"Like a bridge over troubled waters," all the the major world religions point people to peace. The way each one proposes to get there varies. The honest seeker should carefully examine the claims of each one.
Judaism--Covenant Keepers
The Jewish faith embraces the God of the Hebrew Scriptures (or Tanakh), who made covenant with his people at Mount Sinai when he gave Moses the "Ten Commandments". The first five books of the Tanakh, known as the Torah, reveal how God's people, the descendants of Abraham, were to live their lives, holy and set apart for God. Over time, Jewish scholars have added their interpretation in the Talmud;according to The Encyclopedia of World Religions,"The Talmud concentrates on what one needs to do in order to follow God's commandments, not on what one ought to believe."
The "Ten Commandments"--the core of God's commands in the Torah-- are as follows:
- I am HaShem ( the Lord) your G_d.
- Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image;Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them;
- Thou shalt not take the name of HaShem thy G-d in vain; for HaShem will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land that HaShem thy G_d giveth thee.
- Thou shalt not murder.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 1
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's. Following God's commands promise peace, whereas sinning, or breaking God's commands, leads one to loss of God's blessings.
According to the Hebrew Scriptures, God established a series of feasts whereby his people could honor him, seek atonement for their sins, and celebrate God's covenant with them. He, also, gave them the Levitical priesthood through Aaron, Moses' brother(together these two led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, as recorded in the book of Exodus in the Bible). With the Levites serving the community of faith, anyone who had sinned, or broken one of God's laws, had a means of receiving God's forgiveness; the offender would bring a lamb (or turtledoves if they could not afford a lamb) to the temple (or Tabernacle in pre-temple days) so that the priest could sacrifice the animal in the sinner's stead. In that way Jewish people pursued peace with God.
In modern times--and since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.--animal sacrifices are no longer practiced. But Jewish customs--particularly keeping the Sabbath from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday-- remain very much a way of life for many. The major feast days, also, offer people of Jewish faith a way to peace; On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the Jews fast together and seek God's forgiveness. Furthermore, the traditions marking major milestones in life--like the Bar or Bat Mitzvah marking a child's coming of age as a son or daughter of the covenant--serve to bring meaning and peace to the lives of Jews.
Islam--Following Muhammad
Muslims embrace Islam, the teachings of Muhammad. They believe--as described in The Encyclopedia of World Religions--that God has revealed himself to mankind throughout history, through many prophets (from Adam, through Moses, Abraham, and Jesus); Muhammad brought God's final revelation, and displayed God's supreme example of how people ought to live. Their core belief is called the "shahada," which says, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." As a matter of fact, for a Muslim to have peace, he or she is to follow the teachings of the Koran, which grew out of a revelation given to Muhammad in 610 A.D. The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions states that The Hadith and Shariah "are two additional authorities, carrying almost the same weight."
- The five basic practices--the "five pillars"--which are required of every faithful follower of Islam,include: a daily recitation of the shahada;
- the prescribed prayers which serve as a reminder that the shahada is true;
- the giving of alms, of about 2.5 percent of the follower's income yearly;
- a period of fasting observed during Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim calendar;
- and a pilgrimage to Mecca required of every Muslim at least once in a lifetime. According to The Encyclopedic Dictionary, those who make these pilgrimages demonstrate their devotion to Allah and so enhance their chances of salvation. Some Muslims, according to The Encyclopedia of World Religions, add a sixth pillar--jihad, meaning to war against temptation.
Furthermore, as noted in The Encyclopedic Dictionary, the Shariah, or holy laws, include abstinence from alcoholic beverages and all forms of gambling. Men are to be circumcised, and are considered superior to women "because Allah has made the one superior to the others." Islam holds strongly to belief in one God, and hate the Christian doctrine of one God in three persons, denouncing it as idolatrous. Therefore, "for a Muslim to even consider the mysteries of the Christian doctrine of God is to show disregard for the holy Koran."
Traditionally, for Muslims the way to peace is honoring Allah, who is sovereign over the lives of his people; his people, in turn, must bow in passive resignation to his will. But The Encyclopedic Dictionary goes on to say that, "Many Muslims in modern times are beginning to rethink the issue of determinism and its relationship to human responsibility before Allah." Nevertheless, according to The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Islam teaches that there will be a judgment day someday, and that the faithful will enter into Paradise.
Christianity: Peace With God through Jesus
The Christian Bible includes the Jewish Scriptures, called the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, documenting the life of Christ and the beginning of the Church. The New Testament opens with the birth of Christ, where the angels proclaim, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." According to John R. Cross, author of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, there is "one continuous message" which runs through the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation; it is God's plan of salvation for the world. The salvation preached by Christians is not the deliverance from the continual cycle of rebirth believed by Eastern religions, for Christianity teaches that people are appointed to die only once, and then appear before God on Judgment Day. So to the Christian, the biblical meaning of salvation is being delivered from sin and its consequence--eternal death in hell--and receiving the gift of God-- eternal life in heaven. Christianity teaches that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself."
In the Bible, Christians believe, one can find (1) the rule for life, and (2) the promises of God. Hence, Christianity, like Judaism, hold to the "Ten Commandments" as God's law given that his people might know the absolute standard for how to live life. Jesus summed it up when he said, quoting from Matthew 22:37-39 (in the New Testament)--"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
Some of the more widely known portions of the Christian Bible are some of the promises of God. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,. . . Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever," comes from Psalm 23 of the Old Testament. Then, in the New Testament, Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" holds "The Beatitudes," --(1) "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (2)"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." (3) "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." (4) "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (5) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (6) "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (7) "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (8) "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (9) "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven."
According to both Jewish and Christian teaching, if one wants peace, obey God's commands. But Bible scholars of both persuasions teach that man has a sin problem, and cannot perfectly fulfill all of God's law. Further, they say that God's penalty for falling short of God's standard is eternal death, that is, eternal separation from God. Peace would look pretty elusive if that were the end of Christian doctrine. David Cross explains that, "God's just nature was satisfied by the death of Jesus, a death payment for sin." He refers to one of the promises of the Bible found in the New Testament, Romans 5:1, which says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." So, while following God's commands are important to Christians as a way to peace, faith is important for right relationship with God.
Looking for Peace in the World Religions
This short two-part series has explored world religions having roots in the East and Mid-East. The focus has been on what makes for peace in each one--Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. To the Eastern religions, finding release from the endless cycle of reincarnation is paramount for peace. Good works matter. Life disciplines, including meditation, are key. These religions tend to be pantheistic and polytheistic, worshiping many gods. The religions originating in the Mid-East, however, believe in one God, not many. Again, works--following God's commands--are important for peace, as are life festivals and habits (ie. regular prayers and keeping Sabbath). Adding faith to works, Christianity's focus for peace is gaining a right relationship with God through faith in the death of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.
Sources--
Cross, John R.. The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. Canada: GOODSEED International, 2010.
Ellwood, Robert S., Alles, Gregory D.. The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Revised Edition. New York: DWJ Books LLC, 2007.
Nichols, Larry A.;Mather, George A.'and Schmidt, Alvin J.. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
The New King James Version of the Bible (The New Open Bible, Large Print Edition). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982
Jewish Virtual Library (home page)
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