Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: comparative religious traditions

Religion

CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM & ISLAM

Historically, Christianity began as a small sect within Judaism several thousand years ago, thus, both religions share a common history and common geography, meaning that both religions originated in the Middle East in what is now the State of Israel. The cultural conditions out of which Christianity was born were very similar to those of Judaism and it is not surprising that Jews and Christians have many things in common. However, as compared to Islam and Judaism, Christianity has by far had much more impact on Western civilization, particularly in the United States and Europe, due to the fact that the ideals and tenets of Christianity have greatly influenced the structure and development of numerous cultural/social systems. For example, the foundations of the American democratic system as based on Christian beliefs and ideals as expressed in the Holy Bible, especially in relation to the U.S. Constitution as designed by the "Founding Fathers" in the late 18th century (Eliade, 245).

First of all, Christianity and Judaism share many similarities regarding the Scriptures, for the Jewish Bible (the "Tanakh") and the Christian Old Testament are nearly "the same in content yet are different in relation to their order;" also, "the history that is recounted in both of these works and the religious teachings are quite similar" (Hunt, 156). These common books focus on the belief in one God, being monotheism, and both belief systems originated in the same geographic area in which most ancient people worshipped a number of pagan gods and goddesses. For Jews and Christians, God is seen as the creator of all things; He is "righteous and holy and acts in a just, upright, moral manner, and hears and responds to the prayers of His believers," according to both Judaism and Christianity. And above all, "God's character for both Jews and Christians are revealed via God's self-revelation" (Kisch, 245).

The power and influence of Christianity in Western civilization cannot be underestimated, for it has brought about the creation of many diverse cultures and societies since its acceptance by the Roman Empire in the 3rd century a.D. As the official state religion following the persecution of Christians after the death of Jesus Christ. In America, the establishment of various churches "was influenced by the experiences of European settlers who were forced to flee from established religion s in their homelands" (Baker, 257). However, no single religious group maintained sufficient support in the original thirteen colonies to make its beliefs and practices "the law of the land."

Also, the framers of the U.S. Constitution held differing religious viewpoints, for some were Catholic and others were Protestant. Also, a small number advocated naturalistic religion based on rationality and morality, a reflection of the "Age of Reason," while others were non-believers or atheists. These diverse beliefs, or lack of them, "helped to bring about the official separation of church and state which remains in America to this very day" (Eliade, 328). In Europe, the role of Christianity was very similar to that in America, for beginning with the Reformation under Martin Luther, many countries in Europe, such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Great Britain, adopted the principles and ideals of Western Christianity, especially related to the Catholic Church. Thus, the adoption of Christianity by these and other European nations created new forms of government and new ways of living a just and moral life.

In contrast, those that practice Judaism, as compared to Christians, tend to be socially and economically liberal and strongly support individual liberties with regard to many societal issues. However, Judaism also reflects "Enlightenment beliefs about the value and sanctity of each individual conscience," meaning that semi-Christian beliefs and practices were adopted by many Jews in Europe as a result of the spread of Enlightenment ideals during the middle years of the 18th century (Parratt, 212).

As compared to Christianity, Islam has played practically no role in the development of Western civilization (except perhaps for the many religious wars between Christianized nations and Islamic nations in the past one thousand years or so), yet in today's modern world, Islam has taken a foothold in many European nations and in the United States. Islam "is the third of the major Semitic, monotheistic religions, along with Judaism and Christianity" and those that adhere to Islam are known as Muslims. The word Islam can be defined as "the peace of one who submits wholly to God (i.e., Allah)," yet the main difference between Judaism, Christianity and Islam is that Muslims follow the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, while almost all Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ (Gilsenan, 178).