Monotheism – All for One?

Now for a quick comparison of the monotheistic religions. I want to do this to highlight differences in the belief systems and especially the differences in the societal outcomes of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. It is often falsely assumed that these religions are really essentially the same because they hold as a primary tenant the worship of one God and recognize Abraham as the ‘father’ of all who believe in one God. Remember that Abram came from a polytheistic culture and was ‘called out’ from his people by one who claimed to be the One True God and who would make of him a new nation which in turn would be a blessing to every nation and every people. The obvious challenge to the unity of these religions is the extreme enmity between the Islamic nations and any who support or recognize Israel. There is also a split in Jewish thought in reference to the identity of Christ. Messianic Jews believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise: the Messiah, Immanuel, God with us. So there has been a division of thought along the way in all three of the monotheistic religions leaving significant differences.

Jewish belief centers on “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One” and the summary of the O.T. law, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself.” The Islamic faith accepts the historical veracity of the O.T. but its central pillar is, “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet.” The Christian faith, though founded on the history of the O.T., centers in the work of Christ on the cross: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

In a simple comparison of the statements above, several things catch my attention. First, the oneness and unity and uniqueness of God is taken for granted in Jewish and Christian thought. The exclusion of other ‘possible gods’ in Islamic thought is unique and partially due to a pre-Muhammad worship of 365 gods, one for each day of the year. This gives Islam a unique negativism which is consistent throughout its social, cultural and religious development. Anything which does not conform is suppressed or eradicated to achieve a forced unity, at least in appearance. Second, and more importantly, is the concept of love apparent in the Christian and Jewish faiths but in different ways. The summary of Jewish (or Mosaic) law is more of a command: Love God, love others. Notice that there is no qualification for this love and the Levitical law is explicit in the care and concern (love) for foreigners who do not share the same beliefs. The New Testament (NT) turns the meaning of love to a new focus: God’s love for us. We ‘must’ respond in love to God and to others because of the demonstration of God’s love in the person and work of Christ. This conceptual development of love is completely absent in Islamic thought; there is no evidence of God’s love and certainly no encouragement to love him back nor anyone else as far as I can tell.

The effect of these ideas on society is tremendous indeed. Our modern definition of love has little to do with the Biblical meaning or model. We tend to think of love as a feeling or an attraction which satisfies a personal desire. The definition of “agape”, the Greek term used in reference to God’s love, means unconditional and unmerited love and only focuses on providing for and benefiting the recipient of that love. In a society where the meaning of ‘agape’ is understood, there is a true respect for the needs and well being of others and a value placed on the responsibilities and commitments which come as a result. This rarely happens in an Islamic culture (and it is a culture as much as a religion!) because the emphasis is on submission to authority out of fear, not obedience out of love. So any religion based on law becomes a struggle for power, one group against another. But a religion based on ‘agape’ should be a desire for relationship with personal commitments to care for and stimulate growth.