Monotheistic Religions Essay

In what ways is the Holy Land an important site for all three monotheistic faiths? Jerusalem is a home to holy sites that are sacred to the three religions. The city contains many houses of worship. It is also a place of ongoing tensions between religious and ethnic groups. The three major monotheistic religions are sometimes described as branches of the same family tree. If this is true, how would you describe the trunk of the tree? All three major monotheistic religions claim they began with Abraham. Judaism and Christianity claim that their founders descended from Abraham’s son Isaac. Islam claims descent through his other son, Ishmael. How are the three major holy books of the monotheistic faiths both similar and different? All three faiths have the similar messages from the Holy Book that there is only one god. For all three faiths they have different names for their Holy Book; Torah, Bible, Qur’an. How are the basic beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike? All three religions only believe in one god. Jews, Christians, and Muslims honor the Ten Commandments. Followers of all three religions practice some type of fasting. Typically all three involve in prayer and worship with other followers. Afterlife is believed by the three religions. All three faiths hold that humans have a soul. What types of internal differences and divisions exist within each religion? Major Jewish sects include Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox. Christianity has many denominations but the largest branches are Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Islamic world is largely divided between two major groups, Sunni and Shi’a Islam. What characteristics and beliefs of the three religions make them different? Each have a different main holy book. Religious leaders are a rabbi, priest/minister/pope/, and imam. Their house of worship also differ.