The Nature of God in Christianity, Judaism and Islam

1367 Words6 Pages
After having little knowledge of the faiths outside my own, the parallels between Islam, Judaism and Christianity has fascinated me. I often thought they were all so different, following drastically different scriptures, traditions and teachings. In this paper I will specifically tackle God, and how he is perceived through these faiths. His revelations, nature and finally what the faiths require for attainment of “salvation”. 1. The nature of God When it comes to the nature of God, and how God is depicted throughout Judaism, Islam and Christianity, all three share the belief in monotheism. Monotheism is the firm belief of the existence of one God and one God alone. All three faiths emphasize their special covenant with God, for Judaism through Moses, Christianity through Jesus, and Islam through Muhammad. They believe that this God is the creator and source of all that exists. God cares about the well being of all, He is just and has provided basic rules for us so that we may be good and righteous. He is merciful, and by his grace we are given strength to be more like what we ought to be. In all of these faiths, not believing in God alone will lead to punishment, whether it is sin in Christianity, or eternal damnation in Islam. While they all believe in only one God, it does not mean that this God possesses the same qualities and attributes throughout. For example, the God of Judaism, whose name is YHWH, is non-physical and eternal. Their God is unlike man, and is perceived as an authoritative figure that carries out justice. In Christianity, God is more gracious, and they believe Him to be both transcendent (removed from the material universe), and immanent (involved in the world). Christianity teaches that God is a Trinity—one God revealed in three persons. Islam, however, denies the Trinity and condemns it as blasphemy. In fact, accepting the Christian view
Open Document