Surname

Name:

Course:

Lecturer:

Date:

Religion

Religion has been a major cause of division especially among the Jews, Christians and Muslim. All the groups believe that they are the right religion and that they are worshipping God in the right way. The Judaism faith is the basis for the Islamic and Christian faith, and some of the teachings, especially those of the prophets are the same. There are some common elements of belief exhibited by these groups. They all believe in creation and they believe that God created everything. They worship one God and they have set apart a place for worship. They all believe that there is life after death and that there are eternal rewards after resurrection. They believe that angels exist and that God used prophets to communicate to the people. Moreover, they believe that there is a God, a supreme being in heaven. Some of the teachings are also similar. This is especially the case between the Jews and Christians. Yet despite these commonalities, huge differences exist within these groups.

The three groups usually utilize similar worship practices such as chants, prayer, songs and hymns, though they vary in content. Some of the practices such as charitable works and fasting are also common in these religions. They all believe that there are rewards to be gained after a fast and that fasting is a requirement in the growth of their faith. The three religions also emphasize the concept of giving to the poor. One of the most common and accepted similarities between the two faiths is that of Abraham. All believe that God was the creator of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael and that they are Abraham’s descendants. All set one day for worship; Jews set aside the Sabbath or Saturday, Christians set aside Sunday and Muslims set aside Friday. Jerusalem is an important place to all the religions. All religions stress on sexual purity. They especially discourage sex before and outside of marriage and homosexuality.

Some of the differences between the three religions lie in their understanding of God. The Muslims believe in Allah, who they perceive as impersonal and Unitarian. The Christians on the other hand believe in a Trinitarian God, encompassing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is one of the major differences between Christianity and the other religions. The Muslims do not believe that God could have become man, as the Christians do in the form of Jesus Christ, and the Jews do not understand how the same God can be Trinitarian and yet remain the same God. The Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God but the Muslims consider Him a prophet, just like the other prophets such as Abraham. Allah is presented as an impersonal being while the Christians believe in a loving and merciful God, who calls them His children and requires of them to call Him Father. Christians believe in a savior, who has already come and taken away the sins of humanity. The Jews believe in a coming messiah and they have rejected Jesus as the savior. The Muslims on the other hand do not believe in a savior.

Although there are some similarities between the three religions, there are many differences. Even within the specific religions, there are some noted differences. For instance, in the Islamic faith, some differences exist between the Sunni and the Shiite and the same case applies between the Protestants and the Catholics. The Strict adherents of these religions find major irregularities and dissimilar concepts, most of which are irreconcilable. After a keen observation of the differences between these religions, it is quite clear that there is more to God than the oneness, which is common to all. Jews, Muslims and Christians do not therefore worship the same God