In the Middle East, the three great world religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam had both share some similarities and differences. Judaism, a monotheistic religion, so as Christianity and Islam, originally came from the Hebrews. The Hebrews believed that God was their special protector and was everything, the most powerful, and present everywhere. Like the other two religions, Judaism also has a holy book called the Torah. The Torah is a sacred recording of laws and events in Jewish history.
Both religions and cultures descended from Abraham. The Jews believe that they descended from Issac the son of Abraham who was supposedly the promised son, which would inherit the blessings of Abraham, and the Muslims believe that they are the descendants of Ishmael the other son of Abraham and also the son of the slave woman. With Isaac being the promised son and Ishmael being the son of a slave woman, there were bound to be conflict between the Jews and the Muslims because they both believe they are correct and the chosen one
Judaism and Islam are known to be two of the main religions that are found throughout the world. They each have similar traits and many more differences. They both are monotheistic, which means they only believe in one god. Muslims worship the God called Allah, which means in Arabic “the God”. And Jews worship the god called Yahweh, which means the God of Israel.
Due to their belief system, the tribe proliferated the idea that Isaac and his descendants were chosen by God to carry forward Abraham's holy lineage. Isaac was the forefather of what was to become the 12 tribes of Israel, while Ishmael and his descendents were to constitute a different Semitic tribe and follow Arabic traditions. The term Judaism came about after the establishment of the state of Israel when the tribes divided into two, the northern and Judas kingdoms, ca 922-587 BCE The customs and belief systems of these nomadic tribes to be later identified as Arab tribes were very similar to the Hebrews'; however, the Arab tribes developed in some subtle ways. They remained nomadic, whereas the Hebrews tended to follow the teachings of the Holy Scriptures to the achievement of The Promised Land. As for the Arab nomadic tribes because of this development, a centralized governing agent who organized the religion did not develop as it did with the Hebrews.
Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, The Arab-Israeli conflict began in earnest. As the years went on and the conflict escalated it gradually shifted from a large scale Arab–Israeli issue to the more personal Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The issue that divided both parties is primarily a territorial concern based on secular belief. Zionists belief that God had made a covenant with the Jewish people to return them to the Land of Canaan or the Biblical Promise land (Christian Zionists share sympathize with the Jews, based on common backgrounds). Yet in the Quran, as espoused by the Prophet Muhammad, the lands of Jerusalem are said to be the holiest of all Arabic lands.
At first glance, the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam look more different than alike, but this is only scratching the surface. It all begins with the oldest of the three religions, Judaism. From Judaism came the sect of Christianity, which emerged after the death of Jesus and has since become the largest religion in the world today. Nearly six hundred years later Muhammad becomes the founder of Islam, a religion that prays to the same God as Jews and Christians do. The biggest similarities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are their belief in God, the practices of their religion, and their belief in an afterlife.
Knowing this relationship these religions have held Abraham in their religions as obedience to God through the many acts he carried out. All three of these religions have the common influence of Zoroastrianism. Although the Islamic faith may have had a greater impact, Judaism and Christianity were also impacted by this religion as well: "Zoroaster was thus the first to teach the doctrines of an individual judgment, Heaven and Hell, the future resurrection of the body, the general Last Judgment, and life everlasting for the reunited soul and body. Th... ... middle of paper ... ...nd interpreted him in a different way. All possessing sacred texts was a common occurrence among each religion but the importance laid upon them and the significance put forth in each one was the difference that leads to a separation between them that cannot be mended.
In Judaism, they trace their lineage to Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, determined by the twelve tribes of Israel while in Christianity, the use the scriptures to portray him as a spiritual ancestor (Infoplease, 2007). At a first glimpse, Judaism and Christianity are considered very different religions and can be contrasted greatly despite the fact they are both descendants of Abrahamic faith. However, Since Christianity branched off into its own division a few centuries after the Common Era, they often share similarity when it comes to the importa... ... middle of paper ... ... Google Books. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
The Palestinian and Israeli conflict can be resolved only if both countries agree to internationalize Jerusalem: this holy city is the home of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city has important religious connections with all three faiths; the Jews and the Christians see it as has a land of prophets and a promised land for all children of Abraham, the Christians see it also as the birthplace of Jesus, and the Muslim have the al Aqsa Intifada. This has been an on going war between Palestinians who are Muslims and Israelis who are Jews caused by conflicting religious and historical claims to the city, the desire of displaced Jews for a homeland and Palestinian anger at the British and U.S backed takeover of the city by the Israeli Jews. The effects of the conflict have been terrorist attacks around the world by both sides and the deaths of many soldiers and civilians. In the religious history of the Jews, Muslims, and Christians Jerusalem is the holy land.
My previous knowledge of Judaism and Jews was only what I saw in television sitcoms and movies, which satirically portrayed them as rich and traditional in nature. Embarking on this Comparative Religion course, I knew there would be some revelations on many of the religions being discussed but so far, Judaism has surprised me the most. This is not because of their spirituality, but there customs and strict adherence to tradition. Judaism is one of monotheistic faiths and is considered by Jews as the oldest religion as it gave birth to Christianity and Islam. These three religions follow the teachings of Abraham and Sarah, and their offspring.