Download file - Andy Bui's Senior Portfolio

Andy Bui
Honors English 12
Multi-genre Research Project
Mrs. Livingston
Introduction
Dear Reader,
The following contents within this collection of media and literature pieces cover the subject
of the three Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. To many, these three religions are
three completely separate denominations and are just as different as any other respective religion.
This project serves as a gateway to understanding that not only do all Christians, Jews and Muslims
originate from the same concept, but they all worship the same God and other major Abrahamic
figures. From Moses and the exodus of the Hebrews to the Great Flood and Noah’s Ark, these three
religions are legitimate sister religions.
The misconception that each of these religions is completely different faiths has led to the
abuse of discrimination and alienation due to affiliation of religion. After 9/11, Americans were
looking for a group to blame and with the 19 hijackers being of Muslim faith; Islam was targeted as
the enemy religion. Americans, many who are Christian, began to deface Allah, branding him as a
god of violence. What most of them didn’t realize was that Allah is actually the Arabic word for ‘god’
and that this ‘Allah’ was their God also. Muslims believe that Abraham, Moses and Jesus were all
prophets of God before the prophet Mohammed, whom they believed carried the true and final
message of God.
I’ve brought upon this topic because I myself am a Catholic and I find all of this argument and
bigotry from one religion over another is just plain childish, so please enjoy as I discover the truth
behind the relationship between these three sister religions of the Abrahamic faith.
Table of Contents
I.
Timeline –
 Explore the chronological history of the Abrahamic faiths from the
formation of Judaism all the way to the Christian Crusades
II.
Informational Comparison Chart –
 This chart will allow you to compare and contrast the three faiths
under several categories and see how they stand side by side, from
their books to the meaning of their names
III.
Comic Strip –
 A humorous depiction and explanation of why the three faiths even
formed
IV.
Poem –
 A poetical piece covering my view on the subject matter at hand.
The three Abrahamic sisters at war
Timeline of the Abrahamic Religion
2000-1700BCE – Abraham and his successors establish the Jewish faith.
1280BCE – Within this time, the exodus from Egypt of 600,000
Hebrews occurs and Judaism becomes the first major monotheistic
religion.
4BCE – Jesus of Nazareth is born
30BCE – Jesus is crucified by Pontus Pilate under pressure by top
Jewish figures.
35CE – Saul of Tarsus becomes the Apostle Paul and begins to spread
the word of Jesus
60-68CE – Paul is executed by the Romans and Saint Peter is crucified
312-324CE – Emperor Constantine of the Eastern Roman Empire
becomes the first Christian monarch
570CE – Muhammad is born in Mecca to a noble and rich family
610CE – Muhammad is ‘visited’ by the archangel Gabriel and claims to
be a prophet of God.
630CE – Muhammad returns to Mecca with a huge amount of followers
and Islam is established as religion within the city
633CE – Muhammad passes away and his father in law becomes the
caliph of the Muslims.
Footnote: This comic depicts the basic explanation of each faith’s beliefs. The Jews believe
Moses was the messenger of God and that everyone after him was a heretic. The Christians
believe that Jesus was the messenger of God and that Moses was just a predecessor to Jesus.
They also believe those after Jesus was a false prophet. Finally, the Muslims, who believed
that Moses, Jesus and Mohammad were all prophets of God, but denounced Jesus as a son of
God or embodiment of God. Evidently the last slide depicts a man who doesn’t see a big deal
over who the messenger was, but rather focuses on the idea of their common God.
Comparison Chart
Judaism
Date of Origin
1800BC, formed
under Abraham,
Father of Isaac
Size(population
)
Holy Text
15 million
Day of Prayer
House of
Worship
Different
Groups
Saturday
Synagogue
View on
Prophets/
Messengers
Moses was
prophet, Jesus
was not
Torah (Old
Testament)
Reform/Orthodo
x
Christianit
y
30CE,
during and
after the
birth and
death of
Jesus
Christ
2 billion
Old and
New
Testament
(Holy
Bible)
Sunday
Church/
Chapel
Catholics/
Protestants/
Orthodox
Jesus was
the son of
God,
Messiah
and true
Prophet
Muslim
622CE, during
the lifetime of
Mohammed.
1.5 billion
The Quran as
well as the Old
and New
Testament are
relevant
Friday
Mosque
Shia/Sunni/Suf
i
Both Jesus and
Moses were
prophets but
Mohammed is
the true and
final messenger
Three Rooms
I once knew three brothers,
Who all shared the same house.
With the oldest brother living in the basement, refusing to ever come out,
Criticizing his brothers for building higher levels to this one united house.
His name was Jude and he was adamant against his brothers.
Truly believing that God did not have an immaculate born son Jesus or mother
Nor did he ever descend down to Earth.
His brother Christian believed otherwise.
He said, ‘Jude trust me for all that I am worth’.
Jude shut him down and denounced the son of God and rushed back to his home.
Isaiah stepped into the picture.
He said, ‘Christian, forgive Jude for that is all that he has known.’
Christian stared at him, questioning his youngest brother’s stance
Isaiah told him, ‘Jude might be right; God did not have a son. Rather Jesus was only God’s
prophet, like a soldier with his gun’.
For the next few years, appliances were broken, glasses were shattered and the house just fell
apart.
The windows are stained, the wood is chipped and the lights flickered like a slowly dying heart.
The three sat at the dinner table on night, timid as always,
Until their niece stood up and had something to say.
She told them, ‘Why do you guys argue like every other day?
Always trying to force your belief on one another and never letting the situation go away.
Do you see what’s happened to this House? Nobody wants to visit us because of the mess that
we have made.
Doesn’t that seem odd?
That your petty differences destroyed something that was supposed to be the tangible
representation of God?
I once knew three brothers.
Notes:

Jews believe that Abraham was the founder of Judaism and that he had made a covenant
with God

Jews reject the idea of Jesus being a prophet of God and do not see him as the son of
God. He is a normal Jew to them

The Jews believe that Hebrews are the holy people of the Torah, whom Moses led out of
Egypt in the mass exodus.

Jesus was born in 4BCE.

BCE stands for ‘Before Common Era’.

Jesus was crucified in 30CE by the Roman governor Pontus Pilate.

Saul of Tarsus later changed to Paul the Apostle

The Christian faith bases their beliefs in both the Old and New Testament, with the Old
Testament basically being the holy book of the Jews

Muhammad was born in 570CE

Muhammad did not claim to be a prophet until he was 40 years old where he was
supposedly visited by the arch angel Gabriel.

Mecca was established as the Islamic capital when Muhammad returned to the city with a
plethora of followers.

Muslims do believe in the teachings of the Holy Bible and the Torah but incorporate
them into the Koran, which they believe is the truly revised account of God’s message

Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet but his message was corrupted so Muhammad
was sent to spread the true word of God.

Christians, Jews and Muslims have had several military conflicts with one another such
as the Jewish uprisings, the Crusades and the Spanish Reconquista.

In 1948, the state of Israel was created, which sparked huge controversy and tensions
flared up between Muslims and Jewish communities.
MLA Works Cited Page and Etcetera
"A People Is Born." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 6 May 2015.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heritage/timeline.html
"Chronology." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 6 May 2015.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/cron.html
"Religion: Three Religions, One God." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 6 May 2015.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/themes/religion/
"Timeline of Islam." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 6 May 2015.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/timeline.html
Comic made on ToonDoo.com
"Compare Christianity vs. Islam vs. Judaism - Compare Christianity Islam
Judaism." Compare Christianity vs. Islam vs. Judaism - Compare Christianity
Islam Judaism. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2015.
http://www.religionfacts.com/compare/christianity-islam-judaism
Clemmons, Nancy. Exploring the Religions of Our World. Notre Dame, IN: Ave
Maria, 1999. Print.