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TU110 Integrated Humanities
Lecture 4
30/11/10
Western Religion
Definitions
 Prophet –
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one who utters divinely inspired revelations
one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight
one who foretells future event
an effective or leading spokesman for a cause, doctrine, or group
 Covenant –
 a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement
 a written agreement or promise
 Corporeal  having, consisting of, or relating to a physical material body
 Sanctify  to free from sin, to purify
Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introduction – The
Abrahamic Religions
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Key Similarities
Key Differences
1. Introduction – The Abrahamic Religions
 Abrahamic religions - monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing
their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition
identified with Abraham.
1.
2.
3.
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
 Estimated that 54% of the world's population consider themselves
adherents of the Abrahamic religions
 They are one of the three major divisions in comparative religion,
along with Indian religions (Dharmic) and East Asian religions (Taoic).
 The one fundamental difference that sets apart the religious
tradition of these three religions is the unifying concept of
monotheism:
“faith in a single, All-Powerful God who is the sole Creator,
Sustainer and Ruler of the universe.” (The Heritage of World Civilizations, p. 56)
First Pillar of Islam - “There is no God but The God (Allah)
and Muhammad is the Prophet of God”
The First (and Second) Commandments (common to Judaism
and Christianity) – “I am the Lord your God : You shall have
no other gods before me”
 Fundamental principles of all worship in a monotheistic
religion:
 The Almighty Creator is seen as a Being actively concerned with
the deeds and doings of His creatures: thus a turning to Him
would eventually lead to a path of divine Grace and Mercy.
 Essentially speaking, God's purpose in creating mankind was for
a very good reason:
“they were called upon to be just and good like their Creator,
for they were involved with the fulfilment of His divine
purpose.” (Craig, Albert, et al; [The Heritage of World Civilizations, page 60])
 God's purpose, was to raise man in rank and elevation in
terms of spiritual conduct and moral excellence.
 Abraham was the twentieth generation from Adam
(greatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgre
atgreatgreatgreatgreatgreat grandson of Adam)
 Abraham was a prophet - sent by God to take possession of the
land of Canaan.
 In Canaan, Abraham entered into a covenant with God:
 In exchange for recognition of Yahweh as his God, Abraham would
be blessed with innumerable progeny (offspring/children) and the
land would belong to his descendants.
 God's promise to Abraham that through his offspring all the nations
of the world would come to be blessed
2. Judaism
 “A 4000 year old tradition with ideas about what it
means to be human and how to make the world a holy
place” (Rabbi Harold Kushner, To Life)
 A “covenant relationship” between God and the
Hebrew people
 A celebration and sanctification of life
 A faith, a people, a way of life…
What do Jews Believe…?
 In one God, creator of the universe, personal but
non-corporeal
 In prophets of old – especially Moses, through
whom Torah was revealed to the Hebrew people
 In Torah (first five books of the Bible), containing
religious, moral and social law which guides the life
of a Jew
 the Hebrew Bible does not include the New Testament
What do Jews Believe…?
 The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (“Israel”) –
origins of the Hebrew people (more than 3800 years
ago)
 Enslaved in ancient Egypt and freed by Moses (more
than 3300 years ago)
 Hebrew monarchy in the “Promised Land” (The Land of
Israel), ends 6th century BCE
 A Jewish messiah will be born, a human leader, who will
rule and unite the people of Israel and will usher in the
‘Messianic Age’ of global and universal peace.
Scriptural sources –
The Jewish Bible
 ‘Tanakh’ refers to the threefold division of the Hebrew Scriptures (the
Law, the Prophets, and the Writings)
1.
The Torah – “Law’ or "Instruction," is also known as the "Five Books" of
Moses (the first 5 books of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible))
2.
Nevi'im - "Prophets," tell the story of the rise of the Hebrew monarchy,
its division into two kingdoms, and the prophets who, in God's name,
warned the kings and the Children of Israel about the punishment of
God
3.
Ketuvim - "Writings" or "Scriptures," may have been written during or
after the Babylonian Exile
As a people, Jews are…
 A nation in Diaspora (dispersed)
 15 – 16 million in worldwide population
 United by a common heritage (an “ethnic”
religion), divided in contemporary practice:
 Orthodox:
 Modern
 Chasidic (Ultra Orthodox)
 Reformed (18th century Germany)
 Conservative – moderates, response to reform
 Reconstructionalism (20th century America)
What are Jews really concerned about?
 Tikkun Olam - “repairing this world” through
justice and righteousness; through “deed, not
creed”
 The heart of Judaism is in the home and family,
social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (“good
deeds” based on God’s commandments)
 Through education and hard work we make our
lives, the lives of others, and the world, what God
intended it to be – Holy!
As a way of life, Judaism is based on…
 613 commandments found in Torah (“Written Law”)
 Talmud (“Oral Law”) – commentary of ancient rabbis that
elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday life
through:
 Dietary rules (Kashrut/Kosher)
 Dress and other symbols
 Prayer and devotion to the one God
 The Temple and Temple rites
 Observance of Holy days
 Proper social relations between male and female, in business,
judicial rulings, etc.
 Thus sanctifying life, blessing it in every way
3. Christianity
 A diverse, 2000 year old religion followed by almost one
third of the world’s population!
 Based on the life, teachings, death and resurrection of a
first century Jew known as Jesus, believed to be the Christ
(messiah, savior) by his followers (thus called “Christians”)
What is the bare essence of Christianity?
 A faith and life based on the person and/or
teachings of Jesus as savior, model, or inspiration
 Use of the New Testament to inform faith and
practice
What do Christians believe?
 Original sin: all humanity is inherently separated
from God
 The sacrifice of Jesus – a sinless representative of
humanity (a “scapegoat”) - as the ultimate
atonement for the sins of humanity
 Heaven and Hell:
 Eternal life for those who are “saved by the blood of the
lamb (Jesus)”
 Eternal damnation for those who are not so saved
What do Christians believe? –
The Trinity
 God the Father residing in heaven (same God worshiped by
Jews and Muslims)
 God the Son (Jesus, the Christ) who “came down from
heaven” to dwell among us, as one of us
 God the Holy Spirit (“Holy Ghost”)
 The spirit of God residing within everyone who accepts the sacrifice
of Christ and thus becomes a Christian
Communion with God the Father is through the Son and the
Holy Spirit
What do Christians believe? –The Christ of
faith
“The “Christ” - born of a virgin in fulfillment of Jewish messianic
expectation to be “king of the Jews”
 The “Son of God” – fully divine and fully human
 The savior of humanity – saving us from sin through his sacrifice on
the cross
 Risen from the dead (resurrection) “on the third day” – overcoming
death so that we too may have “eternal life”
 Ascended into heaven, residing with God “the father” to intervene on
our behalf
 Will come again at the “end of days” to judge the living and the dead
Who was Jesus? – The historical Jesus
 Born, bred, lived, and died a Jew in first century Roman
occupied Palestine
 Around age 30, took on a mission of preaching,
teaching, and healing as an itinerant teacher
 Had a following of 12 primary disciples and countless
multitudes attracted by his miracles and words of wisdom
 A political threat to Roman and Jewish authorities, is put
to death through torturous crucifixion (a Roman
punishment)
What did Jesus teach? - What did he do?
 A story telling teacher who taught through parables about the
Kingdom of God (“the Kingdom of God is like…”)
 A miracle worker and faith healer (“your faith has made you whole”)
 A religious and social reformer (love and the spirit of the law, over
the letter of the law)
 Preaching forgiveness of sin over punishment for sin
 Inspirational words of wisdom:
 The “Sermon on the Mount”
 The “Greatest commandment”: Love God and love others as you love yourself
 The “Golden Rule”: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you
 The “Lord’s Prayer” (“Our Father who art in heaven…”)
Scriptural sources –
The Christian Bible
 Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible)
 New Testament
 Written after Jesus’ death, by his followers, during the first century
 Jesus is the central figure
 Four gospels (“good words”) about the birth, life, teaching, acts,
death, and resurrection of Jesus
 The Book of Acts of the apostles – earliest history of the
developing church
 Epistles (“letters”) of Paul and other evangelists addressed to the
churches they founded and led throughout the Mediterranean
 The Book of Revelation – a vision of the future, the ultimate
destiny of mankind, the culmination of God’s plan for humanity
4. Islam
 Islam = “peace,” “submission”
 Muslim = “submitter”
 Abraham’s two sons:
 Isaac  the Hebrews (Judaism  Christianity)
 Ishmael  the Arabs (Islam)
 Islam respects the two earlier Abrahamic religions as
“Peoples of the Book”
What do Muslims Believe?
 One God (Allah)
 Prophets & Messengers:
 Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Muhammad…
 Holy Books:
 Torah, Psalms, Gospels, Qur’an
 Decrements (destiny) – Inshallah (“if God wills”)
 End Times (eschatology)
 Resurrection, Judgment day, Heaven & Hell
Who was
Muhammad?
 b. 570 CE, d. 632 CE
 Prophet/founder; human, not divine
 Lived in Arabia, near Mecca
 Age 40 - Revelation begins 610 CE, continues throughout
remainder of the Prophet’s life
Scriptural sources – The Qur’an
 Qur’an = “recite,” “recitation”
 Holy book of Islam
 Revealed to Muhammad by God through angel
Gabriel
 Written piecemeal by scribes during or shortly after
Muhammad’s life
 Compiled as a whole about 20 years after
Muhammad’s death
 Hadith and Sunnah (stories, sayings, and traditions of
Muhammad)
 Qur’an + Hadith and Sunnah = Shariah (Islamic Law)
The Development of Islam
 Early persecution by Meccans
 Year 619: wife and uncle both die
 Year 622: Hijrah - migration to Yathrib (Medina = “City of



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the Prophet”) (year 1 AH)
Success in Medina, defense against Meccan attacks
Year 630: Reclaiming of Mecca
Year 632: first Muslim pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, led by
Muhammad who died a few months later, having united the
Arab tribes under the banner of Islam
Within 100 years, spread east toward India and west into
north Africa and Spain
Who are Muslims?
 More than one billion Muslims in the world today
 Two major groups:
 Sunni: 80% in many locations throughout the world
 Shi’ite: 15%, mostly in Iran
 Difference is political, basic beliefs and practices are the
same
 Sufis are Muslim mystics, come from both Sunni and
Shi’ite backgrounds
 Most Muslims are not Arab and not all Arabs are
Muslim
How is Islam Practiced?
The Five Pillars
 Shahada – Witness:
 “There is no God but The God (Allah) and Muhammad is
the Prophet of God
 Salat – Prayer, five times every day
 Zakat – alms giving to the poor and needy
 Sawm – fasting, sun-up to sun-down during month of
Ramadan
 Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca (at least once in a Muslim’s
life, if able)
What is the Ka’aba?
 Located in the center of Mecca
 Pre-dates Islam (said to have been built by
Abraham and Ishmael as an altar to God)
 Used by pre-Muslim Arabs for worship of their
many tribal gods (idols)
 Year 630: reclaimed by Muhammad, cleansed
and rededicated to Allah
 Center of Islam to this day – place of annual
pilgrimage and direction of prayer for Muslims
from all corners of the globe
Prohibitions
Halal (permissible) and Haram (prohibited)
 No eating of pork (other dietary regulations =
halal)
 No gambling
 No intoxicants
 No fornication (homosexuality, adultery,
prostitution, etc.)
 No usury (charging or paying interest on loans)
(the rich shall not profit from helping the poor)
5. Key Similarities
 Abrahamic monotheism
 Acknowledgment of the covenant which the Hebrews of the
Palestine area made with God.
 Belief and ideal that through prayer and establishing a
relationship with God, one can achieve goodness in life and
be in a constant state of peace and tranquillity
 Relative closeness in terms of geographical proximity
5. Key Differences
 Islam and Christianity break away from Judaism when they
acknowledge the holiness and righteousness of Christ.
 Islam breaks away from Christianity when it acknowledges
the Holy Prophet of Islam (Muhammad) as a true prophet
of God who came after Christ to bring God's final law for
the guidance of all mankind.
 Hence, the religions split apart, and their similarities end
when they begin to differ in opinion regarding Christ and
Muhammad.
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
type of theism
strict monotheism
strict monotheism
Trinitarian monotheism
ultimate reality
one God
one God
one God
other spiritual
beings
angels, demons, jinn
angels and demons
angels and demons
revered humans
prophets, imams
(especially in Shia)
prophets
saints, church fathers
identity of Jesus
true prophet of God,
whose message has
been corrupted
false prophet
Son of God, God
incarnate, savior of the
world
birth of Jesus
virgin birth
normal birth
virgin birth
death of Jesus
did not die, but
ascended into heaven
during crucifixion
death by
crucifixion
death by crucifixion
death of Jesus
resurrection of Jesus
second coming of
Jesus
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
did not die, but
ascended into heaven
during crucifixion
death by crucifixion
death by crucifixion
denied
denied
affirmed
affirmed
denied
affirmed
through Prophets,
recorded in Bible
through Prophets and
Jesus (as God
Himself), recorded in
Bible
views vary
inspired, some believe
inerrant in original
languages
divine revelation
through Muhammad,
recorded in Qur'an
view of sacred text
inspired, literal word
of God, inerrant in
original languages
human nature
equal ability to do
good or evil
"original sin"
two equal impulses,
inherited from Adam one good and one bad
tendency towards evil
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
correct belief, good
deeds, Five Pillars
belief in God, good
deeds
correct belief, faith,
good deeds
God's role in
salvation
predestination
divine revelation and
forgiveness
predestination, various
forms of grace
good afterlife
eternal paradise
views vary: either
heaven or no afterlife
eternal heaven
means of salvation
bad afterlife
view of fellow
Abrahamic
religions
eternal hell
views vary: either eternal eternal hell, temporary
Gehenna, reincarnation,
purgatory
or no afterlife
(Catholicism)
Jews and Christians are
Judaism is a true
Islam and Christianity
respected as "People of
religion, but with
are false interpretations
the Book," but they
incomplete revelation.
and extensions of
have wrong beliefs and
Islam is a false
Judaism.
only partial revelation.
religion.