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Essay / The connection between the monotheistic traditions of...
Looking around the world, one would not be surprised to find a wide variety of people with different beliefs and cultural traditions depending on the history and geographic location of the culture. But what might seem strange is also a big similarity among most of these people: belief in God. And not just any God, but a unique God who possesses divine knowledge and power over humanity. Yet with these commonalities, the three traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each have a unique view of what they consider to be the correct belief about God. But with so much in common, one would think that the three traditions would be more related than it seems. Could these three religions all have a common source beyond simple monotheistic beliefs, but rather a common belief in the same deity? For this article, through the lens of divine revelation, I wish to study the connection between the three monotheistic traditions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism with regard to the identity of the Supreme Being (God, Allah, YHWH) and discover if these three identities are found in the same being. Divine Revelation within the Traditions If we are to understand the connection between the three traditions, we must first understand the lens through which we look. Divine revelation is understood as a way in which God reveals God, whether through supernatural means or in ways more directly related to humanity. Through this, God can reveal himself in ways sometimes called horizontal or vertical. In his book Claiming Abraham, Michael Lodahl takes a close look at the traditions of Islam and Christianity (with Judaism as a reference point) in a side-by-side analysis of their beliefs and narratives. At some point, ...... middle of paper ...... different styles, and allows the flexibility of faith to occur. For just as God is also revealed in different ways to different people, God is also glorified in different ways by people who worship in their own unique ways. Works Cited Hick, John. Controversial issues in theology and philosophy of religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. Print. Lodahl, Michael. Claim Abraham. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2010. Print. Timpe, Kevin. “Introduction to Neoclassical Theism.” Models of God and alternative ultimate realities. Ed. Jeanine Diller and Asa Kasher. New York: Springer, 2013. 197-206. Print.Mann, Mark Grear. “Religious pluralism”. Philosophy of religions. Ed. Thomas Jay Oord. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2003. Print. Wainwright, William. "Monotheism". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. September 6, 2013. The web. Accessed March 31, 2014.