Comparing Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

• The image provides information about religion
• It compares Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

Islam

• Founded by the prophet Muhammad in the 600s AD in modern-day Saudi Arabia
• Monotheistic religion, believing in one God, Allah
• Holy scripture is the Quran, considered the word of God as revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel
• The Five Pillars of Islam:
  • Shahada: Declaration of faith
  • Salat: Praying five times a day
  • Zakat: Giving to charity
  • Sawm: Fasting during Ramadan
  • Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca
• Belief in the afterlife: those following God's will go to paradise, while others are punished
• Muslims have mosques
• The holiest place for Muslims is Mecca

Buddhism

• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as Buddha, around 500 BC in India
• Focuses on Buddha as a teacher who achieved enlightenment, not a god
• The Four Noble Truths:
  • Life involves suffering (Dukkha)
  • Suffering comes from desire
  • Suffering can end by letting go of desire
  • The path to end suffering is the Eightfold Path
• The Eightfold Path: way to live righteously and achieve enlightenment, including understanding, action, speech, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration
• The goal is to reach Nirvana: a state of inner peace and freedom from suffering and rebirth

Christianity

• Founded on life and teachings of Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD in Roman Palestine
• Monotheistic, believing in one God in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit
• Holy scripture is the Bible, including Old Testament (shared with Judaism) and New Testament
• Jesus Christ is God's Son and the Savior of the world, who was killed and resurrected to give people eternal life
• Salvation: forgiveness of sins and eternal life in God's kingdom by believing in Jesus and following his teachings
• The Ten Commandments: moral code for honoring God, loving others, and living righteously
• Church is a holy place

Judaism

• Rooted in Abraham in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC, with Moses as central figure
• Monotheistic, believing in one God, Yahweh
• Holy scripture is the Tanakh, corresponding to the Old Testament, consisting of Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings)
• Moses and the Law: God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai as rules for living
• Covenant: Jews are God's chosen people through the covenant with Abraham, renewed with Moses
• The goal is to live according to God's will and prepare for the Messiah, who will bring peace
• Synagogues are the holy places

Comparing the Religions

• God: Islam has Allah, Muslims believe that Allah is almighty and unique, Christianity has a trinity, and Judaism the God Yahweh is unique
• Holy Text: Islam follows Koran, Christians the bible for both testaments, and Jewish follow Tanakh
• Jesus: In Jewish they don't believe Jesus is the messiah rather an ordinary man, while Christians believe Jesus to be all God
• Life after death: Jewish have all sorts of belief for afterlife, Christian believers go to Guds rike, and Muslims lives are judged by Allah
• Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all recognize prophets, but focus and importance varies
• All 3 have importance on living right, but view their God differently
• Commonalities: all are monotheistic and emphasis is placed on living righteously according to God's will

Religious Expression

• In some religions women are required to cover faces and hide it, and Jewish people need to wear a hat when preying
• Religions all have their dressing codes and the rules for expressing the religions