The Abrahamic Faiths

[Olejniker]

Most people will know that the Abrahamic faiths all have similar origins - of course the easiest way to put it as that all of them believe in Abraham's God.

But throughout the cause of history, their practice of the religion and certain beliefs went along separate lines, of course with the issue of Jesus Christ being one of the greatest cause for division.

I feel however, at the end of the day, aren't they worshipping the same God? And if that's the case, let's assume if the God of Abraham is real, and there is an afterlife, isn't it irrelevant how they choose to practice their worship of God, the most important thing is that they do worship that God?

Seriously, if the God of Abraham really exists, does it really matter how you go about worshipping that God?

I mean it's a question I've been thinking about. Why would a Christian go to a Heaven and not a Muslim? Why would a Jewish guy go to Heaven and not a Christian? And so on and so forth. Aren't they all worshipping the same God?

[Victor Eremita]

Originally Posted by Olejniker

Most people will know that the Abrahamic faiths all have similar origins - of course the easiest way to put it as that all of them believe in Abraham's God.

But throughout the cause of history, their practice of the religion and certain beliefs went along separate lines, of course with the issue of Jesus Christ being one of the greatest cause for division.

I feel however, at the end of the day, aren't they worshipping the same God? And if that's the case, let's assume if the God of Abraham is real, and there is an afterlife, isn't it irrelevant how they choose to practice their worship of God, the most important thing is that they do worship that God?

Seriously, if the God of Abraham really exists, does it really matter how you go about worshipping that God?

Unfortunately, for them, it does indeed matter. Let's say employee A and employee B have the same Boss, and want to do a good job pleasing the Boss. Employee A tries to please the Boss by doing a good job day in day out and being friendly and considerate. Employee B tries to please the Boss by forcing Employees C, D, and E to do his work him and then passing it off as his own, bribing the Boss with gifts and bowling tickets, and pretending to be working hard whenever the Boss comes by. Both are trying to please the same Boss, but some people won't like the way Employee A or Employee B goes about doing it.

I mean it's a question I've been thinking about. Why would a Christian go to a Heaven and not a Muslim? Why would a Jewish guy go to Heaven and not a Christian? And so on and so forth. Aren't they all worshipping the same God?

Probably the same reason a certain employee gets promoted over others. If the Boss likes the way Employee A does things, maybe he will go to Heave-- I mean, VP Accounting.

[salima]

i think jewish tradition doesnt have a heaven or afterlife. but islam has strictly laid out exactly what is considered a ticket to hell with no return; both christianity and islam allow for mercy and certain errors/sins to be forgiven. islam has grades of heaven as well. i dont know which they are in christianity, and i would have to check and be sure even before i mentioned which they are in islam. (i ought to know these things, but since i am not planning on doing those particular offenses, they were moved to some obscure part of the memory banks of mind. they are in there, just not sure where...)

[Krumple]

From what I have read, many of the Abrahamic beliefs have been passed down from other superstitions or practices. Which culminated into a central figure to give them more credit. From my point of view, Christianity is Judaism-light. They just didn't like all the rules. It is also the same reason I think many Romans were drawn to Christianity. Imagine having to purchase trinkets to offer to the dozens of gods every weekend. That would be a lot of cash to spend every week. It would be so much easier if you didn't have to buy any trinkets and only had one temple to visit once a week.

[prothero]

Originally Posted by Krumple

From what I have read, many of the Abrahamic beliefs have been passed down from other superstitions or practices. Which culminated into a central figure to give them more credit. From my point of view, Christianity is Judaism-light. They just didn't like all the rules. It is also the same reason I think many Romans were drawn to Christianity. Imagine having to purchase trinkets to offer to the dozens of gods every weekend. That would be a lot of cash to spend every week. It would be so much easier if you didn't have to buy any trinkets and only had one temple to visit once a week.

You can not imagine anyone could actually "believe" any of those things, eh?

[Aedes]

Originally Posted by Olejniker

But throughout the cause of history, their practice of the religion and certain beliefs went along separate lines

To be honest, the religions didn't exactly start from one common point and then diversify. The VAST majority of early Christians were never Jews, had no Jewish heritage, but followed traditional 'pagan' religions, and their conversion to Christianity took place long before much Christian doctrine had been settled upon. The same was true for Islam -- the VAST majority of early Muslims were non-Christian, non-Jewish Arabs. And the vast majority of Jews after ~71 AD represented a small subset of the pre-Christian Jews, namely the Pharisees. In fact there were several such events in Jewish history in which the ancestral religion was lost and a divergent spur became dominant.

Originally Posted by Olejniker

aren't they worshipping the same God?

According to tradition they are, but not because of some direct continuity between these groups. They've grown more similar thanks to cross-fertilization, interchange, convergent evolution -- rather than from common ancestry.

Originally Posted by Olejniker

if that's the case, let's assume if the God of Abraham is real, and there is an afterlife, isn't it irrelevant how they choose to practice their worship of God, the most important thing is that they do worship that God?

Seems that would depend on what God wants. And this isn't something that people from these faiths agree upon.

---------- Post added 11-24-2009 at 11:07 PM ----------

Originally Posted by salima

i think jewish tradition doesnt have a heaven or afterlife.

That is correct (it's more complicated than that, but that is basically true).

[salima]

Originally Posted by Aedes

To be honest, the religions didn't exactly start from one common point and then diversify. The VAST majority of early Christians were never Jews, had no Jewish heritage, but followed traditional 'pagan' religions, and their conversion to Christianity took place long before much Christian doctrine had been settled upon. The same was true for Islam -- the VAST majority of early Muslims were non-Christian, non-Jewish Arabs. And the vast majority of Jews after ~71 AD represented a small subset of the pre-Christian Jews, namely the Pharisees. In fact there were several such events in Jewish history in which the ancestral religion was lost and a divergent spur became dominant.

According to tradition they are, but not because of some direct continuity between these groups. They've grown more similar thanks to cross-fertilization, interchange, convergent evolution -- rather than from common ancestry.

Seems that would depend on what God wants. And this isn't something that people from these faiths agree upon.

---------- Post added 11-24-2009 at 11:07 PM ----------

That is correct (it's more complicated than that, but that is basically true).

but if the messages that were received were from the same source, but arrived within different contexts of humanity, there still would be a continuity, as well as a different picture regarding development of the sects. as though three distinct seeds of different varieties of the same flower or tree were scattered across three different lands and they became cross pollenated.

it is the people who received the message that argue about what it means, not the sender...should i say 'alleged sender'?

---------- Post added 11-25-2009 at 12:47 PM ----------

there are commentators and scholars in islam who see the message as having been sent in stages that suited the people who received them and the historical context, but each one that followed was an amended version of the previous.

[re_turner_jr]

Originally Posted by Olejniker

Seriously, if the God of Abraham really exists, does it really matter how you go about worshipping that God?

It would depend if that God states what is appropriate worship and what is not. All three major Abrahamic faiths believe that He (God) has.

[Aedes]

Originally Posted by salima

but if the messages that were received were from the same source, but arrived within different contexts of humanity, there still would be a continuity.

But there is just as much continuity with Greek and Roman literature and philosophy as well as local / traditional beliefs and rites, including pagan ones. The difference is that this continuity is not acknowledged when it's not doctrinal.

[re_turner_jr]

Originally Posted by Aedes

But there is just as much continuity with Greek and Roman literature and philosophy as well as local / traditional beliefs and rites, including pagan ones. The difference is that this continuity is not acknowledged when it's not doctrinal.

I think the point Salima was making is that of origin. Greek and Roman mythology and religion does not find it's origins in the same place.