Similarities and Differences Between Christianity, Judaism and Islam

Similarities and Differences between Christianity, Judaism and Islam

There are many similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There are also many differences that separate the three major religions of the world. This paper will delve into all three of them.

The major similarities that all three religions share are that they are all monotheistic. This all means that they believe in one god and that he is the supreme ruler of all things. They also believe that all things are created equal under said one god. They all have books of what they believe to be God's word. The Jews have their book known as the Torah. The Christian's have their book known as the Bible. Lastly the Islamic people have their book known as the Qu'ran. All three of these books have scriptures.

These three major religions also share a belief that there is one major area that they claim as their Holy Land. The Jews and the Christians claim Jerusalem, Israel as there Holy Land while the Islamic people claim Mecca, Saudi Arabia. These places are where the people believe that God has left for them. In Jerusalem there are many battles about who should have the rights to this land. There are two parts in Jerusalem. There is the New City and the Old City. In the Old city there are many temples, one of the most important being the Haram esh-Sharif, or "Venerable Sanctuary." In the Old City there is also the Christian Church of Holy Sepulchre, which is the place where they believe Jesus Christ was buried after coming off the Cross. There is also the Wailing Wall that the Jews go to pray at. The Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque are there for the Muslim community. Jerusalem is the third holiest site for the Muslim population behind Mecca and Medina.

Other things that the religions all share are that they all have their sacred places of worship. For the Christians there is the church. For the Jewish people there is the synagogue and then for the Muslims there is the mosque. They also all have their Sabbath or day of rest that they take time to go to their holy place of worship. The Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday while the Christian Sabbath is on Sunday.

All three of these religions started off small and a long time ago. Judaism started a long time before the birth of Jesus Christ. Christianity started after the birth of Christ but was not really known about or taught until after Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Islam was started later on but still a long