Four Key Events in Jewish History - Essay Example

First Essay - Judaism Salvation According to Jews, they are the means by which God intend to bring salvation to the world. God has the aim of saving men from evil of the world and for this he passed on the commandments to Jews, which will save people from destruction. Jews accept the birth of David and Jesus as a sign of arrival of peace and stability for Israel. History has always tried to wipe out evil by bringing various messengers and as a result Jews think history is Slavonic. b) Date and significance of 4 key events in Jewish history 1) Creation of World (4004 BCE): Judaism looks back in to their history from the days of creation of the world and mankind. According to Jews, God created world in one day and later all the different species originated from it. They believe that before the creation of world everything was in darkness and void ness. 2) The Great Flood (2349 BCE): The great flood was a key event in Jewish history which wiped out sin from the face of earth. The God created flood in order to eradicate the lawlessness prevailed among people during that time. 3) 10 Commandments Received (1491 BCE: According to Jews the 10 commandments are the essence of the religion. The Jews are supposed to commit themselves to these commandments in order to lead a sin free life. Commandments describe the duties of a person to God and other fellow beings. 4) Israel became monarchy (1095 - 1020BCE): The kingdom of Israel was formed as they conquer the Philistine and form unity with all tribes of the Israel. The monarchy was ruled by great kings like Saul, David and Solo man. Second Essay - Islam: Five pillars of Islam Five pillars of Islam form the very basic foundation of the religion. They are as below. 1) Faith and belief in one God and also in Messenger Prophet Mohammed. 2) Praying five times a day. 3) Giving alms to the poor and needy. 4) Fasting and proving one’s faith to God. 5) Pilgrimage to Mecca if the conditions allow. 1) Faith and belief in one God and also in Messenger Prophet Mohammed: This is the most important pillar of Islam and only if a person believes and practices it he becomes a true Muslim. The aim of this principle is to convey the essence of life that is to obey and serve God. 2) Praying five times a day: Praying five times a day is a very obligatory rule of Islam. This creates a direct connection between God and worshipper. Prayers are performed during dawn, mid-day, afternoon, sunset and at night, 3) Giving alms to the poor and needy: According to Islam everything in this world belongs to God and money also is held by human as a trustee. Every Muslim therefore has to give in charity a portion of his income or wealth fort the betterment of the society. 4) Fasting and proving one’s faith to God: Every year the Muslim population performs fasting during the month of Ramadan. They abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. This is a purification process for body and soul and deepens their faith .in God. 5) Pilgrimage to Mecca if the conditions allow: Pilgrimage to Mecca is obligatory for those Muslims who are financially and physically able. III. Third essay - Christianity: Question 9: Key events in the life of Jesus which Christians follow a) Resurrection is phenomena of rising of the dead or the returning of dead to life. Resurrection of Jesus is an important aspect of Christianity, which assured his divine personality. This shows the power of Jesus as the son of God and his ability to ascend to heaven after sacrificing his life for the benefit of humanity. It has the message of spiritual awakening to people which take them closer to God. Jesus lived for people and Christians take the message of sacrifice and love from the resurrection of Jesus. b) Gospel is the writing which elaborates about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Gospel also refers to the message given by Jesus to his followers. Gospel derives from the word “god’s spell” which means “good news”. The event which gospel emphasis is the resurrection of Jesus Christ after death. Jesus after the fructification was raised to heaven and this happened on the third day of his death. c) Last supper is the occasion of the last meal of the day by Christ along with his disciples on the eve of his passion .It was next day to this Christ suffered and died a painful death washing away the sin of the people .After three days of death he resurrected and was raised to heaven where he joined his father the Almightily God. This event is of very importance to Christians as it proves the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Fourth essay –Part II Islam – Question 4 a) Shahadah means understand and believe in God without any suspicious mind. It is acknowledging monotheism and accepting Prophet Muhammad as the true and final prophet send from God. It is one of the primary pillar of Islam and an obligatory aspect of the religion. A person who does not believe in shahadah is considered as a non believer. Muslims hate to be called Mohammedans because they are not follower of Mohammed but the follower of God. Muslims just accept prophet’s principles but does not worship him. b) Hegira means migration. It means escaping from the place of living in order to save oneself from persecution or death. With relation to Mohammed, Hegira is his migration from Mecca to Medina in order to avoid persecution. For the same reason, hegira denotes the beginning of the Islamic calendar each year. The Islamic calendar is also called Hegira calendar because of its legendary nature. The starting of Hegira is an auspicious time for Muslim and they see it as a mark of their religious faith and unity. c) Qur’an means “the recitation”. It is the religious book of Muslims which was gifted by Prophet Mohammed .Prophet got revelation from angel and recited to his followers the same which was recorded in a book and it got the name Qur’an. Ramadan is the month in which Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Mohammed. Prophet Mohammed has suggested that Muslims should practice fasting in the month of Ramadan Read More