The Messiah will come, & dead will be resurrected at the end of days
These beliefs are disputed by different movements of Judaism (the main ones are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform), but are widely accepted
Judaism focuses a lot on the relationship of God with the Jewish people
Jews, particularly Orthodox ones, also recognize some 613 "mitzvot" (commandments) that Jews should obey in order to live a just, spiritual life
The singular nature of God means that God is responsible for both good and evil, and not some Devil or similarly powerful evil entity
Jews feel that God, having no physicality, cannot therefore be of any given gender, & is referred to as "He" because Hebrew has no neutral gender
Like Christianity and Islam, Jews believe that God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient, and is perfect and eternal
Jews believe that there will be a messiah, who will be a great leader descended from King David, and who will be a military leader and judge for the people of Israel. This messiah will not be God, nor some sort of supernatural being; rather, he will be a human being- Jesus wasn’t him
When he comes, he will lead the Jews back to their homeland, restore Jerusalem & the Temple, & establish a gov’t to rule the world
This "messianic age" would see the elimination of all strife, peaceful co-existence would become the norm, & all would recognize Judaism
Jewish Attitudes Towards Non-Jews
Jews believe that all righteous people, whatever their faith or beliefs, will have a place in the world to come, whatever that ends up being
Jews have a special status, but that also comes with greater responsibility than that imposed on non-Jews-- Jews must keep the Torah & its 613 commandments- non-Jews are obliged only to the seven "Laws of Noah"
The Laws of Noah are basic guidelines for behavior that Jews believe were given to Noah and his family after God saved them from the flood. Since everyone is thought to have descended from these survivors, then all should be bound to these laws in perpetuity:
Establish courts of justice, do not commit blasphemy, idolatry, incest or adultery, bloodshed, robbery, & do not eat flesh cut from a living animal
For Jews, the laws are more extensive, since they are though to know and understand the correct forms of behavior.
The Role of Women in Judaism
Jewish women are neither superior nor inferior, but are rather separate
Like men, they are created in the image of God, & thus deserve respect
It is widely felt that women are more intuitive than men, and they have historically/biblically been less inclined to stray from God's ideals
For this reason, it is felt that women should not seek as much education as men, because they would neglect their other roles to become closer to God
Legally, Jewish women have had more rights than most women in Western cultures for thousands of years, only "falling behind" in the last century.
Women have held rights to own, buy, and sell property, to enter into their own contracts, to be free from mistreatment within their marriages, and to be consulted on their feelings about prospective marriages since the Pharaohs ruled in Egypt, things not all American women can say today
Having said that, it is felt that the primary role of a woman is to a wife and mother, and keeper of the household and all things domestic. They are exempted from certain of the mitzvot when those conflict with their primary roles, and thus do not "count" for certain services where a minimum number of people are to attend
Christianity
Christianity is an offshoot of the Hebrew religion, and now claims approximately 1/3 of the world's population as followers (over 2 billion)
Christianity originated as a Jewish cult in the early part of the 1st century, when a small group of Jews became convinced that a man named Jesus (b. 4 BC) was the messiah, & perhaps literally the Son of God, who had come to renew the covenant between God & humanity & expunge the sins of man
Christianity claimed that all people were alike in spirit & could be members
Led first by Jesus and later by Saul/Paul, and quickly gained converts from among all the various peoples of the region, starting with the poor
The followers of Jesus (known as Jewish Christians) eventually split from the Jewish community because they felt that He was the messiah who had been promised in the Torah, while most Jews rejected this claim
One of the main events in this split was a Jewish revolt in 70 AD which the Pauline Christians did not participate in, going instead to Pella in Jordan.
The surviving Pauline Christians were mostly gentiles, and many lived in the Roman Empire, where they were unusually persecuted for their refusal to accept the Caesars as divine beings
Eventually, the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity & in 313 he declared (Pauline) Christianity to be the official & exclusive religion of the Roman Empire, through which it spread throughout Europe and the Med
Church authority was divided between the five bishops (or patriarchs) of the Church, located in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome, but gradually centered around two poles: Rome and Constantinople
In 1054, these two branches of Christianity, which had grown apart in belief & practice, split, establishing Roman Catholic Church & Orthodox Church
The Catholic Church split again in 1517 when a priest named Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a door in Germany & started Protestant Reformation
Protestants have divided still further into many denominations, all of which consider themselves (as do the Catholics and Orthodox) to be Christian
Basic Beliefs
The basic belief structure of Christianity was established by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD after a series of heresies had divided the Church against itself. At Nicea, the Emperor Constantine called the Council to establish what the basic beliefs of Christianity actually were. They eventually agreed on a statement of faith, which survives today as the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Having said this, there are at least a few core beliefs:
God is a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Jesus died, and was resurrected as proof of His divinity
Heaven exists, as does a Hell (who goes to either varies widely)
Baptism is an important self-declaration of one's Christian status
Divisions
In addition to the Catholic and Orthodox split, the Protestants have split many times on their own. There are currently about 1,000 different denominations in the United States
These can be (very roughly) divided into Conservative, Mainline/Mainstream, and Liberal
Conservatives tend to view only "saved" individuals as Christian, and see Christianity as a personal relationship with their Savior
They see the Bible as inerrant & inspired directly from God, thus being both infallible and completely literal
Bible is seen as inflexible- was and is completely correct as written
Conservative Christians tend to believe that all other religions are wholly false, and are often viewed as opposing forces
Mainline Christians tend to see those who follow the teachings of Jesus as Christian, and are thus more inclusive
Liberal Christians are even more inclusive, and are often said to have abandoned true Christianity by the other denominations
They see the Bible as a document edited and arranged by humans to meet their needs, having selected from different Gospels those which seemed most appropriate, and they believe that the text cannot therefore always be taken literally, since it expresses the opinions of humans
The Bible is somewhat outdated, and needs interpretation to apply to the modern world
Liberal Christians tend to view all religions as potentially true within their own contexts
Islam
The word Islam literally means "submission (to the will of God)," and the religion is practiced by approximately 1/5 of the world's population
Islam follows Judeo-Christian tradition, & sees itself as the inheritor of that tradition, but believes that their religion is the most accurate and up-to-date
Islam was founded by a Arabic merchant named Mohammed (b. 571 AD), who had grown up earning a reputation for fairness, honesty, and integrity
At the age of forty, Mohammed was visited by the angel Gabriel, who instructed him to "recite" the word of God to his fellow human beings
This recitation became the Qur'an, as Mohammed taught it to his followers. Mohammed himself could neither read nor write, but he recited the Qur'an orally, and had his followers memorize it and recite it back to him
A further book of the prophet's actions, explanations, and sayings is called the Sunnah, and is documented extensively
The Prophet died around 630AD, leaving the Arabian peninsula mostly Islamic, although his followers split into two principle factions after his death (the Sunni and the Shi'a)
Basic Beliefs
The Five Pillars of Islam- All Muslims are required to incorporate the Five Pillars of Islam into their lives to the best of their abilities
Shahada- The confession of faith- "There is no other God but God and Mohammed is His Prophet"
Prayer- Muslims are to pray five times each day (early morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night), & traditionally face Mecca when doing so
Zakat- Charity toward the poor, this is similar to the Catholic tithe
Fasting- During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims who are physically able to do so must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and having sex from dawn until dusk
The Hajj- This is a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca which all Muslims are to attempt at least once in their lives if able to do so
The Articles of Faith- Like Judaism and Christianity, there are several core beliefs that all Muslims accept
Messengers- Belief in all of God's messengers, from Adam, Noah, and Abraham, to Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed
Books- Belief in the holy texts which have been revealed by God, such as the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Qur'an
Angels- Belief in the Angels of God
Day of Judgement- Belief that a day of judgement will come when humans will be held accountable for their earthly behavior
Destiny and Power- Belief in predestination, and the absolute power of God to do as He will
Divisions
There are two major divisions within the Islamic faith, Sunni and Shi'a
The Sunni represent the mainstream of the faith, and are about 85-90% of the Muslim population, with Shi'a accounting for almost all the remainder
These two groups split over who to follow after the death of the Prophet, with the Sunnis following the Sunnah and the Hadith, and the Shi'a following the guidance of the successive members of the prophet's family
Attitudes Toward Women
One of the common conceptions of Islam in the West is the notion that Islamic women are somehow inferior to men- as with many things in life, the reality is much more complicated
Islam does proscribe the Hijab for women, which is a dress code intended to maintain female modesty and chastity, but few Muslim women view it as a restriction or an imposition- they see it as a liberating symbol of their faith
The Hijab prevents women from being evaluated solely (or even mainly) on physical attractiveness, and instead emphasizes their intellects or skills
The Hijab also serves as a barrier to unwanted attentions, since women can be more or less anonymous
Islam has a proud history of establishing equality between the sexes, in the sense that women have been able to own and inherit property, seek an education, vote, hold leadership positions, etc., for almost 1400 years
Having said all this, Islam does recognize that the sexes are different, and has generally relegated women to running the household and men to providing for their families
This is said to be because women are closer to God, and thus more spiritual, thus making them better at raising families
It should be noted that these general sex roles are not absolute, as Mohammed's first wife was a businesswoman who had hired him before proposing to him
