Differences Between Judaism And Judaism

To understand religion is to understand human culture. For thousands of years, religion has been a defining factor of human existence. Humans throughout time have worshipped gods and goddesses, sacred idols, and even Mother Earth herself. By gaining an understanding of what “defines” religion, we have the ability to learn how to engage society. For this very reason, the importance of religion, and understanding its key differences, help us to mold friendships, to stay informed of worldly conditions, and even to help forge our own religious philosophy. For the purposes of this paper, the focus will be on the similarities and differences between the Judaism and Islam. Jewish history begins around 4,000 years ago, when God established the covenant with Abraham. Abraham is seen as the father of the Jewish people, one who is honored for obeying God’s command. Judaism is the first, and oldest, of the monotheistic faiths. The Torah, and the Jewish religion as a whole, introduced the concept of one “Creator,” or one “God.” This central belief of the religion was a huge contrast from the more common practice of “polytheism,” or the belief or worship of multiple gods. As a result, the Jewish people were persecuted, isolated, and even enslaved because

For example, Jewish tradition requires that prayer is said three times daily, with a fourth prayer added on holidays and special occasions. In Islam, prayer is said five times daily. The use of religious statues and pictures also vary between the two religions. In Islam, images of Allah or prophets are not permitted, as they believe that these images could be mistaken as idolatry. Islamic art does exist however, in the form of calligraphy, architecture, and other faceless mediums. In ancient Judaism, statues and images were banned and considered idolatry. However in modern Judaism, art is encouraged and considered fine, as long as it is not considered a religious