Comparing Marriage Views: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Compare and contrast the positions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam on a moral issue such as marriage. (Note: focus on the methods of approaching moral issues, including the use of scripture).

In Christianity, Islam, and Judaism the form and practices of marriages may be differ, however, all three faiths emphasize their special covenant with God, for Judaism through Moses, Christianity through Jesus, and Islam through Muhammad. a

From a Christian’s point of view, marriage is an institution created by God between a man and a woman (Mat 19:3:4) The book of Matthew goes on to show that for the sake of marriage a man would leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. Copeland refers to marriage like a tent, whose walls shelter a man and a woman - one man and one woman - the one consecrated to the other (Copeland, M 2015) http://executableoutlines.com. God’s plan for the married couple is to avoid temptation and fornication. According to Matthew 19: 6, “What therefore hath God joined together, let not man put asunder.”

God, as we have seen when he first created Adam also made Eve from his rib and here the divine wisdom is very clearly displayed (Copeland, M). Eve was not created from the

(John L. Esposito 2012 islamicity.org). Christianity accepts God’s covenant with and revelation to the Jews but traditionally has seen itself as superseding Judaism with the coming of Jesus. Thus, Christianity speaks of its new covenant and New Testament. So, too, Islam and Muslims recognize Judaism and Christianity: their biblical prophets (among them Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus) and their revelations (the Torah and the New Testament, or Message of Jesus). In addition, Islam makes frequent reference to Jesus and to the Virgin Mary, who is cited more times in the Quran than in the New Testament (Esposito J,