Comparative analysis of Judaism, Amish Christianity, and Islam

¶ … Religions

Judaism began, according to tradition, with the Covenant between God and Abraham, from whom the Jews are said to descend. God rewarded Abraham for his faith, and promised him many children, who would become the Jewish people. God also promised Abraham would have a homeland called Israel. After some time, Moses led the Israelites from Egypt. Once in Israel, the culture evolved.

At the core of Judaism is the belief in one God, and adherence to the Torah, which encompasses a history of the people and sets of laws. The laws in the Torah are believed to have come directly from God, an omniscient being the Jews believe created the universe. The religion centers around God, under the belief that we as people have a relationship with God. A person's direct, one-on-one relationship with God is central to the faith. God maintains an active interest in the goings-on of the universe, highlighting the value of this personal relationship. This relationship is explored through prayer, which is undertaken both on a daily basis on one's own, and at weekly services in the temple. Much of the rest of the faith concerns observance of laws found in the two holy books, the Tanakh and the Talmud.

The Tanakh, roughly approximate to the Old Testament, consists of three main parts. These are the Torah ("teaching"), Ketuvim ("writings") and Nevi'im ("prophets"). The Tanakh's sections outline the history of the people, the laws by which people should live, and contains ample advice and wisdom. The Talmud is a record of rabbinical discussions about many of these topics - in particular law, customs, history, teachings and ethics. The Talmud consists of several parts, and is the basis for discussion and debate. Self-questioning is a cultural trait of the Jewish people, dating back to Moses and his sons.

Today, there are approximately 13.2 million Jews. 41% of them live in Israel, the rest being spread throughout the world in a vast diaspora.

In contrast, Islam is one of the world's largest religions by population, with over 1 billion adherents. Islam is the third major Abrahamic religion, after Judaism and Christianity. Muslims believe, however, that the holy books of those religions have been tainted by men, whereas their holy book, the Quran, was delivered by God directly to Mohammed.

Muslims believe that Muhammed was God's final prophet, and recognize Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others are earlier prophets. At the core of the faith are what are known as the "five pillars" of Islam. These are that there is only one God and that Mohammed is the messenger of God; prayer, five times a day; alms-giving; fasting during the month of Ramadan; and the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be undertaken once in one's lifetime.

The main holy book of Islam is the Quran, which is the word of God as communicated directly to Mohammed. It is the core book of the religion, and concerns both spiritual issues, and more practical, moral ones. Islamic law comes from interpretation of the Quran, and of Mohammed's life, rather than from the book itself.

From Mohammed, Islam spread rapidly throughout the world. The religion's main split occurred as a result of an early difference of opinion concerning leadership of the religion, resulting in two main sects, the Sunnis and the Shia. Other sects have emerged, such as Sufism, Ibadism, and the Ismailis. These groups have all formed as the result of various minor schisms.

The Amish religion began in Switzerland, and are considered an Anabaptist Christian denomination. The offset left Europe and resettled in North America during the 18th century. Today, there are 231,000 Amish, and their population is growing.