Comparison and Contrast of Three Monotheism Cultures sample essay

At the beginning of this paper the meaning of monotheism should be clearly defined. Shortly, monotheism is a belief or religion in a single god, it admits the existence of the only god that unites the universe. Monotheism is the opposite of polytheism that implies the belief in many gods. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are grounded on the principles of monotheism. Thus, I will compare these monotheistic religions and cultures that developed on the basis of them.

The three religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are considered to be very similar in practices and ideas. Christianity and Islam along with Judaism are referred to as Abrahamic religions. This is because all three of these religions revere Abraham and believe he was a major prophet in there respected religions.

The biggest relation between the three is, however, the belief in only one god.

Christianity believes in God, which they characterize in the Trinity. The first God is the father of all, the second God is the son, which is the form of Jesus, and the third God, the holy spirit, which is the side that comes and gives us signs on earth. In Islam they believe in Allah, which is basically God. They do not have a Trinity like Christianity. It is Allah, and Allah alone they believe in. Judaism is regarded to be one of the oldest religious traditions. It is based on the cultural system of Jewish law and custom, according to which everything is executed under God’s presence and rule.

There is one more thing that certainly unites Christianity and Islam. These are two largest religions in the world and they are still growing. Together they make up about fifty percent of the world’s population. Thirty three percent of the world’s population are Christians while twenty percent are Islamic. It is said that in a matter of decades Islam will be the world’s largest religion which title currently belongs to Christianity. In contrast, the followers of Judaism are not so numerous, there are about fourteen million Jews in the world. The origin of Judaism is the Middle East, however, Jewish communities appeared from time to time in different parts of the world as a consequence of migrations or expulsions.

So, what is a Christian? Well, a Christian (which means “Believer in Christ”) first and foremost is one who accepts God, accepts Jesus, and accepts the words of the Gospel. Jesus is believed to be the Savior of the world and the Son of God. Christians believe in salvation, which is the forgiveness of sins by God to us, which saves us from eternal damnation in Hell. As for a Muslim, it is one who believes in Allah and Allah only. Muhammad is the main prophet, he can be thought of as Jesus of the Muslim religion. Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. Muslims have certain obligations they have to do according to their religion. Firstly, they have to make a trip to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This is a serious spiritual journey that is very important in a Muslim’s life. They have to pray five times a day. No matter where they are or what they are doing, they stop and pray. Thus, the main similarity between Christianity and Islam is that both of them have only one God- Christians believe in God, while Muslims believe in Allah. They are basically the same, Allah is God in Arabic. Both are believed to be the rulers and the creators of the world. As for Judaism, there is no standard set of beliefs that a person is obliged to confine him/herself in order to be a Jew. The most distinctive feature of Judaism is that actions are much more significant than beliefs, although faith is of great importance in Judaism. The main requirement of Judaism, that God is the one and unique, unites it with Christianity and Islam. Besides, the main principles of Judaism also include the belief in resurrection, the coming of Messiah, the reward for the good and punishment for the wicked, and that God knows the thoughts and deeds of man.

Christianity and Islam both believe in prophets who played a significant role in their religions. The two religions even share some of the same stories. The most noted, of course, is Abraham, who is highly respected by both religions. Jesus is also a prophet of both religions. However, he does not play the same role in Islam as in Christianity. Of course, in Christianity he is considered the Son of God and is very important. He is the most important person in the Christian religion. He still is respected by the Islamic religion, however, and, they both believe that he will return again in the future. Other prophets that both religions acknowledge are Noah, Moses, and David. Judaism as well admits that the words of profits are true. Especially Judaism emphasizes the prophecies of Moses, and considers Moses the greatest prophet.

The primary difference that distinguishes Christianity and Islam is the state of an individual at birth. In Christianity, all people are born with original sin; Muslims believe that when a person is born, he is born pure and without a sin. Judaism also supports the idea that man enters the world with innocent and pure sole, free of sin. Thus, these are the basic notions that unify or distinguish the three monotheism cultures.

Bibliography:

1. Deedad, A., (1993), The Choice: Islam and Christianity, The IQRAA Charitable Society.

2. Paterson, A. C., (2004), An Analysis and Brief History of the Three Great Monotheistic Faith Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Xulon Press.

3. Peters, F. E., (1990), Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Vol. 1, World Wisdom Books.
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