Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God

It’s hard to contain yourself when you know your truth. This gets harder when others know their truth, and your truth and their truth aren’t the same truth.

For example, consider the differing understandings we have about Jews, Christians and Muslims.

This really shouldn’t be a problem since we worship the same God.

Yet, in spite of this, many people believe that their own form of religion contains the only complete and ultimate revelation of God. You can see it as you travel through our own town. Churches are everywhere, each believing something a little different from the others. Yet, most churches have more in common than not. Like the three religions themselves, they too have more in common than not. If nothing else, rather than separation, differing viewpoints should spur unity and inclusion, not estrangement leading to hatred.

The problem is that some folks hold dearly to their truths. They believe they are clearly right and others are clearly wrong. Of course, this overrides any possibility for mutual understanding.

A strong belief in the truth of one’s own religion and the equally strong belief in the falsity of others is what stirs conflict, fear and hatred. It’s easy to accept that we are chosen, and you are rejected. We are saved, and you are not. It is this concept from which intolerance and violence grows.

For Jews, God is fully revealed in the Old Testament Pentateuch. The first five books of the Bible — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. According to tradition, the books were written by Moses. One theme is that God is both compassionate and loving. Another is that God is warlike and vengeful. The concept is that God is a shepherd whose love, goodness and mercy is there for his followers everyday of their lives.

Jews see God as a warrior whose existence is real, exemplified in the Pentateuch, when God’s presence was carried into battle within the Ark of the Covenant, and when God killed the firstborn within Egypt, and when God drowned the army of Pharaoh, and when God approved Elijah’s killing of the 450 prophets of the ancient Canaanite god Baal. In other words, God’s love and support for Israel is like how a father loves his son.

The compassionate yet fierce God described in the Pentateuch is similar in many ways to the God of Christians.

For Christians, God is revealed through Jesus defined in the four New Testament Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus speaks of a personal God, who Jesus calls father. Yet, this God of love can also be ruthless, a God of justice, goodness and mercy.

Unfortunately, it is sometimes incorrectly presumed by non-Muslims that the God of Islam is also a fierce war-like deity. This God is out to destroy and enslave anyone and everyone, unlike the God of Jews and Christians who can also be compassionate and loving.

The founder of Islam is Muhammad. He viewed his role as the last in a line of prophets reaching back to Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Noah. And just as God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush, God also revealed himself to Muhammad, according to the Quran.

Muslims believe that God provided divine guidance through the Pentateuch to Moses, through the Gospels about Jesus, and through the Quran to Muhammed. Muslims believe that Muhammad inherited the Jewish and Christian understandings of God. In chapter 3, verse 3, God says in the Quran, "It is He (God) Who has sent down the Book (the Qur'an) to you (Prophet Muhammad ) with truth, confirming what came before it. And he sent down the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).” Muslims believe that God is both complex and a blend of love, compassion, wrath and anger. If you are obedient to God’s word, you will be blessed. If you are not, then God will not be merciful.

For Muslims, just like Jews and Christians, those who turn to God in repentance will be greeted with mercy and forgiveness. Those who fail to obey the word of God will be met with judgment and wrath.

The Old Testament, New Testament and the Quran all offer guidance regarding marriage and family, women, inheritance, food and drink, worship and purity, warfare, punishments for adultery and false accusations of adultery, alcohol and theft.

Specifically, Jews believe in one God. There are a number of prophets including Moses, the prophet to whom God gave the law embodied in the Pentateuch. Jewish religious custom covers matters such as prayer and ritual, diet, rules regulating marriage, divorce, birth, death, inheritance and observance of special holidays celebrating events in Jewish history.

Christians believe that God is revealed through three facets — the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the son of God, born to a virgin to offer redemption for human sins. Jesus was crucified and executed by the Romans, then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Christians believe in an afterlife where those who lived a good life will reside in heaven with God, and those who have lived a sinful life will be punished in hell.

Muslims believe in one God who sent His divine revelation, called the Quran, to the prophet Muhammad to proclaim it to mankind. The Quran tells Muslims to worship one God and how they should treat others properly. Strict Muslims practice five principles. These include their faith, praying five times a day, fasting in daylight hours during the month of Ramadan, giving a share of their income for charity, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetimes. Some Muslims also observe dietary rules, similar to those of some Jews, that forbid certain foods (like pork), outlaw alcohol and dictate how animals should be slaughtered for food. Just like Christians, Muslims believe in a coming day of judgment, when virtuous souls go to heaven and wrongdoers go to hell.

And just to be clear, in all three religions, there are zealots who practice inhumanity to obtain control over anyone and everyone they oppose. These fringes can be vengeful and destructive. Where we go wrong is by labeling whole populations on the acts of a tiny fraction.

At this time of year, it might be mindful for each of us to worship as we see fit. But to remember all three ways of viewing God have the potential to bring us closer together, to unite us in our common understandings.

Let us see the good in others.

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Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, Shippensburg University Trustee, and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. eLynxx provides cloud-software for sourcing and managing print and mail marketing. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at Bill.Gindlesperger@eLynxx.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: There are always zealots; let's start with seeing the good in others