COMPARISON OF JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY & ISLAM

ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS

DATE AND PLACE FOUNDED

• Judaism—approx. 1300 B.C. in Palestine

• Christianity—approx. 33 A.D. in Palestine

• Islam—622 A.D. in Saudi Arabia

Founders & early leaders

• Judaism—Abraham & Moses

• Christianity—Jesus Christ

• Islam--Muhammad

Followers are called…

• Judaism—Jews

• Christianity—Christians

• Islam—Muslims, Islamists

Clergy called…

• Judaism—rabbis

• Christianity—bishop, pastor, preacher, minister, priest, pope, archbishop…

• Islam--imams

House of worship/day of worship

• Judaism—synagogue or temple/Saturday

• Christianity—church, cathedral, chapel/ Sunday

• Islam—mosque/Friday

Original language/Names for God

• Judaism– Hebrew/Yahweh, Elohim

• Christianity—Hebrew, English, Greek, Latin…/God, the Trinity

• Islam--/ArabicAllah

Sacred Texts (holy books)

• Judaism—Torah…Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)

• Christianity—Old and New Testament

• Islam– Qur’an (Koran)

Type of theism

• All three are MONOTHESITHIC…meaning a belief in one god.

Judaism—one GodChristianity—Trinity (God, the father, God, the

Son, & God the Holy Spirit)Islam—one God

Symbols

• Judaism—Star of David

• Christianity—cross

• Islam—crescent moon & star w/name of Allah in Arabic

View of Abrahamic Religions

• Judaism—”Islam & Christianity are false interpretations & extensions of Judaism.”

• Christianity—”Judaism is a true religion, but with incomplete revelation. Islam is a false religion.

• Islam—”Jews & Christians are respected as fellow believers, but with wrong beliefs & only partial revelation.

Women’s roles

• Judaism—strong within the family, responsible for keeping traditions, but no roles within the religious community.

• Christianity—can be religious leaders• Islam—strict roles within the family,

responsible for keeping traditions, rearing of children, absolute no roles within the religious community

Identity/Death/Resurrection of Jesus

• Judaism—false prophet/death by Crucifixion/denied

• Christianity—Son of God/the Messiah, Savior/death by Crucifixion/Affirmed

• Islam—prophet of God/did not die, but ascended into heaven/denied; since he did not die

Afterlife

• Judaism—eternal heaven or no afterlife/eternal hell or no afterlife

• Christianity—eternal heaven/eternal hell

• Islam—eternal paradise (heaven)/eternal hell

Jerusalem…

• All three considered Jerusalem a sacred city.

Locations & followers world wide TODAY

• Judaism—Europe, Israel, North America– 14 million (ranks 12th)

• Christianity—Europe, Israel, N & S America2 billion (ranks 1st)

• Islam—Africa, Middle East, & SE Asia 1.3 billion (ranks 2nd)

IN the USA…

• Judaism—5.6 million

• Christianity—159 million

• Islam—1.1 million