Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Judaism, christianity, and islam
Judaism, christianity, and islam
Judaism and Christianity
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Judaism, christianity, and islam
In looking at the world, one would not be surprised to find a great variety of people with varying beliefs and cultural traditions according to the culture’s history and geographic location. But what might strike one as odd is a great similarity across most of those people as well: a belief in God. And not just any God, but a single God who has divine knowledge and power over humanity. Yet with these commonalities, the three traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each have a unique take on what they feel is the correct belief about God. But with so many commonalities, one might think the three traditions would be closer linked than they appear. Could these three faiths all have a common source beyond simply monotheistic beliefs, but rather a common belief in the same deity? For this paper, through the lens of divine revelation, I wish to research the connection between the three monotheistic traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism with respect to the identity of the Supreme Being (God, Allah, YHWH) and discover if these three identities are found in the same being.
Divine Revelation within Traditions
If we are to understand the connection between the three traditions, then we must first understand the lens through which we are looking. Divine revelation is understood be to an avenue in which God reveals God’s self, whether through supernatural means or in manners more directly related to humanity. By this, God can reveal God’s self in modes which are sometimes referred to as either horizontal or vertical. In his book Claiming Abraham, Michael Lodahl closely examines the traditions of Islam and Christianity (with Judaism as a reference point) in a side-by-side analysis of their beliefs and narratives. At one point, ...
... middle of paper ...
... different styles, and allows for flexibility of faith to occur. For just as God is equally revealed in different ways to different people, so too is God equally glorified in different ways by people who worship in their own unique way.
Works Cited
Hick, John. Disputed Questions in Theology and the Philosophy of Religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. Print.
Lodahl, Michael. Claiming Abraham. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2010. Print.
Timpe, Kevin. “Introduction to Neo-classical Theism.” Models of God and Alternative Ultimate Realities. Ed. Jeanine Diller and Asa Kasher. New York: Springer, 2013. 197-206. Print.
Mann, Mark Grear. “Religious Pluralism.” Philosophy of Religion. Ed. Thomas Jay Oord. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2003. Print.
Wainwright, William. “Monotheism”. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Sept 6, 2013. Web. Accessed 31 March, 2014.
As the world becomes increasingly more interconnected, differences among the many religions prove to be obstacles to the global society. In an effort to overcome these obstacles, religious authorities propose the essential sameness of all religions (that all religions point towards the same goal); however, this hypothesis oversimplifies all religions to an arbitrary base. On the other hand, Stephen Prothero’s, the author of God Is Not One, proposal for the acknowledgment of the differences preserves the multidimensional aspects of religions. By rejecting the hypothesis of a basic and similar structure of religion, Prothero allows for them to exist as complete entities; however, Prothero also creates false barriers that over differentiate religions.
There are only three modern religions that are monotheistic: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Donceel 52). For comparison purposes, this paper will use the concepts and ideas brought forth by the Bible and Christianity. The book of Genisis begins by assuming that there is only one true God that created the Heavens and Earth and rules over it, and that assumption is maintained throughout the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Christians believe that God gave His only son, Jesus.
Pals, Daniel, L. Introducing Religion: Readings from the Classic Theorists. Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2009.
Today in the world…. people worship in some form of religion, be it in monotheistic religions like Christianity, Islam or Judaism; or a polytheistic religion like Mormonism or Hinduism. Worshipping a higher power is not a new development in our world. The desire to worship a higher power or powers have been inside of man since the very beginning of mankind. With the help of Ancient literature, we can trace the various forms of monotheism and polytheism that sprung up amongst our ancient ancestors to worship the higher power they venerated.
Paley, William. “Natural Theology,” in Introduction to Philosophy. 6th edition. Perry, Bratman, and Fischer. Oxford University Press. 2013, pp. 47-51.
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
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.
Oxtoby, Willard G., and Alan F. Segal. A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Oxford, Canada: Oxford University Press, 2007.
1) Oxford Readings in Philosophy. The Concept of God. New York: Oxford University press 1987
At the first glance, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common, however; as you go beyond the surface, they appear to have many similarities such as their beliefs of God, their beliefs of life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although two entirely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true way to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout the course of this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the alikeness between these two growing religions.
There are many similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There are also many differences that separate the three major religions of the world. This paper will delve into all three of them.
There are many religions today that people worship and adapt into their daily lives are their creed. Some may have a lot of gods, while some only have one god. But three of these religions are considered as the major religion practiced by most people in the world today. Although different in some senses in terms of history and other teachings, they all have things in common that most of their followers do not seem to realize. The similarities are very important to understand each religion better and be able to determine which parts they vary. In this paper, I like to discuss the similarities found in the three major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Karkkainen Matti Veli. 2004. The Doctrine of God: A Global Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
Marion, J. -L., Carlson, T. A., & Tracy, D. (2012). God Without Being: Hors-Texte, Second