Can someone explain the differences between Judaism/Christianity and Islam

[HaveIGotAClue]

From what I can gather, all three believe in God (or Allah as he is called in Islam).

Am I correct in my following conclusions?

A: Jews believe that Jesus wasn't the son of God, but he was a prophet. No more prophets are coming.
B: Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and no more prophets are coming.
C: Muslims believe that Jesus was not the son of God, he was a prophet, but then Muhammad came after him. Muhammad was a prophet and no more prophets are coming.

Do they all essentially believe the same thing except that they differ about whether Jesus and Muhammad?

[niminypiminy]

Jews, Christians and Muslims all believe in the one God, the creator of everything, eternal and infinite.

Jesus doesn't feature in Judaism at all. Jews look to the coming of the Messiah, but don't think that Jesus was the Messiah. The writings of the prophets are part of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God. God for Christians is three-in-one, God the Father, God the Don and God the Holy Spirit. The writings of the prophets are part of the Bible.

Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet, but that Muhammed was the final prophet. Through him the words of God were given to humankind in the shape of the Koran. The writings of the Prophets in the Bible are holy but not sacred like the Koran.

[HaveIGotAClue]

Thanks niminy. Are they the same prophets in the Tanakh as in the Christian bible?

[niminypiminy]

Sorry, that was me showing off.

What Jews call the Tanakh is what Christians call the Old Testament. They are some differences as to what they contain and the order they're in, but the majority is the same.

[jankf]

OK, I've been looking into Islam's teachings for over a year. My interest was triggered because of all the atrocities committed in the name of Islam - and yet we are told by our leaders that it is intrinsically peaceful.
What I found was horrific. There are over 100 verses in the Koran that incite violence against non believers. Islam's followers are commanded not to make friends with unbelievers and that Islam's mission is to fight until Sharia law is implemented in every nation.
I could say a lot more.....would suggest you look at good websites like religionofpeace.com or examine-islam
I started to look at how Islam differs from Christianity and Judaism. Very different. None of the other major religions command violence against unbelievers and subjugate women in he way that Islam does. This is why women are treated as second class citizens in Islamic countries. Please do your homework and look into it! It's so important we do not tolerate an ideology like this. It isn't 'just another religion' as we are led to believe.
Not all Muslims act on these teachings obviously, in fact most British Muslims have no idea what's in the Koran or anything much about Mohammed's life. Muslim's themselves are the greatest victims of Islam's teachings - just look how women are treated in Islamic countries. Please investigate.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Did you read the Koran Jankf? How many passages in it refer to hospitality to strangers? Have you read the bible? How many passages in it refer to violence?

[momb]

The tone of the Old testament is very much 'an eye for an eye'. Punishment for transgression: Leviticus is very limiting in what is acceptable. Divorce was a simple affair of choosing to become divorced.
It was Jesus who said 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.' 'Turn the other cheek' and who made divorce unacceptable, or at least less acceptable, for the protection of women.

I don't think that we can pick out any one of the Abrahamic religions to say one is more violent and misogynist than the other. It's all a matter of interpretation, and different groups within each of the religions interpret different passages of their holy texts to a greater degree of literality.

[jankf]

Yes I have read the Koran. What you need to understand is that Mohammad's later teachings abrogate the earlier teachings. Mohammad was peaceful in Mecca but didn't gain much following. He went to Medina and resorted to violence. These tactics were much more successful. In his later years he murdered those who criticised him and those who didn't submit to Islam. He took women from other tribes as sex slaves. He had sex with a 9 yr. old when he was over 50. Islam teaches that Mohammad was the perfect human being and that he must be emulated. This is why these teachings are dangerous in today's world - because its followers are commanded to also do these things.
Judaism does teach an eye for an eye but its overall message is encapsulated within the 10 commandments which aren't a bad set of rules when you examine them. Love thy neighbour, do not steal, do not commit adultery etc.
As I said, do your own research - I have. Ask yourself why those who criticise Islam are subjected to death threats and yet we can criticise all other belief systems without the fear of violence. Ask yourself why Islam teaches that the punishment for leaving Islam is death, why the punishment for a woman committing adultery is death, why a woman needs 4 male witnesses to press charges if she is raped, why women get half the inheritance of men, why men are allowed to beat their wives in Islam. No other religions have rules like these. Look at how women are treated in strict Islamic countries and compare this to how Jewish women are treated in Istael and how Christian women are treated in Christian countries.
It's these things that motivated me to look into Islam's scriptures in detail. The truth is uncomfortable but we shouldn't ignore it or pretend Islam is like all other religions. It isn't.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Just as Judaism has its 10 Commandments, Islam has its 5 Pillars. Again, not a bad set of rules and no violence required. You have read the Koran and looked into Islamic scripture in detail, what does it say about kindness and honouring those from different cultures?

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Leviticus comes after Exodus and there are various rules regarding killing non believers.

[jankf]

There is much violence in the Old Testament however when you examine the detail of the examples usually cited - go and read the complete passages in the Bible - you'll see that the passages aren't open-ended commands to kill unbelievers in today's world, they are stories relating to history. For example, commands given by God to the Israelites AT THAT TIME. This is why today's Christians and Jews do not treat these verses as present-day imperatives. Note the scarcity of Christian terrorist groups. Not too many people are losing their heads to fanatics screaming praises to Jesus (or Moses, Buddha or the many Hindu gods either) as they are to shouts of “Allah Akbar!” There are so many Islamic terrorist groups composed of fundamentalists (or purists) of the Muslim faith - it doesn't require much intelligence to work out there is something far more dangerous about Islam.

Christianity does not advocate killing apostates or unbelievers. There is no record in the Bible of Jesus commanding killing or killing himself. In fact there are no records of him having committed any crime.

Contrast this with the words of Muhammad:
"Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'" (Bukhari 84:57)
Abu Bakr, the first caliph and several other Muslims testified that Muhammad himself put Muslim apostates to death. For this reason, the practice is coded in Islamic law.

Allah says in the Quran:
“I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.” (Quran 8:12)

“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are ruthless to the Unbelievers, but merciful to each other.” (Quran 48:29)
There are no historical contexts to mitigate these Quranic exhortations.
Islamic terrorists wage holy war on a daily basis because it is the literal command of the Quran.

Ask yourself what would happen in an Islamic country if you were to publicly denounce Islam or criticise Mohammad. How would this compare if you were to do the same of Christianity and Jesus in a Christian country? Why the difference? It's because, unlike Christianity, Islam teaches that anyone who criticises Islam is a blasphemer and an apostate and should be put to death. In contrast Jesus instructed his followers to love their enemies. Hope this also answers the point about what Islam teaches regards showing kindness towards different cultures.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Plenty of people were put to death by Christians for Heresy throughout the centuries.

[jankf]

Yes, plenty of people in Christian countries calling themselves Christians murdered people. These actions go against Christian teachings. They did these things IN SPITE of what Christ taught. In contrast, when devout Muslims murder unbelievers in Allah's name, their actions are CONSISTENT with what Muhammad taught. They are carrying out these atrocities because this is what Islam teaches them to do - it's what Muhammad himself did. Can you see the point I'm making? People of all cultures do bad things but how much worse is it when the laws/ rules underpinning a culture SUPPORT the killing of unbelievers, the subjugation of women, sex with children etc. etc. This is why it's so important for us to understand the life of Muhammad, what he did and what he taught.

[momb]

I'm saying this again, once, then I'm leaving the thread.

All the Abrahamic religions have ancient texts advocating violence, the subjugation of women and provide rules for living which are at odds with the modern world.

ALL of these texts are open to interpretation and the degree to which they are adhered. Most Muslims would not interpret the Koran in the same way that Sharia do. Most Muslims would not kill anyone who did not follow Islam. I think most of us would agree that Westfield Baptist Church have a warped interpretation of the bible, but (I hope) that no-one would say that they are representative of Christians generally.

For the last time: interpretation.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Christians in Christian countries murdered people of other faiths and justified the murders using the bible. No different from Muslims who murder and justify it using the Koran.

[jankf]

Momb, You talk about what 'most muslims' think. How do you know what most Muslims think? Have you looked at the research findings or are you just guessing?

Here are the FACTS:

Policy Exchange: One third of British Muslims believe anyone who leaves Islam should be killed
www.civitas.org.uk/pdf/ShariaLawOrOneLawForAll.pdf

ICM Poll: 40% of British Muslims want Sharia in the UK
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1510866/Poll-reveals-40pc-of-Muslims-want-sharia-law-in-UK.html

GfK NOP: 28% of British Muslims want Britain to be an Islamic state
www.civitas.org.uk/pdf/ShariaLawOrOneLawForAll.pdf

NOP Research: 68% of British Muslims support the arrest and prosecution of anyone who insults Islam;
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/14/opinion/main1893879.shtml&date=2011-04-06
www.webcitation.org/5xkMGAEvY

Civitas: 1 in 3 Muslims in the UK strongly agree that a wife should be forced to obey her husband's bidding
www.civitas.org.uk/pdf/ShariaLawOrOneLawForAll.pdf

BBC Poll: 1 in 10 British Muslims support killing a family member over "dishonor".
www.expressandstar.com/blogs/peter-rhodes/2011/12/28/honour-killing-%E2%80%93-a-stain-on-our-nation/

1 in 5 young British Muslims agree that 'honor' violence is acceptable.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117003/More-thirds-young-British-Muslims-believe-honour-violence-acceptable-survey-reveals.html

Poll: 58% of British Muslims believe insulting Islam should result in criminal prosecution
www.danielpipes.org/blog/2005/07/more-survey-research-from-a-british-Islamist

Your point about things being open to interpretation.....are you saying that there is any doubt as to whether Mohammad murdered unbelievers, instructed the killing of apostates, had sex with a 9 year old, took sex slaves and stole from the caravans of other tribes? Are you saying that there is doubt as to whether Jesus didn't commit any crime? If you dispute these facts you have clearly not looked into each religion and are making sweeping generalisations

Dione - it looks like you haven't read what I said previously. I've explained the difference. I'm not supporting Christians who commit crimes, I'm explaining that the difference is in the teachings and examples set when we examine the life of Jesus and Muhammad. Unless you do this you can't say that what I have said is incorrect.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

The Civitas links say that the page cannot be found.

The 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 stats refer to young British Asians, not Muslims.

From your own links, 99% of British Muslims believe the London bombing was wrong and 94% of British Asians believe that there is no justification for murder.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Just as you do not support Christians who commit crimes, most Muslims do not support Muslims who commit crimes either.

[jankf]

Yes, the link doesn't appear to work for the civitas research. Just to show that the result - third of British Muslims support death penalty for apostasy - has been quoted elsewhere please see in link below.
Are you saying that as long as 'most' Muslims don't advocate any form of violence it is ok? Are you saying it's ok for only one third to want the death penalty for apostasy??

muslimstatistics.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/violence-in-defense-of-islam-statistics/

Note the high % of Muslims in different counties who support the death penalty for leaving Islam. Are you really saying that these findings on Muslims' attitudes present NO problem? Do you yourself agree with the death penalty for those who choose to leave Islam?

[DioneTheDiabolist]

You have linked nothing that shows that a third of British Muslims support the death sentence for apostasy. The Civitas page doesn't work. Not in your link and not in the muslimstatistics page link. Do you think maybe the page is no longer available because it has been taken down because it was wrong?

[jankf]

I wouldn't say I've provided NOTHING showing that a third of British Muslims support the death penalty for apostasy. This finding has been reported widely in mainstream media, eg daily telegraph:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1540895/Young-British-Muslims-getting-more-radical.html

I don't know why the link doesn't work now but that does not mean that the findings were incorrect.

In fact I'm not surprised by the result in Britain given the results from the largest most respected research study (Pew research) within other countries on the same subject; results show that MOST Muslims in many countries support the death penalty for apostasy.

Pew Research (2010): 84% of Egyptian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
86% of Jordanian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
30% of Indonesian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
76% of Pakistanis support death the penalty for leaving Islam
51% of Nigerian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
pewglobal.org/2010/12/02/muslims-around-the-world-divided-on-hamas-and-hezbollah/

So coming back to my previous questions- are you concerned by these findings? Are you saying a problem doesn't exist? Are you saying you agree that the punishment for leaving Islam should be death?

[sunnychild]

Jan of course you are right - there are MASSES of stats to back you up (and worse). The point is however that one only needs to look at the number of attacks BY Muslims on others worldwide to see that there is something VERY wrong with what Islam teaches them, and that it differs totally from the teachings of other religions.

examine-islam.org/islam-and-the-uk-some-facts/

Nearly 28k attacks BY Muslims since 9/11 - hardly unimportant facts here - www.thereligionofpeace.com/

Lastly this link says it all in terms of the differences between Islam and other religions - examine-islam.org/political-islam/

We are currently having our freedoms eroded in our private communications and our wider lives because of ISLAMIC terrorism - note please that Hindus, Buddhists, Jews or Christians are not prone to blowing themselves up on a regular basis or beheading people. And BTW before you mention WHITE killers - being WHITE does not equate to being Christian just as being brown (as I am) does not equate to being Muslim. Equally no-where in Christianity is there the orders to kill the unbelievers, kill Jews, have sex-slaves or have many wives as there are in Islam. Nor did Jesus kill people as Muhammad did. Seriously - before you get mushy about wanting to see Muslims as cuddly brown bears think about the THOUSANDS of girls sexually exploited and raped in horrific ways by these same Muslims systematically and because they were non-Muslim and therefore Easy Meat and think whether you would like to look them in the eyes and still tell them Islam is equal to other faiths.

www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/articles/10-reasons-not-peace.aspx

www.amazon.co.uk/Easy-Meat-British-Grooming-Scandal/dp/1943003068/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456917903&sr=8-1&keywords=easy%20meat&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[jankf]

Thank you Sunnychild. The facts speak for themselves but unfortunately the mainstream media and politicians aren't presenting the relevant facts openly and honestly. This causes confusion for those who don't take the time to examine the evidence properly and it is why so many dismiss the seriousness of this issue with arguments along the lines of 'all religions are violent', 'not all Muslims are violent' etc. These arguments are a kop out and ignore the very relevant facts that you've presented so well.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

I'll get me tinfoil hat.

[lljkk]

(aack, what a horrible set of soap box posts.)

My own take on the differences is that

Judaism says that without God, people are no better than animals. People need God's rules to rise above their base nature. It's a very pessimistic religion about human nature. Following religious rules is a huge big deal.

Christianity says that with repentance people can aspire to rise above their base & weak nature. Fundamentally, we all have the potential be good, no matter what mistakes we ever made. Forgiveness is huge big deal in Christianity.

Islam says that spiritual salvation comes from accepting God's will & doing one's duty.... duty to family, society & Allah. Submitting to the will of God is huge... and that extends to the principle of never being selfish in life.