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The Faiths of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - Richard Smoley
The Faiths of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - Richard Smoley
Download handouts (Handouts below are coming soon.)
Abraham
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
Discussion questions
1- One-half of the world belongs to one of the faiths of Abraham. Most serious modern scholarship does not believe there was an historical Abraham.
1a- So why does this character play a pivotal role in the dominant belief systems in our world?
1b- Reviewing the stories about Abraham in the handout, what is it about his situation and or character that has made him such a lasting father figure in these popular belief systems?
2- What does “faith” mean to you, in your own words and practice?
3- Though they are all faiths of Abraham, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are each significantly different as well. This is essentially an impossible question, but try to imagine and then describe what you think might be the essential nature of faith for a practitioner of each of these three religions, i.e., how might Islamic faith be different from Christian faith, etc. (Of course there is no such thing as an average or typical Christian or Muslim, or Jew, but do this as an exercise in empathy and understanding.)
3a- Describe in your words what Islamic faith might look like, feel like, etc.
3b- Describe in your words what Christian faith might look like, feel like, etc.
3c- Describe in your words what Jewish faith might look like, feel like, etc.
4- In some individual belief systems, faith alone is enough. However, many feel there is more than just faith necessary for a vibrant spiritual life and practice.
4a- Do you think faith is a static (constant) or a dynamic (changing) process?
4b- If you feel there is something needed in addition to faith for a vibrant spiritual practice, what is it?
5- Compare and contrast the faith which seems to be at the center of Abrahamic religions and the knowledge which is at the center of Hinduism and Buddhism.
6- After reviewing the handouts sections on Judaism and Christianity, without using the words “Jesus” or “Christ,” in your own words, discuss the differences and similarities between Judaism and Christianity.
7- After reviewing the handouts sections on Christianity and Islam, and without using the words “Jesus” or “Christ” or “Prophet” or “Muhammad,” discuss the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam.
Proposed activities
After a general overview of the faiths of Abraham, it seems a good time to consider ways to promote understanding and tolerance between these three different systems of spiritual belief.
There are many organizations and individuals doing wonderful things to promote tolerance and understanding between different faiths and spiritual organizations. The Interfaith Alliance is one and we are going to borrow their basic guidelines for our next project.
1- Read the brief summary information about the Interfaith Alliance out loud as a single large group.
About the Interfaith Alliance
WHO WE ARE
The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
• We believe that religious freedom is a foundation for American democracy.
• We believe that individual rights and matters of personal conscience must be held sacred.
• We believe that religious and political extremists are a threat to individual liberty and democracy.
• We believe that celebrating religious and cultural difference is the way to achieve a vibrant community.
HOW WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The Interfaith Alliance is the only national interfaith organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of both religion and democracy in America. We stand for faith and freedom.
• National Policy – We promote legislation that protects the boundaries between religion and government, so that politics doesn’t infringe on your faith and matters of faith don’t infringe on your freedom.
• Grass-Roots Activism – Our local affiliates mobilize individuals on the grass-roots level to make a difference in their own communities. We offer a forum to challenge bigotry and defend religious freedom on local issues, including candidate education, religion in the public sphere, and interfaith relations.
• Election – We help religious leaders and politicians navigate the boundary between politics and religion in a way that safeguards the separation of church and state.
• Education – We facilitate interfaith dialogue to enhance mutual understanding and respect for religious differences.
WHY IT MATTERS
As religion plays an increasingly prominent role in American politics, preserving the boundary between religion and government is more vital than ever. The Interfaith Alliance works to ensure that faith and freedom flourish so that individuals can worship freely or not worship at all, so they can embrace matters of personal conscience without fear of government intrusion, and so that all can live in a vibrant, healthy society.
HISTORY
The Interfaith Alliance was created in 1994 to celebrate religious freedom and to challenge the bigotry and hatred arising from religious and political extremism infiltrating American politics. Today, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country made up of 75 faith traditions as well as those of no faith tradition.
America contains a vast diversity of people, and religion is a facilitator of understanding among them. Real solutions for the problems addressing our nation will come only from people who represent and appreciate this diversity. The Interfaith Alliance is your strong and inclusive voice on Capitol Hill.
In Washington and in the halls of Congress, The Interfaith Alliance:
• Challenges the manipulation of religion for sectarian or partisan political purposes.
• Educates legislators and their staff to better understand and appreciate the religious liberty clause of the Constitution.
• Promotes a partnership between religion and government that preserves the autonomy of houses of worship and ensures that religious institutions are not held accountable to the priorities and interests of federal, state, or local governments.
• Informs lawmakers that in matters of faith, government must not take sides.
• Advocates that no citizen’s rights or opportunities should depend on their religious beliefs or practices.
2- Break into small groups. Each group will pretend to be the Advisory Board of Trustees for a local section of the Interfaith Alliance in the United States. Each group will pretend to have about twenty –five active members whose volunteer help they can count on for four hours each week. Each small group should spend about thirty minutes planning how best to use their volunteers to initiate a positive program that challenges extremism and promotes religious tolerance and understanding focusing on any of the following four: education, election, Grass-Roots activism, national policy. Your group may choose only one of these. Try to script out a plan in as much detail as possible about how you will use your volunteers to activate your program championing religious tolerance. You will have to focus the goal of your program as much as possible; you might use a specific challenge you know of that a certain area is facing, etc., or on a larger scale, that the nation, or nations, are facing. Or you may choose to imagine a plausible crisis of intolerance in a community or in the nation at large and initiate a program to work toward healing that intolerance.
Devise a plan, in as much detail as possible, that lists the object of the project, then the step-by-step plan for execution, a way to measure results, etc. You can assume each of your twenty-five volunteers is available for about four hours of work per week; you can also assume that your organization has, at the start, no funds to work with.
3- Each group will share their detailed plan of action to promote religious tolerance and challenge extremism.
Related Resources
Books
Allender, Dan B., Sabbath, 263.3 ALL S
Armstrong, Karen, A History of God : The 4000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, 291.211 ARM HG
Bemporad, Jack, The Inner Journey : Views from the Jewish Tradition, 296 PAR BEM IJ
Berger, Peter L., The Other Side of God : A Polarity in World Religions, 291 BER OSG
Hoffman, Edward, The Heavenly Ladder : A Jewish Guide to Inner Growth, 296.74 HOF HL
Hoffman, Edward, The Way of Splendor : Jewish Mysticism and Modern Psychology, 296.16 HOF WOS
Klinghoffer, David, The Discovery of God : Abraham and the Birth of Monotheism, 222.11092 KLI DG
Jomier, Jacques, How to Understand Islam, I297 JOM HUI
Narayan, Surendra, Annie Besant on The Brotherhood of Religions, T N164 ABBR
Peters, F. E., Islam, A Guide for Jews and Christians, I297 PET I
Stark, Rodney, Discovering God : The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, 200 STA DG
Toynbee, Arnold Joseph, The Crucible of Christianity : Judaism, Hellenism, and the Historical Background to the Christian Faith, 270 TOY CC
Williams, Jay G., Judaism, 296.09 WIL J
Sound recordings
(AR: audiocassette; CDA: Compact Disc)
Algeo, John, The Key to Theosophy, AR 5027-7
Eckel, Malcolm David, Great World Religions: Buddhism, CDA 0260
Ellwood, Robert S., Myth and Meaning in Christianity, CDA 0428
Esposito, John L., Great World Religions: Islam, CDA 0256
Gafni, Isaiah, Great World Religions: Judaism, CDA 0259
MacGregor, Geddes, Christianity and the Ancient Wisdom, CDA 0416
Videorecordings
(VR: VHS Videocassette)
Chopra, Deepak, God and Buddha : A Dialogue, DVD 0020
Harewood, Dorian , A History of God, DVD 0210
Hixon, Lex, Heart of the Koran, DVD 0223
Lemkow, Anna F., The Birthing Process of the New Whole, VR 0808
Miller, Ron, Healing the Jewish-Christian Rift : Growing Beyond our Wounded History, DVD 0106
- Smoley, Richard M., Conscious Love, DVD 0236
- Watts, Alan, World religions, vol. 4, Zen Meditations with Alan Watts, DVD 0080
Download handouts (Handouts below are coming soon.)
Abraham
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
Discussion questions
1- One-half of the world belongs to one of the faiths of Abraham. Most serious modern scholarship does not believe there was an historical Abraham.
1a- So why does this character play a pivotal role in the dominant belief systems in our world?
1b- Reviewing the stories about Abraham in the handout, what is it about his situation and or character that has made him such a lasting father figure in these popular belief systems?
2- What does “faith” mean to you, in your own words and practice?
3- Though they are all faiths of Abraham, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are each significantly different as well. This is essentially an impossible question, but try to imagine and then describe what you think might be the essential nature of faith for a practitioner of each of these three religions, i.e., how might Islamic faith be different from Christian faith, etc. (Of course there is no such thing as an average or typical Christian or Muslim, or Jew, but do this as an exercise in empathy and understanding.)
3a- Describe in your words what Islamic faith might look like, feel like, etc.
3b- Describe in your words what Christian faith might look like, feel like, etc.
3c- Describe in your words what Jewish faith might look like, feel like, etc.
4- In some individual belief systems, faith alone is enough. However, many feel there is more than just faith necessary for a vibrant spiritual life and practice.
4a- Do you think faith is a static (constant) or a dynamic (changing) process?
4b- If you feel there is something needed in addition to faith for a vibrant spiritual practice, what is it?
5- Compare and contrast the faith which seems to be at the center of Abrahamic religions and the knowledge which is at the center of Hinduism and Buddhism.
6- After reviewing the handouts sections on Judaism and Christianity, without using the words “Jesus” or “Christ,” in your own words, discuss the differences and similarities between Judaism and Christianity.
7- After reviewing the handouts sections on Christianity and Islam, and without using the words “Jesus” or “Christ” or “Prophet” or “Muhammad,” discuss the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam.
Proposed activities
After a general overview of the faiths of Abraham, it seems a good time to consider ways to promote understanding and tolerance between these three different systems of spiritual belief.
There are many organizations and individuals doing wonderful things to promote tolerance and understanding between different faiths and spiritual organizations. The Interfaith Alliance is one and we are going to borrow their basic guidelines for our next project.
1- Read the brief summary information about the Interfaith Alliance out loud as a single large group.
About the Interfaith Alliance
WHO WE ARE
The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
• We believe that religious freedom is a foundation for American democracy.
• We believe that individual rights and matters of personal conscience must be held sacred.
• We believe that religious and political extremists are a threat to individual liberty and democracy.
• We believe that celebrating religious and cultural difference is the way to achieve a vibrant community.
HOW WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The Interfaith Alliance is the only national interfaith organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of both religion and democracy in America. We stand for faith and freedom.
• National Policy – We promote legislation that protects the boundaries between religion and government, so that politics doesn’t infringe on your faith and matters of faith don’t infringe on your freedom.
• Grass-Roots Activism – Our local affiliates mobilize individuals on the grass-roots level to make a difference in their own communities. We offer a forum to challenge bigotry and defend religious freedom on local issues, including candidate education, religion in the public sphere, and interfaith relations.
• Election – We help religious leaders and politicians navigate the boundary between politics and religion in a way that safeguards the separation of church and state.
• Education – We facilitate interfaith dialogue to enhance mutual understanding and respect for religious differences.
WHY IT MATTERS
As religion plays an increasingly prominent role in American politics, preserving the boundary between religion and government is more vital than ever. The Interfaith Alliance works to ensure that faith and freedom flourish so that individuals can worship freely or not worship at all, so they can embrace matters of personal conscience without fear of government intrusion, and so that all can live in a vibrant, healthy society.
HISTORY
The Interfaith Alliance was created in 1994 to celebrate religious freedom and to challenge the bigotry and hatred arising from religious and political extremism infiltrating American politics. Today, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country made up of 75 faith traditions as well as those of no faith tradition.
America contains a vast diversity of people, and religion is a facilitator of understanding among them. Real solutions for the problems addressing our nation will come only from people who represent and appreciate this diversity. The Interfaith Alliance is your strong and inclusive voice on Capitol Hill.
In Washington and in the halls of Congress, The Interfaith Alliance:
• Challenges the manipulation of religion for sectarian or partisan political purposes.
• Educates legislators and their staff to better understand and appreciate the religious liberty clause of the Constitution.
• Promotes a partnership between religion and government that preserves the autonomy of houses of worship and ensures that religious institutions are not held accountable to the priorities and interests of federal, state, or local governments.
• Informs lawmakers that in matters of faith, government must not take sides.
• Advocates that no citizen’s rights or opportunities should depend on their religious beliefs or practices.
2- Break into small groups. Each group will pretend to be the Advisory Board of Trustees for a local section of the Interfaith Alliance in the United States. Each group will pretend to have about twenty –five active members whose volunteer help they can count on for four hours each week. Each small group should spend about thirty minutes planning how best to use their volunteers to initiate a positive program that challenges extremism and promotes religious tolerance and understanding focusing on any of the following four: education, election, Grass-Roots activism, national policy. Your group may choose only one of these. Try to script out a plan in as much detail as possible about how you will use your volunteers to activate your program championing religious tolerance. You will have to focus the goal of your program as much as possible; you might use a specific challenge you know of that a certain area is facing, etc., or on a larger scale, that the nation, or nations, are facing. Or you may choose to imagine a plausible crisis of intolerance in a community or in the nation at large and initiate a program to work toward healing that intolerance.
Devise a plan, in as much detail as possible, that lists the object of the project, then the step-by-step plan for execution, a way to measure results, etc. You can assume each of your twenty-five volunteers is available for about four hours of work per week; you can also assume that your organization has, at the start, no funds to work with.
3- Each group will share their detailed plan of action to promote religious tolerance and challenge extremism.
Related Resources
Books
Allender, Dan B., Sabbath, 263.3 ALL S
Armstrong, Karen, A History of God : The 4000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, 291.211 ARM HG
Bemporad, Jack, The Inner Journey : Views from the Jewish Tradition, 296 PAR BEM IJ
Berger, Peter L., The Other Side of God : A Polarity in World Religions, 291 BER OSG
Hoffman, Edward, The Heavenly Ladder : A Jewish Guide to Inner Growth, 296.74 HOF HL
Hoffman, Edward, The Way of Splendor : Jewish Mysticism and Modern Psychology, 296.16 HOF WOS
Klinghoffer, David, The Discovery of God : Abraham and the Birth of Monotheism, 222.11092 KLI DG
Jomier, Jacques, How to Understand Islam, I297 JOM HUI
Narayan, Surendra, Annie Besant on The Brotherhood of Religions, T N164 ABBR
Peters, F. E., Islam, A Guide for Jews and Christians, I297 PET I
Stark, Rodney, Discovering God : The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, 200 STA DG
Toynbee, Arnold Joseph, The Crucible of Christianity : Judaism, Hellenism, and the Historical Background to the Christian Faith, 270 TOY CC
Williams, Jay G., Judaism, 296.09 WIL J
Sound recordings
(AR: audiocassette; CDA: Compact Disc)
Algeo, John, The Key to Theosophy, AR 5027-7
Eckel, Malcolm David, Great World Religions: Buddhism, CDA 0260
Ellwood, Robert S., Myth and Meaning in Christianity, CDA 0428
Esposito, John L., Great World Religions: Islam, CDA 0256
Gafni, Isaiah, Great World Religions: Judaism, CDA 0259
MacGregor, Geddes, Christianity and the Ancient Wisdom, CDA 0416
Videorecordings
(VR: VHS Videocassette)
Chopra, Deepak, God and Buddha : A Dialogue, DVD 0020
Harewood, Dorian , A History of God, DVD 0210
Hixon, Lex, Heart of the Koran, DVD 0223
Lemkow, Anna F., The Birthing Process of the New Whole, VR 0808
Miller, Ron, Healing the Jewish-Christian Rift : Growing Beyond our Wounded History, DVD 0106
- Smoley, Richard M., Conscious Love, DVD 0236
- Watts, Alan, World religions, vol. 4, Zen Meditations with Alan Watts, DVD 0080
Tags: abraham, christianity, faith, islam, judiasm
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