Belief Systems - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
Uploaded by Gotskillz (2974) on Mar 23, 2005 |
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Belief systems, or religions are perhaps the strongest force in society. All of these beliefs are important to each religion in there own way. They’re what make each religion individual and special. Each of these religions had its own beliefs and sacred texts, though all shared some concepts. 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. The Jews believe that God gave them the Ten Commandments through Moses, which he was called “the Lawgiver”. According to the Jewish tradition, God made a covenant, or agreement with Abraham, the founder of Judaism. One similarity between the Christianity and Judaism is that they both fast at a certain designated times of the year. Not only does Judaism had similarities between the two religions, the other two religions - Christianity and Islam were strongly influenced by Judaism.
Christianity has the largest world’s cultural, religious and political development. As same as Judaism and Islam, Christianity is also monotheistic. People who follow the religion Christianity are known as Christians. Christians follow the teachings of a man named Jesus, who was born in Palestine in about A.D. 30. Through the belief in Jesus, people believe that humanity can achieve salvation. Judaism and Christianity are quite similar. The teachings of Jesus were rooted in Jewish tradition. For example, Jesus accepted the Ten Commandments that God had given to the Jews through Moses; he preached new ideas at the same time. Also, like the Torah from Judaism, the Bible was the Christianity’s holy book. Although there are a lot of differences between the Islam and the Christianity, there is, still, a little similarity.
The founder of Islam was Mohammad who was born in Mecca in A.D. 570. Islam, also a monotheistic religion, has a book similar to that of the Holy Bible. It is called the Quran. To Muslims, the Quran contains the sacred text as spoken to Muhammad from god. The Quran not only teaches about God, but about how to lead a good, faithful, and life. The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe in one all-powerful, compassionate God, whose name in Arabic is Allah. Prophet of Islam, all Muslims accept five basic duties, known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The teaching of Islam appealed to many because it emphasized honesty, generosity, and social justice.
There are some similarities and differences among the three religions – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in one God, and their holy writings share many themes and ethics. Each of these religions had its own beliefs and sacred texts, though all shared some concepts. |
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