Isabella Ellis

6/26/18
World History Honors

Lesson 1.2 Assessment

1. Me: Why is the Holy Land an important site for your faith?
a. Moses: The Holy Land was promised to become our homeland by God. We also
hold it central to our beliefs and practices. One practice is that when we pray, we
face Jerusalem.
b. Jesus: It’s where prophets, like myself, lived, practiced our teachings, and died.
Many people come to visit the Holy Land every year because it’s where I was
buried and when I was also resurrected.
c. Muhammad: We recognize the Holy Land as the land of many prophets and also
the place of where I went on a religious journey.

2. Me: How are the basic beliefs of your faith similar to the other monotheistic
faiths?
a. Moses: All of the faiths recognize me as a prophet, but I’m most important in
Judaism. We also all have a weekly holy day for prayer or worship, ours is
Saturday, although we start observing on Friday.
b. Jesus: We all recognize Jerusalem as the Holy Land and we all trace our
religions back to Abraham. We also honor rules, such as the 10 Commandments
for us, as a part of our daily lives. We also all practice some form of fasting,
where we don’t eat.
c. Muhammad: We all follow a holy book, ours being the Qur’an. We also all believe
in some form of the afterlife, which ties in to the fact that we believe humans
have a soul that will be judged when their body dies. It can be good or bad,
depending on how they lived their lives in accordance to their religion. Jews and
Muslims also can’t eat pork.

3. Me: What is the holy book of your faith, and how does it compare to others?
a. Moses: Our holy book is called the Torah. Before, it contained what is considered
the Old Testament, which is the revelations that I was given by God on Mount
Sinai. There were only 5 books of these, but now, it contains 39 books which
include revelations and histories after me. Thus, it is complete.
b. Jesus: Our holy book is called the Bible. Unlike in Judaism, the Torah is
complete with only the Old Testament, while our book contains that and the New
Testament. The New Testament consists of 27 books and is basically a record of
my history and teachings that my disciples recorded for me.
c. Muhammad: Our book is called the Qu’ran. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, the
angel Gabriel told me that our book is the literal word of God, or Allah. It contains
114 chapters that hold all of my teachings and verses that I wish for my followers
to recite.
4. Me: What types of internal differences and divisions exist within your faith?
a. Moses: In Judaism, the two major divisions are Orthodox and Reform. Orthodox
Jews have a very strict way of living when following Jewish law. Within Orthodox
Judaism, there are Hasidic Jews who practice a movement in which they don’t
integrate into the modern world. Reform is quite the opposite. They believe
Judaism has to change with world. For example, they support the equality of
women in this day and age.
b. Jesus: The two main divisions in Christianity are Catholic and Protestant. They
split in around the 16th century, but they still share many similar beliefs. For
example, Catholics have a pope, but Protestants do not. Protestants also have
thousands of different denominations, like Baptists and Methodists, within their
sector.
c. Muhammad: In Islam, the two major divisions are Shi’a and Sunni. The Shiites
believe that whoever leads the Islamic community should be a descendant of me,
while the Sunnis believe the leadership should go to an elected member of the
tribe of Muhammad.

5. Me: What is the most important site for all of your faiths and why?
a. Moses: I would say our most important site is the Temple Mount. It used to be
the site of two Jewish temples, but now unfortunately the Wailing Wall is the only
original remains of the second temple. Now, a mosque known as the Dome of
Rock stands there.
b. Jesus: I think the Church of Holy Sepulchre is quite important. It’s where I was
crucified by the Romans, buried, and resurrected. Although, the Church of the
Nativity is important too because it’s where I was born in Bethlehem.
c. Muhammad: Our most important holy site by far is the Kaaba. It’s the center of
the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca that was built by Abraham and Ishmael.
Covered in black and gold silk, many of my followers make a pilgrimage called
the hajj to the Kaaba each year.