc. For Judaism, the word “pray” means “divine” and emphasizes the One to whom prayer is director. With Jewish, prayer is an integral part of everyday life. One of the purposes of prayer is to increase their awareness of God in their life, and the role that God plays in their life. The most important part of any Jewish prayer is the introspection it provides, the moment that they spend looking inside ourselves, seeing their role in the universe and their relationship to God. For Islam, the main purpose of prayer is to lead one to do good, to refrain from evil and to behave better towards others.
In Christianity and Islam, it is peoples sin that places them in danger of punishment after death. Sin and salvation are central categories in Christian theology and spirituality. Christianity teaches that the effects of original sin have corrupted the world and the human beings who exist in it. They believe that all human beigns are born into the world with a sinful nature because of the transgression of Adam. Being saved, in Christianity, individuals are thought of as being saved from eternal punishment through Jesus’ death on the cross. Although Islam and Judaism acknowledges that