Introduction
Religion is one of the most important social institutions that serve the purpose of maintaining the social order. It lays down the norms that guide the way people behave and interact with one another. It has the functions of maintaining the social stability and harmony through its preaching on love for one another. However, the world has experienced unending religious conflicts questioning the authenticity of what the religion is supposed to be doing. The following discussion focuses on the comparison of Judaism, Christianity and the Muslim religions.
The three religious groups share a similar point of origin and history. They all believe in the existence of God who is referred as the creator of heaven and earth and all the things there in. they trace their roots from Abraham who is said to have been the father of the nation that exist today. Judaism however, is one of the oldest monotheistic religions that existed, and the one that has been so consistent to date.
Islam on the other hand believes in the teachings of the Old Testament but dispute the fact that Jesus was the son of God. They view him as a prophet just like Muhammad and many others that ever existed. However, much weight is put on the latter who is referred as the main prophet with direct link to God.
The Christians on the other hand believe that Jesus was the son of God who was sent to die for the sins of mankind, so that those who believed in him would not perish but have the everlasting life. The main difference between the Christians and the Jews is that while the former believe that the messiah (Jesus) came, as was the prophesy, the latter are still waiting for him to appear. They therefore still keep the old traditions taught to them by Moses and other Old Testament prophets. On the other hand, while the Christians and the Jews have the lineage of Isaac, the Muslims trace their roots from Ishmael who according to the former two, did not have the right of inheritance from Abraham’s family. The bottom line however is that all the three believe in one true God and all the prophets that existed, with the only difference being on the perception of Jesus Christ.
The only thing that makes the Islamic religion to be incompatible with the American democracy is a matter of culture. Some of the Islamic faithful still believe in the teachings of the Old Testament where punishment for any sin committed was very severe. For instance, if a woman committed adultery, she was supposed to be stoned to death. If a person stole, he was supposed to have their hands amputated. The Islamic religion therefore follows exactly what bused to be practiced long before the changes that have occurred. However, are many critics who argue that such practices infringe on the rights of the people and therefore should be avoided at all cost.
In conclusion, such acts cause friction with the American democracy, which insists on freedom of anything so long as it does not infringe on the rule of law. It insists on observation of human rights and disputes any of those punishments that are aimed at eliminating the life of a person or inflicting pain for the purpose of protecting the religious beliefs.
