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

4 Interpretations of Holy Text Literal What does the text explicitly assert? Ethical What does the text tell individuals that they should and should not do? Allegorical What are the meanings that Jesus' parables, for example, convey? 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. It follows from the above that exegesis that stops with the literal meaning of a text - the lowest of the four steps on the ladder - cannot do that text full justice.  Seeming contradictions can be resolved in a multileveled view of things. It is not possible to read scripture seriously of we stay within the stifling confines of literalism.

The Supreme Being in Abrahamic Religions: Monothiestic 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

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 It is customary for muslems to add “blessings and peace be upon him anytime Muhammad’s name is mentiond

Holy Books for Judaism and Christianity 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. 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 The Christian holy book is the Bible. It is divided into the Old and New Testaments. 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. The family and community are very important within Jewish life. The most important day of the week is Shabbat (the Sabbath). It is the day on which Jews remember the seventh day of creation on which God rested. On Shabbat Jews stop working and make time for God and family life. Shabbat starts on Friday evening and ends at sunset on Saturday. Shabbat begins with the family sharing a meal. During Shabbat, services are held at the synagogue, often led by a Rabbi.

Holy Books in Islam The Quran 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) It is customary for muslems to add “blessings and peace be upon him anytime Muhammad’s name is mentiond Muslims regard the Old and New testaments as sharing two defects from which the Koran is free: They believe they record only portions of the truth because the Jewish and Christian Bibles were partially corrupted in transmission…This helps explain discrepencies

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

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 you.” without intellegenge they would be mere puppets. We are mixed bags, capable of great nobility and horrendous evil. Our besetting sin is to put ourselves ahead of others; egotism or self-centeredness is built into us.  We cannot get rid of that handicap, but we can and must work at restraining it. Mind is more important than body, our souls are more important than either of the foregoing, and Spirit is the breath of God which is the foundation of our being.

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) . Islam honors Jesus as a prophet and acknowledge his Virgin Birth, acknowledge that Jesus and Adam are the only two souls that god created directly. They do not agree in giving God a parental identity even in metaphor because it is too human.

THE ORGINS OF THE JUDAISM 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). The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (“Israel”) are the origins of the Hebrew people Judaism originated in the Middle East over 3500 years ago. Jews were enslaved in ancient Egypt and freed by Moses (more than 3300 years ago) Judaism is ethnically grounded in lineage, language, and history Claims to superiority appear in every religion. There is a new mood in Christendom, a recognition that though for Christians God is defined by Jesus, he is not confined to Jesus.

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. -By responding to God's invitation, the Jews had risen to a spiritual level that was head and shoulders above that of their neighbors. To this day Jews accept converts but do not seek them. Early Christians felt that Judaism was not the kind of religion open to all people. According to early Christians, Christianity entered history through God's revelation in Christ

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

Judaism Teaches A “covenant relationship” exists between God and the Hebrew people Religion is the celebration and sanctification of life There is only one God There were prophets of old – especially Moses, through whom Torah was revealed to the Hebrew people 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 Tikkun Olam - “repairing this world” through justice and righteousness; through “deed, not creed” The heart of Judaism is in the home and family, social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (“good deeds” based on God’s commandments) Through education and hard work individuals make our lives, the lives of others, and the world, what God intended it to be – Holy! The commandments found in Torah (“Written Law”) Talmud (“Oral Law”) – commentary of ancient rabbis that elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday life through

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 The outreach of believers . Christians believe that the crucifixion was both the end and the beginning. They believe Jesus was resurrected and Forty days after he died, Jesus ascended into heaven. his followers would become Jesus' worldly body, doing what he would do if he still had physical hands and feet. Jesus' resurrection proved the status of goodness in the universe. His resurrection offered evidence that goodness has power - indeed, ultimate power. In his resurrection, goodness triumphed over death. His disciples had two qualities in which their lives abounded - mutual regard and happiness. Three intolerable burdens had been lifted from believers' shoulders. fear, including fear of death. release from guilt. release from the cramping confines of the ego.

Islam Teaches 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) Daily ritual prayer (salat) Paying the alms tax (zakat) Fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm) Pilgrimmage to Mecca (hajj) 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. The pillars are acknowledged and observed by all sects of Muslims, although Shi'ites add further obligatory duties, including: jihad, payment of the imam's tax, the encouragement of good deeds and the prevention of evil.

Universals ""Do not let your hatred of a people incite you to aggression" The Quran(5:2). "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). “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)