Western Religions

Western Religions include Judaism, Islam and Christianity. These three
primary belief structures are observed by nearly 55% of the world population.

There are many characteristics of a "western" religion that define it as
such. Western religions maintain the view that man and mankind were created by a
Divine Being. This Divine being is transcendent, essentially different and vastly
superior to their subjects of creation. As such, all Western religions are "monotheistic",
recognizing one God. A reference to a paternal "Father" image is a common theme. Western
religions are also considered "dualistic", meaning that there is a clear distinction
between the physical body and the soul. Further, the omnipotent God is also aware of
mans actions on Earth and is prepared to deliver "justice" for these actions.

In all western religions humankind is essentially sinful. We are taught that
we become better by controlling our sinful tendencies. The human body is generally
seen as a major source of temptation, sin, chaos, change, and ultimate decay.
Because of the separation of soul from body and the general disgust of the sinful
body, very few spiritual practices involve the body. Instead the follower is often
urged to chastise and discipline the body through ascetic practice.

In Western religions there are historical figures that convey God's word to ordinary
man. These include Prophets, Popes, Ministers, Rabbis, Mullahs,or others who perform
these roles. Spiritual practice is often aimed at developing and maintaining a personal
relationship with God, and in general involves a relationship between the layperson and
this prominent spokesperson who can convey the "word of God" and assure the follower
their place and position in the afterlife.

In Western tradition it is generally accepted that our life on earth is limited to one
life, followed by our soul ascending to an afterlife in a pleasurable place, if we adhere
to the teachings of our religion. This concept of "Heaven" is pervasive. The matter of
committing evil is thus paramount in Western philosophy. Evil will secure our place in a
very unpleasant place known as "Hell", full of demons, lost souls,pain, fear, fire and
brimstone. The commission of sin also becomes a much more serious matter, as humans are
afforded only one opportunity at life on earth. It is perhaps noteworthy that Heaven is
for humans only, as only humans are considered "Children of God" as sentient beings. Animals
are considered lower orders of life in western religion and do not get saved, nor do their
pains, suffering or interests matter much.

Judaism

The world's Jewish population range from about 12 million to over 17 million.
Presently there are approximately 5.7 million Jews in the United States,
362,000 in Canada, and 13,191,500 worldwide.

In Judaism there are thirteen principles of faith, thought to be the
minimum requirements of Jewish belief, which include:

* God exists.
* God is one and unique.
* God is incorporeal.
* God is eternal.
* Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other.
* The words of the prophets are true.
* Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets.
* The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses.
* There will be no other Torah.
* God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.
* God will reward the good and punish the wicked.
* The Messiah will come.
* The dead will be resurrected.

Judaism focuses primarily on relationships; the relationship between God and mankind, between God and the Jewish people, between the Jewish people and the land of Israel, and between human beings.

Basic Jewish Texts include the Tanach, mistakenly known as the "Old Testament". The Tanach is made up of the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. The Torah (the Five Books of Moses) is made up of five books that were given to Moses directly from God. The Torah covers the creation of the earth and the first humans, the Great Flood and the covenant with the gentiles, the enslavement of the Hebrews and the Exodus from Mitzraim, giving of the Torah (Written and Oral (Mishnah)), renewal of Covenant given to Avraham, festivals established, wandering through the desert, the Tabernacle Ark, and Priestly duties, and the death of Moshe Rabbenu.

Jewish scriptures tell the story of the development of relationships, from the time of creation, through the creation of the relationship between God and Abraham, to the creation of the relationship between God and the Jewish people, and forward.

In Judaism, ultimate reality is a single, all-powerful God. It is this belief that made the Jews unique among other ancient Semitic peoples and that became the legacy Judaism has passed on to the entire Western world.

The sacred name of God, as revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus, is YHWH. Since ancient Hebrew was written without vowels, we do not know the original pronunciation of this word. The common pronunciation "Jehovah," however, is considered by many to be incorrect. It is derived from combining the vowels for Adonai ("Lord") with the four consonants of YHWH. A more "correct" pronunciation, and that which is used among scholars, is "Yahweh."

Jewish sacred texts and literature have little to say about what happens after death. This may seem surprising to non-Jews, since the sacred texts of Christianity and Islam, both of which have their foundations in Judaism, elaborate rather fully about the afterlife. Judaism is much more focused on individual actions than on beliefs.

The Torah and Talmud alike focus on the purpose of earthly life, which is to fulfill one's duties to God and one's fellow man. Succeeding at this brings reward, failing at it brings punishment. Whether rewards and punishments continue after death, or whether anything at all happens after death, is not as important.

Islam

Islam is thought by some to be an "eastern" religion, but it differs from most religions emerging throughout Asia, and it's roots are common with both Judaism and Christianity, Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam is a monotheistic belief structure believing in a single God, called "Allah". Islam, like the other western religions, is considered "dualistic", meaning it considers a material and non-material or "spiritual" reality, a distinction between the physical body and the transcendant soul.

Followers of Islam number between 1 billion and 1.8 billion, with 1 billion being a figure frequently given in many comparative religion texts. That figure seems to be dated, however, as high birth rates in Muslim countries continue to make Islam a fast-growing religion. The largest and best known branches of Islam are Sunni and Shi'ite.

Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is revered as "the Seal of the Prophets", the last and greatest of the messengers of God. He is not divine in any way, for the strict monotheism that characterizes Islam does not allow for such an interpretation. Other prophets (nabi in Arabic) are important in Islam as well, all of which are shared with the Jews or the Christians.

Traditionally, five prophets are recognized by Islam as
having been sent by God (known as ulul azmi, "the Resolute").

* Noah (Nuh)
* Abraham (Ibrahim)
* Moses (Musa)
* Jesus (Isa)
* Muhammad

There are a number of other historical figures recognized in the Qur'an as prophets, and still others that are not mentioned.

"And certainly We sent messengers before you: there are some of them that We have mentioned to you and there are others whom We have not mentioned to you..." (Qur'an 40:78)

Muslims trace their heritage to the Hebrew people and prophets. The term "Semite" derives from Shem, the son of Noah, and both Jews and Arabs consider themselves Semitic people. In particular, they trace their ancestry to Ishmael, the firstborn son of Abraham.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, Abraham and Sarah, approaching old age, had difficulty bearing a child. This problem was made even more serious by the fact that God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. So, with Sarah seemingly barren, Abraham took Hagar as a second wife. Hagar bore Abraham a son, named Ishmael. Shortly thereafter, however, Sarah also bore Abraham a son, named Isaac. Having fulfilled her marital duty and God's promise, Sarah demanded that Abraham reject Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham did so, and from this point, the Qur'an departs from the biblical story to follow the story of Ishmael. According to the Qur'an, Ishmael went to the place that would later be known as Mecca. His descendents would be the Muslims, while Isaac's descendents became the Jews.

The guiding scriptures of Islam are embodied in the "Qur'an" (Koran). According to the Qur'an, Allah "created man from a clot of blood". Consistent with the other western religions, humans are the greatest of all creatures, created with free will for the purpose of obeying and serving God.

The Qur'an includes a version of the biblical story of the fall of Adam, but it does not conclude from it the doctrine of original sin as some Christian theologians have. In the Quranic version of the story, Adam and Eve begged God's forgiveness and he punished them with a mortal life on earth. Since Allah forgave the sins of the first pair, Muslims believe, all are born in a natural state of submission to Allah. True repentance from sin returns a person to this original sinless state.

The single most important belief in Islam, and arguably the central theme of Islam, is that there is only one God. The name of God is Allah, which is simply Arabic for "the (al) God (Ilah)." The term is related to Elohim, the Hebrew word for God.

Muslim doctrine is often summarized in "Six Articles of Faith." According to this list, to be a Muslim one must believe in;

* One God
* The angels of God
* The books of God, especially the Qur'an
* The prophets of God, especially Muhammad
* The Day of Judgment (or the afterlife)
* The supremacy of God's will

This list is sometimes shortened to Five Articles of Faith,
which leaves off belief in the supremacy of God's will.

Christianity

Christianity is unarguably the largest religion in the world. It was estimated in the year 2000 there was approximately 2.1 billion Christians, or approximately 33% of the world population.

Groups which identify with Christianity include, but are not limited to the African Independent Churches (AICs), the Aglipayan Church, Amish, Anglicans, Armenian Apostolic, Assemblies of God; Baptists, Calvary Chapel, Catholics, Christadelphians, Christian Science, the Community of Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormons"), Coptic Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches, Ethiopian Orthodox, Evangelicals, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Local Church, Lutherans, Methodists, Monophysites, Nestorians, the New Apostolic Church, Pentecostals, Plymouth Brethren, Presbyterians, the Salvation Army, Seventh-Day Adventists, Shakers, Stone-Campbell churches (Disciples of Christ; Churches of Christ; the "Christian Church and Churches of Christ"; the International Church of Christ); Uniate churches, United Church of Christ/Congregationalists, the Unity Church, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Vineyard churches and others. These groups exhibit varying degrees of similarity and cooperation with other groups, yet none are known to consider all other Christian denominations to be equally valid. Naturally this means that there are many (many) similarities and differences between them all.

Christians believe that a single God is the creator of all people, the world, the universe, and everything seen and unseen. The Christian Scriptures are embodied in the "Old Testament", the first five books of Moses known to Judaism as the "Torah", and following the birth, life and death of the Christian prophet Jesus Christ, in the "New Testament".

Jesus himself was a Jew. Christians believe that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit of God and born through the Virgin Mary. As explained in Matthew 1:18, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit."

Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is "one with God". It is believed that He was sent here for our salvation. In John 10:30, the Apostle John quotes Jesus as saying, "I and the Father are one."

It is said that "Jesus suffered for our sins" and was crucified by the Romans, falsely accused of being rebellious to the church and State. He was brought to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, where he was mocked, beaten, taunted and crucified. After his slow and tortuous death by crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a tomb owned by a man named Joseph of Arimathea. Three days later he was resurrected, arising from the dead and ascending into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19-20)

It is said in Christian theology that Jesus will one day return to judge the living and the dead, and to establish a kingdom that will have no end. People are "saved" and forgiven if they confess their sins and confess their belief in the resurrection of Jesus. By confessing their sins and accepting Jesus as the only Son of God, anyone may receive salvation in the name of Jesus Christ.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

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