Christians claim that their heirship is figurative and that anybody, through faith in the atoning work of Jesus as a sacrifice can become part of God's chosen people. God incarnated into a human being for many reasons. Firstly, He wanted to be further revealed to humanity. Jesus also came to fulfill God’s promises and the Law of Moses, while also bringing a new covenant. He also came to sympathize with believers and endure the pain of human life. And most obviously, He came to die for the sins of the world and destroy the works of the devil. Christians believe in the importance of only worshipping one God. As stated in the Shema, Shahadah, and the Gospels: ““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”” (Christianity - Matthew 22:36-40). There are several core beliefs that are shared with the other Abrahamic faiths about God the Creator: God is the Creator of everything; God governs the universe with justice and honour; Humanity has an obligation to worship God; God is spirit and therefore invisible; and God is one. Jesus is seen as divine or the Son of God, therefore equal with Him. Catholics also believe the Holy Spirit helps us to live faithful lives and continue the work that Jesus began. This is the idea of the Trinity - all equal parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Abrahamic religions all preach to live a God-honouring life – compassionate, truthful, loving. This is also how we should treat others. Like many religions, the Golden Rule – treating your neighbour as yourself – is a very prominent principle in the Christian faith. Although the ultimate result of living a life based on Christian morals such as the Golden Rule is eternal life in Heaven., we should choose this lifestyle to honour God and how He wants us to treat His Creation. Any wrong we do to His people, is like doing wrong to Him.

God is incredibly compassionate and merciful to His people even after the fail Him repeatedly, as is evident in the Old, and New, Testament. The New Testament states “God has imprisoned all human beings in disobedience, only so that He might show mercy to them all.” All Abrahamic faiths – Islam, Judaism, and Christianity - believe that God requires human beings to show mercy to others, to do good deeds such as helping others in order to have ultimate salvation and an eternal life. However, some Christians differ over the importance of having faith vs. doing good works (Reformed vs. Catholics). They believe that human beings are only granted salvation by the grace of God and His mercy, not by virtue of good works.

Christians believe all of humanity is born with a built-in urge to do bad things: original sin. They believe original sin stems from Adam and Eve's temptation to eat the apple in the Garden of Eden. For Christians, moral laws are to give people direction on how to live ethically while honouring God. Canon laws - the set of rules that govern the organization and practice of the members of the Church – are used as a guide for moral living and teachings. Christians believe that God made a covenant, or agreement with Abraham to keep the faith in One God and to worship Him and teach the practice of worship to his children down the generations. This is how the commitment to following moral laws ties into the relationship with God’s covenant. More specifically, by following these commandments, for Catholics the Ten Commandments, one can keep the covenant with God. The purpose of the Ethical dimension of religion is to provide a guideline for behaviour that believers can abide by to identify what is considered morally good or bad. This adds structure to how one can demonstrate their religion in their everyday life. These rules and guidelines are to strongly influence one's ethical actions to fit what their religion believes is honouring to their purpose on earth.

Those that follow Abrahamic faiths also understand that God promises a greater gift in doing your part of the covenant (salvation) than His part. God made the covenant with mankind to show His love for His people and to ultimately fulfill His desire to be with them through eternal life (Heaven). Christianity's primary belief is that the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ formed the climax of the plan for humanity's salvation of their sins. This plan was conceived by God because Adam and Eve ate the apple, burdening the world with sin, and it would be completed at the Last Judgment, when the Second Coming of Christ would mark the catastrophic end of the world. For Christians, salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. They believe that Jesus' death on the cross was the once-for-all sacrifice that atoned for the sin of humanity. The ultimate result of living a life based on Christian morals is eternal life in Heaven.

Christians believe that God made a covenant, or agreement with Abraham to keep the faith in one God and to worship Him and teach the practice of worship to his children down the generations. By following these commandments – specifically Ten Commandments - one can keep the covenant with God. And so we are called to continue His ministry on earth after his death by sharing the Gospel.

Jews claim a direct blood lineage to the patriarch of Abraham. Jews also interpret their moral life as a response to God’s covenant. Almost identical to the Christian belief, God promises a greater gift in doing your part of the covenant (salvation) than His part. This covenant with mankind is to show His love for His people and to fulfill His desire to be with them through eternal life. Humanity commits themselves to this personal relationship with God and, in doing so, must follow His ‘terms and conditions’ for us.

Jews also interpret their moral life as a response to God’s covenant. The Abrahamic faiths follow moral laws for different reasons depending on the religion, however the fundamental purpose behind it is the same: to give people direction on how to live ethically while honouring God. For Jews, sin involves not only deliberately going against moral laws, but also violating the ritual or purity laws. Jews believe that God made a covenant, or agreement with Abraham to keep the faith in One God and to worship Him and teach the practice of worship to His children down the generations. This is how the commitment to following moral laws ties into the relationship with God’s covenant. More specifically, by following these commandments, one can keep the covenant with God. Jews also practice the Golden Rule even though they believe they are God’s chosen people; everyone should be treated with righteously.

Humans are subject to natural order but must carry their relationship with God through their everyday lives, making it evident. The Torah gives humans the responsibilities of cultivating land, producing soil, and domesticating animals; humans as moral creatures are responsible for creation in all its parts.

The concept of a merciful God is a central theme among all the Abrahamic religions. The Old Testament also states “You, O Lord, are merciful to all, for you can do all things, and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent.” However, they also believe their suffering is God punishing them for being unfaithful. Jews believe in the importance of only worshipping one God. As stated in the Shema, Shahadah, and the Gospels:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Jewish – Shema).

The Christian doctrine of original sin is totally unacceptable to Jews. Jews believe that man enters the world free of sin, with a soul that is pure. Humans sin because he is not a perfect being, and not, as Christianity teaches, because he is inherently sinful.

For Jews, redemption refers to God redeeming the people of Israel from their various exiles. One does not need personal salvation as Christians believe. In Judaism, salvation is closely related to the idea of redemption, a saving from circumstances that destroy the value of human existence. This, in part, has to do with the constant oppression Jews have been put through historically.

The rituals surrounding death in Judaism demonstrate extreme reverence for the deceased in many ways. In the Jewish culture, the body of someone who has died is not left alone until after burial, as a sign of respect. People called Shomerim - meaning "guards" or "keepers" - watch over the body. The body is also not physically altered through means of cremation, embalming, or removing organs or fluids. The funeral is also never open casket and friends and family are not permitted to see the body in such a vulnerable state that is death. These are all rituals to preserve the dignity of the dead in the Jewish religions. Deaths in Judaism are treated with great respect in order to honour the blessing of life.

There is no mediator for sin like the Holy Spirit in Christianity, only Allah can forgive. Muslims believe in the importance of only worshipping one God. As stated in the Shema, Shahadah, and the Gospels: “There is no God but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” (Islam – Shahadah). God made the covenant with mankind to show His love for His people and to ultimately fulfill His desire to be with them. Humanity commits themselves to this personal relationship with God and, in doing so, must follow His ‘terms and conditions’ for us. Muslims claim that geography makes them ancestral heirs to Abraham's son Ishmael whom they claim received the blessing of fathering God's chosen people. This relates to the shared core beliefs between the three faiths: God is the Creator of everything; God governs the universe with justice and honour; Humanity has an obligation to worship God; God is spirit and therefore invisible; and God is one.

The Abrahamic faiths follow moral laws for different reasons depending on the religion, however the fundamental purpose behind it is the same: to give people direction on how to live ethically while honouring God. Muslims show their devotion by observing Allah’s moral commands, striving personally and publicly to follow His will, and by doing rituals such as prayer and zakat.

While Islam presents itself as the only way of life for people to achieve salvation in the after-life, it also teaches its followers to live up to high standards in conduct with other human beings, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, race, language or culture. The Quran is highly critical of Christian beliefs in Trinity and regarding Jesus as a deity. The Holy Book is also very critical of the Jews for not accepting Jesus and Muhammad as messengers of God. At the same time, however, it asks Muslims to establish a social association special only to Christians and Jews. The verses in the Holy Quran forbid Muslims to insult anything that is viewed as a deity by any religion, regardless of whether it is a person, a stone, a stick or a tree. The verse 2:256 of the Quran says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.”

The concept of a merciful God is a central theme among all the Abrahamic religions. For example, the Qur’an states “When God had completed His creation, He wrote above His throne, “My mercy overcomes my anger.”

God may overlook small sins, and the traditions state they can be forgiven by performing salat (prayers) and wadu (ritual washing). God may even decide to hide one’s sin: “The messenger of Allah said, “All my followers’ sins will be forgiven except those made public. That is, when a man commits a sin at night and then makes known during the day, even though Allah has screened him at night…” (al Bukhari 73:95).

Muslims reject the doctrine of original sin and cannot accept that death ensured; it was a natural process built into creation. They may even quote the Bible that people are responsible for their own deeds: “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness the wicked will be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20). They reason it would be unjust for God to punish all humanity because of Adam’s deed. Sin is not hereditary, and no one born a sinner.

Muslim theologians explain man’s nature at birth as fitrah: state of intrinsic goodness. Like Adam, people are born pure and sinless. They are Muslims by birth, and salvation is intact, but they must do all in their power to maintain this status.

Muslims believe that God made a covenant, or agreement with Abraham to keep the faith in One God and to worship Him and teach the practice of worship to his children down the generations. This is how the commitment to following moral laws ties into the relationship with God’s covenant. Those that follow Abrahamic faiths also understand that God promises a greater gift in doing your part of the covenant (salvation) than His part. Islam teaches that people who die disbelieving in God do not receive salvation. Although debatable among Muslims, Islam also teaches that non-Muslims who die believing in the God but disbelieving in his message (Islam), are left to his will. Those who die believing in the One God and his message (Islam) receive salvation. Islam also stresses that in order to gain salvation, one must also avoid sinning along with performing good deeds. Islam acknowledges the inclination of humanity towards sin as well as the Mercy of God. Therefore, Muslims are constantly commanded to seek God's forgiveness and repent. Islam teaches that no one can gain salvation simply by virtue of their belief or deeds, instead it is the Mercy of God, which grants them salvation. The rituals surrounding death in Judaism demonstrate extreme reverence for the deceased in many ways. As for the Islamic faith, there is no viewing of the body and it is to be buried as soon after the death as possible. There is also a prayer service - Salat ul Janazah – where people ask God for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased. Another way extreme reverence for the deceased is shown is during the mourning period of widows. They should avoid contact with any man who could be a possible candidate for a marriage out of appreciation and a last act of commitment to their late husband. In conclusion, deaths in Islam and Judaism are treated with great respect in order to honour the blessing of life.

During the Holocaust, 6 million Jews were killed in concentration camps in the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jewish race. The Jewish population of Europe was reduced from 9.5 million to 1.6 million in just 12 years. These tragedies obviously led to the religion of many Jews being shaken. Many Jews – even today - wonder if God was punishing them for not being faithful. This strengthens many Jews in the traditional idea that God is there for them during the good in the bad. Jews also consider every life sacred as it is from God and work to preserve life as a direct response to the Holocaust.

Zionism is a movement for the purpose of creating a safe Jewish state in Israel. This idea of a safe place for Jews after the tragedies of the Holocaust was supported by many European countries that saw what the Jews had to go through. The Arabs that live in Palestine, however, feel that the Jews are trying to take away their land. This has led to conflict between Israel and Palestine and has divided the middle east to this day. We must educate ourselves on the perspectives of both sides. The Jews have been oppressed for thousands of years yet the Palestinians do not want to be kicked out of their home. Like we learned in Unit 1, starting with the new generations, we can educate people on the opposing sides so they can see that they are equal, and people just like them. By sharing personal stories between the two sides and further developing relationships between the two, peace can be encouraged to the new generations as youth are more open to new concepts and ideas.

Some referred to the question that angels asked Allah about the creation of humans in the Qur’an: “And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” Allah said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know”” (2:30).

God might have a plan which would morally justify God allowing suffering. The existence of suffering may have certain functions which prevent God from stopping pain and suffering in the world. For instance, suffering may be necessary to produce more human happiness than a world without suffering. Evil and suffering can also be treated as a trial or test in the Islamic religion. Remaining faithful through times of pain, persecution, loss, and poverty are surely the most trying tribulation to one’s religion.

Sin is an important concept in Islamic ethics. Muslims see sin as anything that goes against the commands of God (Allah), a breach of the laws and norms laid down by religion. Islam teaches that sin is an act and not a state of being. Islam is unique in its stance on sin as no other religion shares the same idea that what becomes of man after birth is the result of external influence and intruding factors, not original sin. They have no understanding similar to the Bible’s teaching that humans, not God, caused sin through rebellion against God.

Sacred texts tell stories of how each respective religion was saved. This shows us how over and over God has saved us from suffering and will eventually send another coming of a Messiah to save us from the pain of human life. Specifically, the Quran teaches that Allah has predetermined every person’s destiny, and one’s righteous acts may or may not affect that decision. It teaches that everyone, both the righteous and the unrighteous, will be led into hell by Allah, before the righteous will enter heaven. According to Islam, one can be forgiven of sins through genuine tawbah (repentance) which means to return.

For death in the Islamic faith, there is no viewing of the body and it is to be buried as soon after the death as possible. There is also a prayer service - Salat ul Janazah – where people ask God for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased. Another way extreme reverence for the deceased is shown is during the mourning period of widows. They should avoid contact with any man who could be a possible candidate for a marriage out of appreciation and a last act of commitment to their late husband. In conclusion, deaths in Islam and Judaism are treated with great respect in order to honour the blessing of life.

Those who follow the Islamic faith, specifically Hijabis, have faced many conflicts with their practices clashing with laws. Some Muslim women wear hijabs for many reasons: Allah commands Muslims to be modest, the hijab liberates women, the hijab provides Muslim women with an identity, the hijab can foster understanding. We learned that Quebec passed a law that would force Muslim women to take off any facial coverings when entering a public space for ‘safety’ reasons. Many were critical about whether this really was for safety reasons or just a way to target easily identifiable Muslim women. I found it very inspiring to learn how, not only Muslim women, but also other women standing in solidarity with them, fought for their rights to freely practice their religion.