Christianity And Judaism Similarities

Commonality and differences between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

When exploring the background of different religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism similarities are present between the three, however there are also dissimilarities as well. “Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are all monotheistic religions founded in the Middle East. Often grouped together as “Abrahamic religions”, these three faiths share common history and tradition, a respect for the Bible, a conviction that there is only one God, a belief in prophets and divine revelation, and a holy city in Jerusalem, among other things. But Christianity, Islam, and Judaism also differ significantly in matters of belief and practice, from their understanding of God to the

One organization known as the, ICCJ International Council of Christians and Jews. “Which has 38 Christian-Jewish and interreligious member organizations in 32 countries. Its headquarters is in the Martin Buber House in Heppenheim, Germany, where the great Jewish thinker lived until Nazi persecution forced him to flee. Through its annual conferences and other consultations the ICCJ offers a platform where Christians, Jews, and in recent years Muslims as well, examine current issues across national and religious boundaries, providing the opportunity for face-to-face exchanges of experience and expertise.”(ICCJ) We also have seen that the World Council of Churches organization has brought together young Christians, Muslims, and Jews to work together for things such as climate justice. A 21- year- old Muslim student by the name of Tariq Abdul Akbar had this to say during an interview with the WCC “Where I come from, I observe separations within diversity. It is often politics rather than religious philosophies that divide us,” said Akbar. “However, we must know as people of faith that we need to put aside our religious differences and come together to raise awareness about climate change. After all this is a human rights issue and affects all people in the world.”(“Climate Justice”) Another group that has pledged

Throughout history religious violence has happened all over the world. This polarization between Christians, Muslims and Jews has been brought on by wars, injustices, and persecutions created by groups and individuals stirring up religious divisions in hopes of achieving political and/or material gain. The belief that there is only one true religion; fosters more violence and abuse than anything else. From dropping bombs on villages to burning down a religious group’s house of worship, once someone believes that their doing “Gods will” they can become quite courageous, and will do anything to justify their cause. This is why interfaith dialogue is important, because without a better understanding of religion society will never be at peace. According to Dr. Ahmad Mohamed El Tayeb “It is not religion that is the root cause of world problems, as some people may want to assert, but rather the misunderstanding of religion that ends up plaguing the world. Interfaith dialogue can certainly serve to bring about a higher level of understanding of different religions on a global level, which will also hopefully lead to more tolerance, acceptance of others, and appreciation for all humanity.” (“An Islamic View”