Comparative Religion, A Study Of The Three Main Faiths...In this comparative religion study, we want to have an honest and open look at Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. We will explore what all three have in common as well as try to understand the reasons for the differences. All three of the faiths have some basic principles. We will start our study with a comparison of them. Judaism is the oldest of the three great faiths. Therefore, we will look at the basics of Judaism and compare Islam and Christianity to it. There are several branches of Judaism but we will use orthodox faith in our comparison.
The first five principles of Judaism deal with the nature of GOD.
The first principle is that GOD exists and both Christianity and Islam accept this fact. The second principle of Judaism is that GOD is one and unique. In Islam this is called tawhid and is part of the first article of faith. Christians agree that there is one God and He is unique. The third principle is that GOD is incorporeal meaning He has no bodily form. This is generally accepted in Islam and Christianity. The fourth principle of Judaism is that GOD is eternal meaning He has always been and will always be. This is also widely accepted in both Christianity and Islam. The fifth basic principle is that prayer is to be directed to GOD alone. This principle is widely accepted among both Muslims and Christians. Our comparative religion study now turns to the concept of prophets. All three faiths accept the fact that GOD has sent messengers (prophets) to mankind. The sixth basic principle of Judaism is that the words of the 55 prophets are true. Christians accept most of those prophets and believe that their words are true because they come from GOD. Islam accepts most of the 55 prophets and accepts their words as truth. Islam teaches that there have been many prophets sent from GOD. The seventh principle is that Moses was the greatest prophet. Christianity does not deal with the idea of the greatest prophet. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last and greatest prophet. Our comparative religion study continues with a look at the books of the three great religions. The eighth principle is that the written and oral Torah was given to the prophet Moses. The Torah is part of the Old Testament section of the Christian Bible. In Islam the Torah is accepted as the words of GOD and are called the Tawrah. The ninth principle of Judaism is that there will be no other Torah. This principle is rejected by both Islam and Christianity. In Islam, it is believed that GOD sent the Qu'ran and it takes the place of all other books. Christians accept the Torah as part of the Old Testament and believe that the New Testament was inspired by GOD. The Old and New Testaments together make up the Holy Bible. In our comparative religion study we come to the final four principles of the Jewish faith. These concern the final days of life here on earth. The tenth basic principle is that GOD knows the thoughts and deeds of every man. This is widely accepted as fact in Christianity as well as Islam. The eleventh principle is that, on the last day, GOD will reward the good and punish the wicked. This last day (Youm al-Qiyama) or day of reckoning in Islam is one of their articles of faith. Christians accept this day and refer to it as judgement day. The twelfth principle of Judaism is that the Messiah will come. Christians believe that the Messiah has come in the form of Jesus. Muslims do not believe in a messiah and see no need for one. Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet. The last Jewish principle is that the dead will be resurrected. This means that the dead will be raised up for judgement. In this judgement, those who have
righteousness
will be rewarded and those who do not will be punished. Both Muslims and Christians accept this principle. The differences are found in how that righteousness is obtained.
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