The Abrahamic Faiths

Shared Roots and Divergent Paths

Most people recognize the names Jesus, Mohammad, and Yahweh as symbols of the respective faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. While each of these religions has evolved into distinctly different faiths, their roots come from one man: Abraham. As perhaps the most influential man in history, Abraham is the father to almost four billion people, the origin of three major religions, and acknowledged as a man so obedient that he would sacrifice his only legitimate son in the name of God. Today, the similarities of the Abrahamic religions are dwarfed by the widening chasm of ideologies, practices, and the recent growth of fundamentalism. Despite these great and growing differences, the sister religions each recognize a common ancestry. Who was this man Abraham, and from where did his influence originate? All of these questions can and must be answered in the Old Testament, a series of books written by various authors and acknowledged by all three faiths. There is limited archaeological evidence that can support the story of Abraham, although his original home, Ur of the Chaldees, has been identified. Abraham’s story begins in Genesis 11, verse 26: “When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.” There was no glorious birth, and he is not mentioned in any important role until he is seventy-five years old. From there, he is approached by God and asked to leave his father’s land and follow the path that God has chosen for him. Abraham surrenders himself to the will of God and begins his journey to a new land and a new life that would ultimately be accepted by all three religions as an ideally pure, righteous follower of God willing to sacrifice personal desires for the greater good.

As a consequence of changing his life and accepting this monotheistic God in an overwhelmingly polytheistic society, Abraham is promised four things: God’s blessing, a great name, blessings for those who bless Abraham and curses for those who curse him, and most importantly, to make Abraham the father of a great nation. As an elderly man with an infertile wife, all indications were that Abraham would never fulfill this destiny. Years passed, Abraham still did not have a child, and none of God’s promises had come true. With only his faith in God’s promises to guide him, Abraham continued on his journey and never questioned God. However, Abraham’s wife Sarah did not share his patience and faith. At the age of 86, she convinces him to father a child with their servant Hagar. In a relatively short time, Hagar bears Abraham a son, named Ishmael. In her jealousy, Sarah banishes Hagar and Ishmael, forcing them to leave the land. Despite being from another woman, Ishmael is Abraham’s firstborn and entitled to the inheritance and rights afforded a legitimate firstborn. However, a short time later God promises another son to Abraham and tells him that Ishmael will be taken care of and will be the father of a great nation. Soon, God delivers the promised child to Sarah, who is named Isaac. It is generally accepted that Ishmael is the father of the Arab nations and Isaac is the father of the Jewish nation. The question of which son Abraham favors introduces the question of who are truly God’s favored people.

Abraham’s son Isaac is claimed primarily by the Jewish faith, and Christians symbolically incorporate the near sacrifice of Isaac to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ by his own father. In Genesis 22, God tells Abraham, “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights which I will point out to you.” Scholars today disagree on the true purpose of God’s commandment, but it is believed that God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son to test Abraham’s true faith. When Isaac asks, “Father, here are the firestone and the wood; but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”, the story attempts to bring emotion into the situation and ensure that Abraham did not see this as an easy thing to do. The moment before Abraham brings down the knife upon his son, God stops him and offers Abraham a ram instead, and blesses him for his faith.

While Jewish and Christian traditions claim Isaac as their link to Abraham, Islam claims Ishmael as the center of their religion. Despite a dearth of references to Ishmael in pre-Islamic Arabian sources, it was the prophet Mohammad who several centuries later tied the Arab tribes together under Ishmael, in order to link the Arabs to Abraham and Adam.

Since their beginnings, the Abrahamic religions continued on their individual paths, very different yet very similar. Perhaps the most important feature is monotheism – belief in one god. Throughout history, religions focused on several, rather than one omnipotent being. From the Egyptians to the Hindus, civilizations had powerful gods such as Ra or Shiva, but each was accompanied by a pantheon of other gods that often took human forms and displayed emotions such as anger, greed, or even lust. Judaism was the first to emerge from a polytheistic religious system, naming a solitary, infallible God that created the world and controls each aspect of humanity and our surroundings. Despite differences in beliefs about the true nature of God, his role in determining each individual’s fate, and the afterlife, all three of the sister religions believe in one undeniable higher power. Christianity accepts Jesus as the savior and literal son of God, and Islam believes that Mohammad is the last true prophet (although they also accept Jesus as a prophet). All three religions believe that these were earthly incarnations of the will of a supreme God. Because each religion accepts the Old Testament, it is often viewed that the three religions are different paths to the same God.

All three religions revere the Old Testament as their foundation, and in many cases, they acknowledge each other's precepts. For instance, both Islam and Judaism acknowledge Jesus Christ as a historical human being, but differences arise regarding his role as a savior, a prophet, or simply a great moral teacher. While the Old Testament is the basis for their faiths, each of the three religions has added their own books. The Jewish faith generated the Talmud (writings of Jewish Law) and Mishnah (oral traditions of the Torah). Christians generated the New Testament to capture the good news of Jesus, rendering the Old Testament a historic document and the New Testament the new “law.” Mohammed wrote the Koran to capture his experience with God and God’s teachings. Each of these books is central to their respective beliefs, and in both the Jewish and Islamic traditions, it is expected for true believers to read the scriptures in the original Hebrew or Arabic, respectively. For the most part, the three religions theoretically acknowledge each other as followers of similar spiritual beliefs, such as the Islamic consideration of Jews and Christians as f

Each religion awaits the arrival of a supernatural being, a messiah, who will free the world of suffering, punish the unfaithful, and glorify the righteous. The Jewish faith awaits the coming of a Messiah who will bring about the end of time and herald the “Kingdom of God on Earth.” Christianity argues that the Messiah has already come down from heaven and established his place on earth, but because he was rejected, we must await a Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Islam follows a similar pattern, expecting the coming of Mahdi once the world is comprised solely of worshipping Muslims. Each expects the world to end with the coming of their great leaders, who will return to earth and establish a kingdom on behalf of the righteous.

The Abrahamic religions believe in an afterlife, with the possible exception of Judaism. Christianity and Islam both agree that there is a heaven for believers and a hell for the unrighteous. They believe that heaven is a place of true bliss, where each individual has a true relationship with God and suffering is eliminated. Islam adds several criteria to the concept of heaven, including seven levels, where the highest is reserved for those who die for their faith. Both religions believe in a hell, described as a torturous existence devoid of pleasure and filled with unbearable suffering. Christianity views hell as eternal, while Islam agrees that the punishment is torturous but believes that God allows individuals out of hell when penance is paid. Judaism has concepts of everlasting life after death but focuses more on daily life and abiding by laws.

The practice of the different religions has evolved over time, and today they are drastically different yet contain many similar themes. All hold the seventh day as holy. Judaism observes the Sabbath on Saturdays, and their services include prayers, singing, and reading passages from the Hebrew scriptures. These passages are often discussed in depth, applying modern-day twists on situations their ancestors faced. Judaism has perhaps the most comprehensive system of educating their young, ensuring that every devout Jew is well-versed in critically understanding the Torah and Jewish faith. Most Jews interpret and analyze Jewish scripture, questioning signs of weakness in the words or contradictions. Islam, on the other hand, wrote the Koran with the intent of ensuring that nothing could contradict the work. Muslims pray

Christianity has emerged as one of the leading religions in terms of world affairs, with a spiritual leader in the Pope and majority populations in the most economically advanced nations. This is the most dynamic of the religions, moving away from its traditions in an attempt to appeal to a broader cross-section of the world’s population. Today there are several major denominations of Christianity, ranging from the Catholic Church to Protestantism to Rastafari, each containing sub-denominations. It is a very adaptable religion, because if an individual does not agree with their current denomination on a subject as trivial as electric guitars at service, they can always find another more suitable denomination or even establish their own. Because any person who believes Jesus Christ is the son of God is considered a Christian, the faith is highly adaptable to changing situations and environments.

Islam, on the other hand, often establishes heavy Shar’ia law when possible, discouraging critical thinking about their own religion and the possibility of open dialogue with other religions. Judaism is a very complex religion that believes in God but also documents thousands of rules and lore, making it difficult for individuals to establish personal principles outside of the religion. Additionally, Judaism’s small size and lack of evangelism have created a somewhat stagnant population.

The figure of Jesus Christ also plays a major role in differentiating Christianity from the other religions. Both Judaism and Islam acknowledge Jesus as a historical person, immediately giving credibility to Christianity. Additionally, Jesus was the only one in any of the religions who claimed to be the true messiah, which in many eyes offers proof of the credibility of Christianity. Christians believe that the Messiah physically made an impact on the world and showed the presence of God to the people. The Messiah of Judaism has not yet arrived, raising doubts in many that he may never arrive. Islam has not seen the coming of God either, and many experts question the true story of Mohammad’s sudden enlightenment. While the historical figure of Jesus Christ is acknowledged, there are questions about his true status as either a prophet, messiah, or great moral teacher.

Christianity often sends evangelists to poor areas, which in many cases has made this religion successful. Perhaps because the poor are the most vulnerable to influences, the Catholic Church as well as Protestant groups have strengthened ties with the poorer classes to spread their religion. Many converts are people living in adverse circumstances, and Christianity provides hope for the afterlife along with daily necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing.

Judaism differs from Christianity in that its followers are often quite wealthy, and the religion typically continues through family lines rather than evangelism. Additionally, Judaism focuses more on daily life routines rather than the possibility of the afterlife. Current-day Islam is more similar to Christianity in its proselytizing efforts, yet in many cases, its methods are used for questionable purposes. In places such as Pakistan and Indonesia, Muslims are expected to follow the religion without questioning any aspect of it, on penalty of death. There is often a mixing of religion and government in Islamic societies, creating communities in which free speech or critical thought is repressed.Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all originated from the actions of one man: Abraham. While these religions share a common source, they have drastically evolved to meet the needs and cultures of their adherents.