Compare and contrast Christianity with Islam and Judaism Essay

Compare and contrast Christianity with Islam and Judaism - Essay Example All of them rely not so much on internal experience or mystical contact and leadership, as sacred rituals, faith and work, which lead man to God. Each of these religions believes that God has a special â€Å"agreement† (covenant) with his followers, although â€Å"terms and conditions of an agreement† are different. Jews, Christians and Muslims are united by faith in one God. All we pray to one God, compassionate and merciful Creator, but cognize him, at the same time, in totally different ways. St. Simeon, the New Theologian, who lived in Byzantium at the turn of the first and second millennia, gave the best, in my opinion, interpretation of God’s cognition - God is cognized by us so far forth as we can see a boundless sea, standing at night on a coast with a small candle in hands (cited in Neusner, Chilton, and Graham 122). The oldest, out of the three, monotheistic religion of mankind is Judaism. It appeared 1000 BC approximately. The nomadic Hebrew tribes liv ed on the territory of ancient Egypt and around it. Their religious leaders, or prophets, partly borrowed their ideas from religious beliefs, which spread in the region by that time, but with one great difference – they practiced the religion in one Almighty God. Hebrews believe that God requires obedience to a strict moral code and claim that they have a monopoly on the truth, considering, thus, their religion as the only correct one. Christianity inherited from Judaism many of the views, which subsequently became its integral part. â€Å"Both Christianity and Islam recognize Judaism as being a foundation for their beliefs. And Judaism, for its part, recognizes that there is a human history that precedes it.†(Golomb 18)...Belief takes many different forms; these forms are called religions. The word â€Å"religion† is literally translated from Latin as â€Å"connection.† Connection with God. Connection with the Universe. Connection with people around. A l ot of different religions existed and exist now.The main concept of Christianity is a belief in Jesus Christ, the only God-Man, and Savior. Jesus was an orthodox Jew and Christianity emerged as a sect within Judaism. By the way, it is not clear still whether Jesus wanted to create his own religion. Another great truth of Christianity is the Trinity of God. Most Christians, and especially non-Christians, have a very poor understanding of the Tripersonality. Part of Jews and Muslims even believe that Christians are not monotheists, but tritheists. (Muslims believe in one God, who is called God the Father in Christianity). The Christian church included into the Bible Hebrew Scriptures – the Old Testament, a common sacred text of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Islam, the second largest world religion, and Christianity have partly common origin. Islam comes from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, who lived in the VII century BC and is based on The Five Pillars of Islam - fiv e essential religious duties. Muslims believe that Allah has spoken through the previous prophets, including Moses and Jesus, who shared faith with Hebrews and Christians before the advent of Muhammad, whose doctrine is the most accurate expression of Allah’s will.

Realisms, Fantasy And Utopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Realisms, Fantasy And Utopia - Essay Example However, mansions and gold have proven to be resources of greed and unhappiness throughout human history and to be in the presence of God would be to stand in stark contrast to pure Grace, the human existence frail and without virtue in comparison, thus there is no way in which a human can understand what it would mean to live in a state of perfection. When trying to imagine Utopia, it is likely that it will change from individual to individual. Thus, Utopia, as it is represented as a community, cannot exist as perfection, a place in which perfect peace and harmony can be found, would not exist. There is little that can be found in this world that represents a one-sided place in which all things are found to have value and elevated meaning to all people who reside in this place. Utopia must be all things to all of its inhabitance, and there has been no place, time, or setting in which this type of nirvana has been reached. Human existence is defined by its struggles, by the way in wh ich one point of view comes into conflict with another. In fact, this type of conflict is necessary for the satisfaction of many people. Thus, a place with harmony and without conflict would be a hell for some people, their ambitions stilted by the inability to engage in conflicts of ideologies. Without those types of conflicts, dissatisfaction would be born of complacency, apathy, and boredom. To find perfection would kill the spirit, thus the humanity of human life would be discovered undone. Therefore, the only type of Utopia that could exist would not be in creating a place that left all people fulfilled and in peace, but one that changed the human nature to no longer have ambition. In this world, bliss would rule the human spirit, thus whatever existed within the space that was Utopia, would allow for harmony and satisfaction. The fact is that Utopia cannot be a place, it can only be a condition of life, a situated state in which the human need to strive and to be in conflict i n order to achieve greater achievement and enlightenment was no longer a part of the human experience. Utopia is not a place, thus it cannot be achieved. This type of place is not within the ability of human imagination. To write of existence is to frame a place in which nothing happens, thus there is no story to its existence. Nothing would happen because if it were a true place, if Utopia existed, the people within it would move through their days without highs and lows of emotions. Without these highs and lows, there is no measure of emotional feeling, thus to know joy would not exist because there would be no sorrow against which to measure it. People have understood this through their religious history. Of all things, religion is the ultimate proof that Utopia cannot exist. There is no religion that has been found in the research for this discourse that does not reveal the need for balance. The closest is the Judeo-Christian religion that sets a course of beliefs that intends t hat the balance of good, the evil that weights the darker side of