Comparative Religion For Dummies

William P. Lazarus has taught religious history courses for 14 years. Mark Sullivan is a writer and editor who has studied comparative religion and philosophy extensively.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 3Conventions Used in This Book 3How This Book is Organized 4Part I: History is a Happening Thing 4Part II: The Development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 4Part III: Shared Aspects of the Faiths 5Part IV: Shared Ideas Among the Faiths 5Part V: The Part of Tens 5Part VI: Appendixes 5Icons Used in This Book 5Where to Go from Here 6Part I: History is a Happening Thing 7Chapter 1: One God, Three Faiths 9Holy Toledo! How Many Gods are There? 9Monotheism Develops 10Egypt tries the one-god concept 11Yahweh steps down from the mount 12Following Abraham’s Lead: Judaism 13Josiah and his faith: The beginnings of Judaism 13God becomes universal 14God provides protection and an identity 15Christianity: Crossing in a New Direction 16Paul finds a way to link beliefs 16The Christian message spreads through the empire 16Islam: Submitting to God 17Chapter 2: Following Abraham’s Path 19What We Do and Don’t Know about the Historic Abraham 19Taking a tour of Father Abraham’s neighborhood 20Following the laws of Abraham’s time 21Speaking Abraham’s language 22Practicing religion before Abraham came on the scene 22Abraham’s Early Years 23The Beginnings of Judaism 24Agreeing to the covenant 25Isaac’s close call demonstrates Abraham’s love for God 25Following the family tree 26In Islam, Ishmael Finds a New Way 27Jesus Joins the Genealogy 28Three Faiths: One Founder 29Part II: The Development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 31Chapter 3: Judaism: Oy Vey, What a History! 33From Abraham, Judaism Takes the Long Road 34Like father, like son: The leaders after Abraham 35Over the river and through the desert, to Pharaoh’s land we go 35Moses, Receiver of God’s Laws 36Relying on plagues and walls of water to escape slavery 37Counting on the Ten Commandments 38Joshua takes control 38The Days of the Judges 39The Time of Kings 39David starts a dynasty 40Solomon rules wisely 40Splitting into two kingdoms 40Getting Conquered: The Jews Find Themselves in Hot Water 41Monotheism arrives 42Living under foreign rule 42Christianity’s Emergence Puts the Jews on the Defensive (Yet Again) 43How Jews Have Influenced Society 44Emphasizing education 45Inventing languages 46Jewish humor: The joke’s on everyone 46Fulfilling their dreams in America 48Dominating the silver screen 48Flying the Blue and White Banner of Israel 49Chapter 4: Judaism Finds God in Everything 51A Little of This, A Little of That 52Maintaining Daily Practice 52Let us pray 53Exploring the worship wardrobe 54Keeping kosher 55Remembering the Sabbath 57Observing Jewish Holidays 58High Holy Days: Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur 58Passover: Recalling the great escape 59Planting and harvesting holidays 61Purim: A great reason to party 62Hanukkah: In praise of victory and light 62Other holidays 63Understanding Jewish Rituals 64Circumcision: No getting around it 64Bar mitzvah: All grown up in God’s eyes 65Mazel tov! Celebrating a Jewish wedding 66Understanding Jewish Symbols .67The menorah 67The ark 68The Jewish star 69Chapter 5: Jesus and the Origins of Christianity 71Jesus’s Life and Death 71A remarkable birth 72The few historical records of Jesus’s life 73Preaching and teaching God’s word 74Jesus’s claims stir the pot and create controversy 75A date with the cross 76The First Believers 76What the early followers believed 77The first missionary of Jesus 78A New Religion Grows 79The destruction of the Temple fuels growth 79Christians separate from Judaism 80Christian practices: It’s no mystery 80The big time arrives: Legitimacy in the Roman Empire 81Nicene council sets the belief 82The Greeks split while the Romans grow in influence 83It’s Hard to Keep Everyone Happy 84Martin Luther spells out his displeasure 85Protestants reform, the Church counterreforms, and fighting ensues 86The rise of science in a Christian world 87Conflict revives Armageddon ideas 88Christianity Today 88Chapter 6: Christian Beliefs and Practices 91The First Noel: Christmas and the Roots of Christianity 92Why a holiday for the Nativity? 93Why December? 93Other Christian Holidays 95Hallelujah! He is risen: Easter 95A solemn and somber season: Lent 97A weekly holy day: The Sabbath 98Happening upon Christianity’s Holy Sites 99Seeing how sites become holy 99Wandering around Rome and the Vatican 99Rituals: Outward Expressions of Faith 100One bread, one body: Communion 101Welcoming new Christians through baptism 102Celebrating additional sacraments 103The Different Symbols of Christianity 103The old rugged cross 103What’s the bright idea behind halos? 106Fish, lamb, doves, and more 106Many Christians, Many Sects 106Chapter 7: The Birth of Islam: The Prophet Submits to Allah 109Islam, Born in the Desert 109All roads lead to Mecca 110Meccans become traders with the world 111The Prophet Arrives 111Muhammad’s early life 112Starting out as an average guy 112Beginning of a faith 113Solitude leads to action 114The faith develops: Introducing the five pillars 114Writing the Koran 115Muhammad Takes Command 117Spreading the new faith 118The Farewell Sermon 119Breakdown at the Start-Up: Sunnis and Shi’ites Can’t Get Along 119Choosing a leader causes strife early on 120How Sunnis and Shi’ites practice Islam 121The Ottoman Turks Dominate Islam 123Chapter 8: Islam: Submission of the Faithful 125The Core of Islam: One God with Muhammad as His Last Prophet 125Allah: The Almighty of Islam 126The history of Allah 127Allah’s divine role 128The Pillars of the Faith 129First pillar: Creed (Shahada) 129Second pillar: Prayer (Salat) 130Third pillar: Purifying tax (Zakat) 131Fourth pillar: Fasting (Sawm) 132Fifth pillar: Pilgrimage (Hajj) 133Meeting Some Muslim Sects 133Ahmadiyya 134Ismailis 134Kahrijites 134Kurds 135Sufis 135Wahhabis, or Muwahiddun 135Gender Equality in Islam 136Observing Muslim Holidays 137Ramadan 137Hijra: Turning the page to a new year 137Ashurah: A day of many remembrances 138Id Milad al-Nabi: Marking Muhammad’s birth and death 138Id al-Adha: Honoring Abraham’s dedication to God 138Lailat al-Baraa: Seeking and granting forgiveness 13915th of Sha’ban: Shaking things up 13927th of Rajab: A heavenly holiday 139Getting to Know Saints in Islam 139Common Rituals and Daily Practices 140Getting hitched in Islam 140Other ways of keeping the faith 141Islam’s dietary requirements 142The Story Behind Symbols and Colors 143Part III: Shared Aspects of the Faiths 145Chapter 9: Reading the Holy Words 147The Hebrew Bible 148Sections of the Hebrew Bible 148When were the books written? 149When did the books become holy? 150Understanding the Bible through JEPD 151It’s all Greek to me 151The Christian Bible 152The structure of the New Testament 152Who wrote the books? 153Where were they written? .153When were the books written? 154Drawing material from many sources 154Jerome gets an assignment: Revise the Bible 155The Koran 156Revealing the Koran’s history 156Outlining the Koran’s organization 157Understanding the Texts 157Translating can be such sweet sorrow 157That’s not what that says 158I can read it, but what does it mean? 159Things get really complicated in the Koran 159Where are the originals? 160Unrolling the Dead Sea Scrolls 161What’s in the Dead Sea Scrolls? 162How do they help us translate the Bible? 163Perusing Other Sacred Books 164The insightful Talmud 164The mysterious Kabbalah 165Christians stick with the original reference book 166The Hadith collects Muhammad’s sayings and teachings 166Chapter 10: Houses of Prayer 169Early Sacred Sites: Stone Mounds and Altars 169The Many Lives of the Temple in Jerusalem 171The Temple’s significance to the Jews 172The Temple’s destruction 172A new Temple rises 173A battle for the Temple and its rededication 173Romans defile the Temple 174Herod’s version of the Temple 175The Romans’ view of the Temple 175The Romans burn the Temple 176Synagogues become the Jewish houses of prayer 178Christians Choose Churches 179The churches of early Christians 179Church design evolves 180Artistry and music abound 181Byzantine style moves in .182Later styles emerge, but some things don’t change 182Mosques Reflect the Prophet 182How mosques are designed 183Inspecting the interior of a mosque 184Who’s Welcome for Worship? 185Chapter 11: Religious Leaders: Keeping the Faith 187Great Jewish Leaders of the Past 188Prophets emerge from the shadows 188After the prophets: Sages 189Rise of the Rabbi 189A rabbi’s job description 190Education: The key to leadership 190Modern Jewish leaders 191Christian Leaders 192The pope becomes the point man 192Christianity’s organization 193The requirements and roles of Christian church leaders 194Church Leaders from the Early Days Until Now 195Lighting up in the Middle Ages 195Modern Christian leaders 196Following Muhammad 197Great Muslim leaders in history 197Modern Islamic leaders 198Chapter 12: Sacred Sites 199Jerusalem: Important to All Three Religions 200A city with a fuzzy origin .201Jerusalem in history 202Jerusalem in symbolism 205Sacred Sites of Judaism 205Bethel: Home of the law .206Shechem: Future home of the Samaritans 206Mount Moriah: Site of the Wailing Walland the Dome of the Rock 206Mount Zion: A conquered fortress 207Mount Sinai: God and Moses’s chat room 207In Islam, All Roads Lead to Mecca 208Christian Sacred Sites 209Shrine of Thomas Becket 210House of the Virgin Mary .210Assisi, home of Saint Francis 211Lourdes and its healing waters 211The Vatican: Small, but holy 211St. Peter’s Basilica 212Other Catholic sites 213Chapter 13: Thy Kingdom Come: The Messiah Concept 215The Origins of the Messiah Concept 216Isaiah outlines a role 216Other prophets predict a messiah 217The messianic concept takes shape with King David 218The messiahs disappear 218New messianic duties surface 219The Romans create more fervor 219Two messiahs? 220Later messiahs in Judaism 221Christians Adopt Jesus as the Messiah 222Comparing old messiahs to Jesus 223Other messianic figures around the time of Jesus 225Jesus wins out 228Islam Develops a Messiah: Madhi 228The Shi’ite vision 228Sunnis disagree 229Other Mahdis 229The last Mahdi? 230Chapter 14: Holy Catastrophe: End of the World 231Where Did the Idea of the End of the World Come From? 231Judaism’s Belief in the End and Its Influence on Christianity 232The end as predicted in the book of Daniel 233Other prophesies predict the end 234The death of Augustus 235The destruction of the Temple: A sign for Jews and Christians 235Other predictions of the final year 236The Christian notion of the “antichrist” 238Islam’s View of the End 238Turning to texts for support 238The end is near 239How the End of the World Will Take Place 240Signs of the end 240How the end will begin, so to speak 242Jesus gets an encore to limited audiences 242Rise and shine for the resurrection 243Standing by during the destruction 243Awaiting the final judgment 243How about stopping in purgatory? 244Part IV: Shared Ideas Among the Faiths 247Chapter 15: Dealing with Sin 249What is Sin, and Where Does It Come From? 249Sources of sin: The Devil made me do it and other reasons 250Considering human nature 251Judaism: Sinners defy God’s commandments 251Christianity: We’re born with sin 252Islam: Sin comes from straying off the path 254Facing Punishment for Sins 255Judaism: God gets angry but can forgive 256Christianity: Salvation is possible 256Islam: Cleansing by fire 257Receiving Redemption 257When does redemption take place? 258How does someone get redeemed? 260Excommunication: When Redemption Isn’t an Option 264Chapter 16: Good Heavens: Life after Death 265Where Do Ideas about the Afterlife Come From? 265Early humans: Always be prepared 266Egyptians: Soul men who needed their mummies 266Greeks: Dead on their feet 267Romans: A-wandering we shall go 267Zoroastrians: Choosing between good and evil 268What is Heaven? 269Who you’ll meet in heaven 270Opening up the gates of heaven to the righteous 271What is heaven like? 271Why go to heaven? 273Angels: God’s Helpers 274Early concepts of angels 274Angels in monotheism 276Chapter 17: Hell in a Nutshell 279Starting with the Roots of Hell .280Revealing the earliest references 281Jews’ souls go to Sheol 281Souls in Gehenna are goners 281Why punishment in hell? .282What is Hell Like? 282Judaism: Hell is distance from God 282Christianity: Hell’s a place of torment 283Islam: Hell features wild climate extremes 287Speaking of the Devil 287Early concepts of hell’s ruler 287Judaism: Satan is God’s adversary 288Christianity: Satan is the deceiver and prince of darkness 288Islam: Satan encourages wrongdoing 290Watching Out for Devilish Assistants 290Judaism: Demons in nature 291Christianity: The witches will get ya 291Islam: Powerful genies aid Iblis 292What Happens to Satan? 293Judaism: God destroys all .293Christianity: Satan puts up a fight 293Islam: Judgment comes 294Chapter 18: War and Peace: Why Can’t We All Get Along?  295A Shared Heritage 296Belief in one God 297Shared internal conflicts .298Differences, Disagreements, and Conflicts 300Universality versus exclusivity 301Judaism offers a solution 302Christianity closes doors, and Islam follows suit 303War and Not So Much Peace 304Muslims conquer for a time 304Christianity envelops mankind 305Christian missionaries 305The Jews Struggle 307No home anywhere 308The birth of Israel: More strife 308Troubles continue inside Israel 308Finding Solutions in Secularism 309Separation of church and state in the United States 309In the Islamic world, secularism struggles 310Where we are today 312What does the future hold? 313Part V: The Part of Tens 315Chapter 19: Ten Misconceptions about Jews, Christians, and Muslims 317Judaism Struggles against Anti-Semitism 318Jews belong to a separate race 318Jews want to take over the world 318Jews killed Jesus 318Christianity Focuses on Fundamentals 319Christians think God will solve their problems 319Only good Christians go to heaven 319A person who is “born again” enjoys a miraculous, dramatic feeling 319Islam Emerges to Slow Understanding 319Muslims are violent 320All Muslims are Arabs 320Muslims don’t believe in Jesus or other prophets 320Muslims worship a different God 320Chapter 20: Ten Films Drawn from Biblical Accounts 321The Ten Commandments 322King of Kings 322The Greatest Story Ever Told 322Jesus Christ Superstar 323The Passion of the Christ 323The Prince of Egypt 324The Last Temptation of Christ 324Solomon and Sheba 324David and Bathsheba 325Samson and Delilah 325Chapter 21: Ten-Plus Ways Religion Influences the World 327Read All About It: Literature 327Music as an Expression of Faith 328Politics and Religion: Not Always Easy to Separate 329Bringing the Bible to Life through Art 329Recording Biblical Stories on Film 330Spreading the Word through Television 331Seeking Insight into God through Science 332Education: Wearing a Skullcap and a Thinking Cap 332Being Holy Improves Your Health and Well-Being 333Social Welfare: Doing unto Others 334Disagreeing about Environmental Issues 334Part VI: Appendixes 335Appendix A: Timelines for Religions 337Judaism 338Christianity 340Islam 341Appendix B: Genealogies 343Judaism and Christianity 344Islam 348Index 351