What would make you kill? To protect your family? To defend your country? What about in the name of God? Just to say it sounds almost blasphemous, but it happens every day all around the world. There is an old saying “There are no atheists in a fox hole.” So when the prayers to vanquish the enemy start, who does God listen to?
In the Old Testament, many a non-believer met his fate at the hands of Joshua and the children of Israel while taking their promised land. According to the Old Testament, God fixed the fight, because the Jews were his chosen people.
A couple thousand years later, Jesus comes along, and changes everything. After his death an entirely new group arose, the Christians. About four hundred year later the followers of a prophet named Muhammad (peace be unto him) started the religion of Islam. All three of these religions share numerous similarities. Most people in this world follow one of these religions and are willing to kill for it. From the beginning of recorded time until today, killing in the name of God is commonplace. Its also commonplace to believe that killing non-believers is God’s will.
But, what if they are praying to the same God as you or I? Almost all of us are well acquainted with the religion of our choice, but the others are usually a complete mystery to us. What are differences? What are the similarities?
It is common knowledge that Christians and Jews share the same God. The big difference is the Christian view that Jesus is the Messiah. But what about Islam? It might be a surprise to some to learn that many of the views of Christians and Jews are shared by Muslims. Abraham (the first Jew), the Israelite Kings, David, Solomon, Elijah and even Jesus are in the Koran (the Muslim holy book). “Allah” means God in Arabic. It’s not a proper title, it means the same thing as God, Yahweh or Jehovah.
The golden rule in the Bible: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,” Matthew 7:12, is also in the Koran: “Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,” Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi 13 (hadith–words of Muhammad).
Many of the same religious sites in the Middle East are sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians. Many of the scriptures are the same, All three are monotheistic religions (religions which enjoin belief in one God). There are literally thousands of comparisons, but one of the most striking ones is the ten commandants. They appear in both books.
Exodus 20:3?You shall have no other gods before Me
Qur’an 17:23?Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him La illa ha illa Allah [there is none worthy of worship but God]
Exodus 20:4?You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Qur’an 22?Avoid filthy rites associated with idols and also false invocations, remaining firm in faith towards God, without associating anyone with Him.
Exodus 20:7?You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Qur’an 7:180?And Allah’s are the best names, therefore call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His names; they shall be requited for what they did.
Exodus 20:8 – 11?Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Qur’an 4:154?Transgress not in the matter of the Sabbath
Exodus 20:12?Honor your father and your mother
Qur’an 17:23?Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents.
Exodus 20:13?You shall not kill
Qur’an 17:33?Nor take life which Allah has made sacred
Exodus 20:14?You shall not commit Adultery
Qur’an 17:32?Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).
Exodus 20:15?You shall not steal.
Qur’an 2:188?And do not eat up unjustly the property of each other among yourselves nor convey their cases to the authorities for devouring unlawfully some portion of the property of the people knowingly
Exodus 20:16?You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Qur’an 2:42?And cover not truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know
Exodus 20:17?You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Qur’an 4:32?And in no wise covet those things in which Allah Hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others
However, there are also some striking differences in the major monotheistic religions. The big dividing point is the view of Jesus. Muslims and Jews do not believe in the Trinity. They view Jesus as a prophet, not the son of God. Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God and died for our sins by being crucified on a cross. Muslims believed that Jesus rose into the heavens, in the same fashion as Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) .
There are many differences in practice as well. The Muslim code requires a stringent adherence to prayer and pilgrimage practice. Although our legal system was originally based on Hebrew law, Christians do not adhere to the code as strictly as the Jewish faith.
With comparison, it is easy to see that all three monotheistic religions share the same God. They were all born in the same region, share many of the same scriptural histories and Holy sites.
Running the risk of editorializing, it seems to me that a little education and tolerance of other religions would go a long way in helping us all live The Golden Rule.
