Finding My Religion

My goal this month is to discover religions which vary from my own.
The human race is akin to cultivate a healthy relationship with God,
however; no two religions view God the same way.
But almost all religions view God.

How do others view God? Are they comfortable with their religion? As it were, I too, crave a healthy relationship with God.

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism base their religions and faith practices on a single God. This is known as Monotheism. [1] Judaism and Islam reject many 
distinctions, particularly that the God of Israel, whom Muslims identify as Allah, which is associated with the Christian notion of a triune God and the doctrine of Jesus as God in the flesh, and the Holy Spirit. [2]

I choose to think of religion as a lens. 
An Islamic person's lens may differ from that of a Buddhist.


Either way, we're all trying to see the same thing through a
different set of eyes.

I was born in a Christian society, to Christian parents, and have lived as a Christian all my life. Christianity is all I know. And sadly, I have viewed Christianity as being vastly superior to all other religions. This is what I was taught, this is what I've learned.

To hold an opinion of something, of which you have no understanding;
is arrogance at its best. - A.D. Wetrosky


There are several religions throughout the world. The Western world is primarily made up of Protestant Christians. Those in this religion
believe that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. They affirm that their justification is by [Jesus] grace through faith [in Jesus]. [3] 
Because Christianity is common throughout the United States, I will focus my studies more on Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.






Today, I will focus on Islam. It is the second largest religion in the world today.
A Muslim is a follower of the Islamic religion. Those in this religion believe that Allah (known to Western civilizations as God) is one (as opposed to the Christian triune God), and the sole purpose of existence is to worship Allah. [4] The Islam religion considers the Qur'an to be the inerrant word and final revelation of God. Their values are based on Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars are
used as a framework for worship and a sign of  commitment to the Islamic faith. The obligatory Five Pillars of Faith are as follows:

1. The Shahada (the creed)
2. Salat (daily prayers)
3. Sawm (fasting during Ramadan)
4. Zakāt (almsgiving)
5. The pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime. [5]

The five pillars of faith govern subordination and guidance on virtually every aspect of life and society.
Islamic people believe that Allah has many profits inluding Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Ezekiel, Jesus, and Muhammad to name a few. Gabriel was an angel, among many. Gabriel is thought to have scripted Allah's commands without error.

Another Islamic basic belief is Qaran -- or divine predestination. It is thought that human knowledge and future predictions is limited, and the will of Allah is imminent.

Many Muslims believe that Qaran was commanded by God and written in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lauḥ al-Maḥfūẓ). Belief that all that has happened and will happen, which will come to pass as written. A person's actions are not caused by what is written in the Preserved Tablet, rather the action was written in the Tablet because God already knows all occurrences without the restrictions of time. [6]

A final primary Islamic belief is Yawm al-Qiyāmah. This is the Islamic view of the Last Judgment. This is believed to be God's final assessment of human existence at its current stage before Qiyamah (End time).  Similar to Christian beliefs, the time of Qiyamah is unknown and feared.

So it seems that there are striking similarities between Christianity and the Islamic faith. Perhaps it is the verbiage that culminates a mass divide between people, leading to misunderstanding and a widening cultural divide. 

I am grateful to have a few Islamic friends. I plan to reach out, in the coming days, to gain a better understanding of their faith practices and direction in life. If nothing more than to create a realistic perspective and close the culture gap.

Throughout the month, I am hopeful to discover new ways to worship God; to understand and embrace those ways. I am eager to learn and appreciate God through a different set of lenses. Christianity and Islam are only the beginning!

~Amber.

A City Mouse. Amber Wetrosky. Copyright © 2007-2012. All Rights Reserved

1. "Monotheism", Britannica, 15th ed. (1986), 8:266.
2. Monotheism 2012. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
3. Eph. 2:8 KJV.
4. "Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence". Patheos.com. http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam/Beliefs/Human-Nature-and-the-Purpose-of-Existence.html. Retrieved 2012-2-1.
5. Pillars of Islam , Oxford Islamic Studies Online.
6. J. M. Cowan (ed.) (1976). The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic. Wiesbaden, Germany