Department of Education

Bureau of Learning Delivery

Teaching and Learning Division

Grade Levels: Grade 11

Specialized Subject: Introduction to World Religions and Belief
Systems
Semester: First Semester (WEEK 7)

LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Compare and contrast the uniqueness and similarities of Judaism,

Christianity and Islam
 Comparative Analysis of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Both the Jews and Christians believe that Abraham was ordered by God to leave the
land of Ur in Mesopotamia and establish a new nation which was later called
Canaan. He would eventually be considered as the “Father of all Nations” both by
the Jews and the Christians. Meanwhile, Muslims view Abraham as a prophet of God
and patriarch of many people, and father of Ishmael, known in Islam as a p1rophet
and ancestor to Muhammad. Abraham is also the father of Isaac, considered as a
physical and spiritual ancestor of Judaism, together with his son Jacob. The three
monotheistic religions clearly trace their common roots from the Patriarch Abraham,
hence the label Abrahamic religions.

This module will present that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are unique religions but
share similarities such as monotheism and tracing their common roots to Abraham.

7.1. Identify the uniqueness and similarities of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
HUMSS_WRB12-I/IIIi-7.1
7.2. Provide evidence that Judaism, Christianity and Islam share common roots from
Patriarch Abraham
HUMSS_WRB12-I/IIIi-7.2
7.3. Justify that Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as monotheistic religions, have largely
influenced the world today.
HUMSS_WRB12-I/IIIi-7.3

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

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Direction: Provide pieces of evidence that Judaism, Christianity and Islam
share common roots from Patriarch Abraham.

Judaism Christianity Islam

Task 1: Complete the information needed in the chart.

Origin Morality Purpose Destiny

Judaism

Christianity

Islam

Task 2: Look at the pictures below and answer the following questions:

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1. How do the places of worship of the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslim differ?
2. What do you think is the importance of having a place of worship for the three
religions?
3. What commonalities can you find in the three places of worship?

The three Abrahamic religions- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – all

originated from a region we now call Southwest Asia. They are also called Semitic
religions since they came from an area where people speak the Semitic languages,
particularly Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. Judaism originated from a land called
Canaan; Christianity began in Palestine; while Islam is developed in Arabia. Looking
back at the history of the three religions, we can see that they share commonalities
in certain beliefs such as belief in the same Patriarch and other prophets; angels as
messenger of God; heaven and hell; and judgement day, among others.

ORIGIN
Judaism is the oldest among the three Abrahamic religions, beginning at
around 3,500 B.C.E. According to the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible, the
ancient Israelites trace the origin of their nation and their religion as well to one
family distinct to other groups of people in Southwest Asia by virtue of belief in one
God. The patriarch of this family was Abraham, a nomadic shepherd who entered
into a covenant with God – that being the “Father of All Nations” and heir to the
Promised Land, which was Canaan. (Patriarchy is a system of society wherein the

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father or eldest male is considered the head of family and lineage is traced through
the male line.) According to the narratives, Abraham and his wife Sarah took a long
time before having a child, who was Isaac. Meanwhile, before Isaac was born
Abraham had a son with Sarah’s lady-in-waiting, Hagar. They named their child
Ishmael. Isaac married Rebecca and they had two children, Esau and Jacob, and
from Jacob (who acquires the name Israel) came the 12 tribes of Israel. Ishmael, on
the other hand, became the ancestor of the Arabs who later became Muslims. The
Hebrew Bible further narrates how the 1 tribes of Israel founded the nation of Israel
and Jacob, being the heir to the covenant, made a pact with God that they will
liberated from Egyptian enslavement if they will continue to follow God’s
commandments.
The second oldest religion, Christianity, was formed around 33 C.E. in an area
called Palestine. Christians trace their origins to Jesus Christ, born around 4 B.C.E.
while the area was under the Roman Empire. It was a time characterized by social
disorder, political turmoil, uprisings, poverty, heavy taxation, food shortage and
epidemics. To quell the rebellion and implement a semblance of order, those who
participated in armed uprising were crucified, which incidentally was how Jesus
Christ was punished as well. In the midst of sufferings, the Jewish people were
secretly hoping and waiting for God to fulfil His promise- that of sending His Son to
redeem them from their oppressive state. It was in this context that Jesus Christian
was born and in His late twenties, started to preach about the coming of the
Kingdom of God. He was baptized by another prophet, John and Baptist, and had 12
men as His disciples. His public ministry was considered a threat to Roman authority
so He was arrested, whipped and crucified as a penalty for what he did. According to
the new Testament, Jesus was resurrected after three days and He ascended to the
heavens but promised that he will come back in the same way that His disciples saw
Him go into Heaven.
Islam, the world’s second largest religion, started around 622 C.E., considered
as the beginning of the Islamic calendar. The word Islam is an Arabic word which
means “submission” or “surrender” and is also related to salaam, the Arabic word for
“peace”. It originated from Mecca, which is found in the Arabian Peninsula, with
Muhammad, considered the last prophet or “Seal of the Prophet.” It was in Mecca
where Muhammed was born and raised by his uncle Abuh Talib, worked as an
assistant to a rich widow Khadija whom he later married, and meditated on certain
social issues such as unequal distribution of wealth, leading to a great divide
between the rich and the poor.

MORALITY
In Judaism, morality and ethics are based on the covenant between the Jews
and God: that they are God’s chosen people and in return they should follow His
commandments, specifically the Ten Commandments found in the Torah. Although
they are around 613 commandments (mitzvoth)in the Torah, the Ten
Commandments serve as a summary of all the laws found in the Torah. Hence,
based on the Ten Commandments, murder, adultery, and theft are prohibited, which
are also forbidden in Christianity and Islam as well. Judaism also espouses
retribution or the philosophy “an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth,” which served as a
guiding principle of the famous Code of Hammurabi in ancient Babylon.
Christianity shares a lot in common with Judaism since both religions use the
Hebrew Bible, where the Ten Commandments were listed. Thus, in Christianity,
murder, adultery, and theft are also considered evil and should be avoided if one
wants to live a moral life. Aside from the Ten Commandments, Christianity also
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considers following Jesus Christ’s footsteps as basis of morality. Since Jesus lived a
life for others and even died on the cross for the salvation of Humanity, Christians
are also expected to live a life for others; for they were created in God’s image
therefore people have an intrinsic goodness in them.
Islamic concept of morality and ethics is based on having faith on one God,
which is manifested in exhibiting righteousness and piety. A strong relationship with
God is the key to achieving the virtue and right conduct. Since Islam is considered
not only as a religion but as a way of life as well, moral righteousness is expected of
Muslims in their everyday lives.
The following passage from the Quran explains the Islamic concept of
Morality:

PURPOSE
Life’s purpose for Judaism is also based on the covenant between God and
the people, particularly the Jewish people who were considered the “Chosen People
of God.” And because they were chosen by God and created according to God’s
image, Jews should strive to become god-like and possess the attributes and traits
of God by being holy. Only when people achieve holiness, primarily by following the
Ten Commandments, can they perform acts emulating God such as helping the
needy and the oppressed. Thus, the ultimate purpose in life for the Jews was to
praise God as the creator of the universe and imitate God or become God-like.
In Christianity, the purpose of life is to love and serve God, who created the
universe purposefully so it is basically good. Since the creation was purposeful,
everything and everyone is naturally important. Just like in Judaism, Christianity also
advocates the belief that human beings were created in God’s image and this
enables them to have some understandings of God and his divine plan.
Like Judaism and Christianity, the purpose of life according to Islam is to love
and serve God. In fact, Islam means “surrender”, and this means that a Muslim must
submit to Allah and recognize that Mohammed in his prophet. This concept of
submission can be literally observed in the way of the Muslims worships: with their
foreheads touching the ground in worship of Allah. God created the universe on
purpose so that everyone and everything on it will serve God.

DESTINY
Judaism believes in predetermination, which means that it is God who decides
on a person’s basic lifespan, wealth and opportunities, but it is humanity’s free will
that is the deciding factor in the end. A person’s duty is to overcome evil by choosing
goodness in everything he or she does. To allow people to choose goodness over
evil, God allowed people into different stations in life.
Christianity has a similar concept of destiny. God wanted all of humanity to be
saved, for God created Hell not for humans but for Satan and his demons (2Peter
2:4). Therefore, it is humanity’s predestiny to be saved. (Predestiny refers to the
belief that all events are determined in advance by divine will or fate.) But since God
also gave us free will, it is up to us to claim the salvation. For Roman Catholics,
doing good deeds will merit salvation, while for Protestants, faith in Jesus Christ and
accepting Him as our Savior will earn us eternal life. In the story of creation, Adam
and Eve were predestined by God to live in Paradise forever. But their free will made
them choose the path of disobedience. Therefore, in Christianity, God may have the
best plans for us, but our actions and decisions determine whether God’s plans will
materialize or not.

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 In Islam, predestiny is more emphasized than in Judaism and Christianity. We
have mentioned in the previous subtopic that the three Abrahamic religions are
unanimous in their belief that humanity was created to serve and love God. In fact,
this is the reason why Islam is considered not only as a religion but as a way of life,
and a life of a Muslim revolves around the worship of Allah. Just like in Judaism and
Christianity, Muslims believe they are given free will by God which allows them to
live their lives as they wish. But unlike Judaism and Christianity wherein free will
might lead people to disobey God’s plan, in Islam even the decision we make out of
free will is governed by God’s will.

The three religions believe in the laws of God as basis of their morality; the
worship of God; and living a life emulating God’s ways which could reward them with
eternal life. They believe that the purpose of life is to serve and love God, for it is the
primary purpose we are created in the first place. The all believe in predestiny; with
Judaism and Christianity emphasizing that although God he laid down His plans for
us, it is free will that will dictate if that plan will materialize; meanwhile, Islam has a
stronger sense of predestiny, with the belief that everything happens is according to
God’s will in spite of free will be given to humanity.

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Task 3: Below are phrases that describe or are the elements of Middle
Eastern religions or Abrahamic religions. Write each phrase in the
proper section of the Venn Diagram.

Descent from Isaac

A communal day of prayer
Descent from Ishmael
Promised land
Faith in One God
Recognition of Mary as mother of
God’s name cannot be uttered Jesus

Strict monotheism Sacred texts as word of God

Jesus is God-man Hebrew as the sacred text

Trusting obedience to god Triune God

Muhammad as the last prophet Jesus as prophet in the sacred texts

Judaism

Islam Christianity

Task 4: Make a poster showing the commonalities among the three

Abrahamic religions. Use the rubric below as guide.

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 Rubric for Poster
Points
Criteria Description Points
obtained
Organization The concept was clearly and
10
creatively conveyed
Content Important concepts were highlighted
5
and explained
Visual The idea was clearly presented based
5
Presentation on the poster presentation
Total:2
0

1. What do you think is the most important commonality among the three religions?
2. Why do you think we need to emphasize more on the commonalities rather that
the differences of the three religions?

Write C if talks about Christianity, M if it talks about Islam and J if it talks

Judaism.
__________1. Allah is their God.

__________2. Jesus Christ is only a prophet.

__________3. Synagogue is their place of worship.

__________4. They need to visit holy places at least once in their lifetime during the
twelfth Islamic month

__________5. They prepare for the first and second coming of their
savior.

__________6. They believe in Abraham as their Patriarch.

__________7. They believe that they came from Ishmael.

__________8. They prepare for the Passover feast.

__________9. They have efforts towards the visible and organic unity of
different churches.

__________10. They believe in the communion of saints.

__________11. Parents in particular have the duty to let their children

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 know about the mysteries of human life.
__________12. Torah is their sacred scripture.

__________13. Rabbi is the one who teaches the law.

__________14. Human beings were created to obey and serve Him.

__________15. They are still waiting for their messiah.

Glossary:

Morality – a doctrine or system of moral conduct

Purpose – something set up as an object or end to be attained

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Destiny – a predetermined course of event
Synagogue – holy place of Jews
Mecca – holy place of Muslims
Predestined – something that is determined
Covenant – a written agreement

Answer Keys:

Task 1 – Answers may vary

Task 2 – Answers may vary
Task 3 – Answers may vary
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Task 4 – Answers may vary
Task 5 – Identification

1. M 8. J
2. M 9. C
3. J 10. C
4. M 11. C
5. C 12. J
6. C,J,M 13. J
7. M 14. M
15. J

References:

Internet Sources:
https://www.google.com/search?
q=jewish+synagogue&sxsrf=ALeKk01rHD2IngypS0_yRWK-Lk3nM

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https://www.google.com/search?
q=st+william+passi+city&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi8mOOAoN3qAhUVMKYKHamyC
bMQ2- iw=1366#imgrc=VHZxllm8XOshtM

https://www.google.com/search?
q=pink+mosque&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj64eG4oN3qAhVizIsBHZneA8oQ2-
57&biw=1366#imgrc=ouLqlTtwReU34M

TEXTBOOK
Ong, Jerome A. and Jose, Mary Dorothy dl. Introduction to World Religions
and Belief Systems (Senior High School Textbook) Ground Floor, Bonifacio Bldg.,
DepEd Complex Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, Philippines 1600, Vibal Group 2016

Manaloto, Christian B and Rapadas, Maria Teresita R. Pilgrimage to Sacred

Spaces:An Introductin to World Religions 927 Quezon Ave., Quezon City, The
Phoenix Publishing House Inc. 2016

Prepared by:

MARVIN P. SUBRIDA
SST-II
Passi National High School (Senior High)
Division of Passi City
Region VI- Western Visayas

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