JUDAISM-CHRISTIANITY-ISLAM

• CHRISTIANITY - Most popular religion in the world with the greatest number of believers
• Christianity - It developed from Judaism during the reign of the Roman Empire in West Asia
• Symbol of Christianity - Cross and Fish
• Christianity - It centers on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
• Judaea , the mountainous southern part of Palestine, was the home of Christianity
• The beginning of a new religion was easy because of the Jews’ concept of Messiah (God promised the Jews that he will send someone who will liberate them) and it helps them to cope with being colonized by the foreign power.
• The Bible = sacred scripture of Christianity
• The Bible is composed of two books: Old Testament and New Testament
• Bible = collection of songs, stories, poetry, letters, history, and literature.
• The Old Testament – also known as the Hebrew Bible
• The New Testament – composed of 27 books written around 50-100 CE composed of two sections: The Gospels and The Letters
• Holy Trinity - God is composed of three personas: God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit
• The Virgin Birth of Jesus - Jesus was conceived and born by his mother Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit and without a human father
• Christianity is a monotheistic religion
• Resurrection of Jesus - Also called as anastasis
• Last Judgement - It refers to the judgement that God passes today on those who come before His throne in the last days
• Last Judgement - God will erect a big table in the heavens upon which a white tablecloth will be spread, and then, sitting upon a great throne with all men kneeling on the ground, He will reveal the sins of each man and determine whether they are to ascend to heaven or be sent down to the lake of fire and brimstone.
• Ten Commandments - Also called the Decalogue
• Ten Commandments - Set of laws given by God to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai through Moses.
• Baptism - People are cleansed with water, to signify repentance and cleansing
• Confirmation - Blessing of initiation after baptism
• Holy Communion - Christians gather in church and share the Body and Blood of Christ
• Confession - Someone confesses his/her sins and gets absolution
• Matrimony - Two people commit themselves with each
• Holy Orders - Someone commits himself to priesthood
• Anointing of the Sick - Taken by a sick person/ administered to a person on the verge of dying.
• Ecumenism - Effort of the Catholic Church to sponsor activities and initiatives to promote mutual understanding and unity among all Christians
• Sexuality - Christianity advocates that the goal of sexual union between men and women is procreation, thus anything that might hinder is considered as immoral.
• Christian view of marriage is based on Matthew 19:-6
• Capital punishment – person is punished by death for his/he capital crimes
• Euthanasia – ending a person’s life to limit the suffering
• Islam is the second largest group and one of the fastest growing religions in the world
• Islam came from the Arabic word which means Submission
• The God of Islam is Allah
• Mosque = worship place of Islam
• Qur’an = it means recitation
• The Quran is the revelation from God of his speech (kalam) and is the foundation of the Islam religion. It is the supreme authority in all matters of faith, theology, and law.
• Hadith = collection of deeds and sayings of Muhammad and his followers. the hadiths were collected generations after the death of Muhammad. The hadiths are recognized today as second in authority after the Koran
• Shahadah – declaration of statement of belief.
• Salat (Obligatory Prayer) – prayers are done for spiritual development so that a Muslim’s character and conduct remain sound and healthy. - Muslim must offer prayers or salat 5 times each and every day before sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, and before Midnight