Abrahamic Religions Adapted from Huston Smiths The Soul

Abrahamic Religions Adapted from Huston Smith’s The Soul of Christianity 1

4 Interpretations of Holy Text l Literal ¡ What does the text explicitly assert? l Ethical ¡ What does the text tell individuals that they should and should not do? l Allegorical ¡ What are the meanings that Jesus' parables, for example, convey? l Anagogic ¡ What inspiration can people draw from the text? "Inspiration" that with the aid of the Holy Spirit, points them to higher realms in an endless attempt to reach perfection. 2

The Supreme Being in Abrahamic Religions: l Monothiestic l God, Allah (Allah is the Arabic name for God used by Muslims of the world as well as Arab Christians), Hashem, Elohim, Yahweh (YHWH), Yeshua (Jesus) is seen as: ¡ immaterial and invisible or unseen ¡Anthropomorphic ¡Patriarical ¡Omnipotent and infinite ¡A dreadful , perfect force ¡compassionate and merciful 3

PROPHETS AND SCRIPTURES • A Prophet is an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God • A Messiah is a leader or savior of a particular group or cause PROPHETS: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Ishaq, Jacob (Israel), Joseph, Benjamin, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Zakareyya, John, Jesus, and Muhammad (the seal of the prophets). • Muhammad is considered the final or ultimate prophet or God’s official spokesman in Islam • Jesus is considered the Messiah in Christianity and a prophet in Judaism and Islam

Holy Books for Judaism and Christianity l The most holy Jewish book is the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) which was revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai over 3, 000 years ago. l The Torah, together with the Talmud (commentary on the Torah), give the Jewish people rules for everyday life. Observing these rules is central to the Jewish religion l The Christian holy book is the Bible. It is divided into the Old and New Testaments. l The New Testament teaches that God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to restore the broken relationship between people and God which had been caused by human wrong doing. 5

HOLY BOOKS IN ISLAM HOLY BOOKS: • Torah • Zabur (Psalms), • Injeel (Gospel), • Quran (KORAN or Bible of Islam) • The Quran • 23 Years of Revelations (610 - 632 C. E. ) • 114 Chapters; One Chapter, Multiple Revelations • a continuation of the Old and New Testaments ( God’s earlier revelations) “We made a covenant of old with the Children of Israel [and] you have nothing of guidance until you observe the Torah and the Gospel “(5: 70, 68)

• The Jewish World View: ¡Absolute perfection reigns as God ¡ God endowed human beings with intelligence and freedom ¡The human soul is “God-like”: "The kingdom of God is within you. ” ¡People have the potential to go to heaven if they live by the rules of the Torah, do good deeds, and walk a spiritual path ¡The Messiah will come and bring peace to the world 7

• The Christian World View: ¡The Christian world is Infinite ¡Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and an incarnation of God ¡People have the potential to go to heaven if they walk a spiritual path and accept Jesus as their Savior. ¡Absolute perfection reigns as God ¡ God endowed human beings with intelligence and freedom ¡The human soul is God-like "The kingdom of God is within 8 you. ”

The Islamic World View ¡Absolute perfection reigns as God ¡ God endowed human beings with intelligence and freedom ¡The human soul is “God-like”: “The kingdom of God is within you. ” ¡People who establish regular prayer and give regular charity; and obey the apostle will receive mercy. (5 Pillars). 9

THE ORGINS OF THE JUDAISM l Judaism has about 13 million followers throughout the world, mostly in USA and Israel. 267, 000 people in the UK said that their religious identity was Jewish (2001 census). l The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (“Israel”) are the origins of the Hebrew people l Judaism originated in the Middle East over 3500 years ago. l Jews were enslaved in ancient Egypt and freed by Moses (more than 3300 years ago) l Judaism is ethnically grounded in lineage, language, and history 10

The Origins of Christianity • Christianity is the largest religion in the world with over 2 billion followers. 42 million people in Britain today describe themselves as Christian, and there are 6 million who are actively practicing. • Christianity is focused on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe to be the Son of God. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the Middle East over 2000 years ago. • Christianity began with the controversy over whether Jesus was or was not the Messiah • Christians honor their Jewish heritage. 11

The Origins of Islam l Can Be traced to 7 th Century Saudi Arabia (Mecca and Medina) l The youngest of the great world religions l Prophet Muhammad (570 -632 AD) introduced Islam in 610 A. D after experiencing an angelic visitation l Islam means “Surrender” 12

Judaism Teaches l A “covenant relationship” exists between God and the Hebrew people l Religion is the celebration and sanctification of life l There is only one God l There were prophets of old – especially Moses, through whom Torah was revealed to the Hebrew people l The Torah (first five books of the Bible), contains religious, moral and social laws which guide the life of a Jew ¡ the Hebrew Bible does not include the New Testament 13

Christianity teaches: • Religion is the celebration and sanctification of life • There is only one God • There are prophets of old – including Moses, John, and Paul whom are chosen to reveal God’s message • The Torah (first five books of the Bible), and the New Testament (including the Gospels and Revelations) contain religious, moral and social laws which guide the life of a Christian • God's revelation is passed along with: • the New Testament • the church fathers • great theologians and saints 14

Islam Teaches l The Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic arkan ud-Din, "pillars of the faith") are five religious duties expected of every Muslim. Daily confession of faith (shahada) l Daily ritual prayer (salat) l Paying the alms tax (zakat) l Fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm) l Pilgrimmage to Mecca (hajj) l The five pillars are mentioned individually throughout the Qur'an and Muhammad listed them together in the Hadith when he was asked to define Islam. Fulfillment of the Five Pillars is believed to bring rewards both in this life and in the afterlife. l The pillars are acknowledged and observed by all sects of Muslims, although Shi'ites add further obligatory duties, including: jihad, payment of 15 the imam's tax, the encouragement of good deeds and the prevention of evil.

Universals l ""Do not let your hatred of a people incite you to aggression" The Quran(5: 2). l "And do not let ill-will towards any folk incite you so that you swerve from dealing justly. Be just; that is nearest to heedfulness" The Quran(5: 8). l “You have heard that it was said, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy but I sayu to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…(Book of Matthew, The Bible) 16