Amanda Balomaga

12/4/2011
Judaism
Although Ive studied the bible before, I never realized how full of punishment the Old
Testament was filled with. The story of the Adam and Eve starts out with punishment; banishment from
the garden of Eden and the new existence of pain, suffering, and death.. And from there, punishment
and human errs/bad behavior continue on. We have Cain punished for killing Abel, the entire world
punished for wickedness of humanity with a great flood, the scattering and alienation of the nations.
Even after the covenant on Mt. Sinai, there is continued punishment for breaking the laws. Then there is
a series of Prophets trying to right the people of Israel. The Tanakh mostly focuses on the humans and
whether they have enough faith and whether they have loyalty for their god; in contrast to the New
Testament, which mainly focuses on Gods love for his people.
I feel as if the Jewish history is filled with struggle and difficulty. They were first the Israelite
slaves of Egypt, and then the diaspora occurred, scattering them from their homelands throughout the
world, and most recently, they were persecuted by the German Hitlers Nazi party. And although the
Americans granted Israel to the Jewish people, there are still so many problems occurring (mainly
because they were granted Israel). There still exists such a tension between the Muslims and Jewish as
well, which confuses me because they branch off from the same foundation of Abraham. They along
with the Christianity are sister religions, and yet there has been so much blood spilt between the three.

Christianity
I have always wondered why so many people in the world were converted to certain forms of
Christianity and how those who were oppressed by it continued practicing even after the source of
oppression was gone. For instance, groups like Filipinos, Mexicans, etc. However, these are some of the
most religious groups of people existing they have strong faith that shapes their communities and
their culture. Studying Christianity made me understand why. The main message of Christianity is what
Jesus preached a loving, compassionate, God who will forgive any of your sins and trespasses. This
religion is a message of hope that those in need can utilize to pull themselves back up again. Even during
Jesus time, the religion was so attractive to people like the gentiles; Jesus God cared about the well-
being of the world, while the Roman Gods went around causing havoc in their own worlds and only
came down to earth to mess around. The Jews also were attracted to what Jesus was preaching because
the Pharisees would focus mainly on rules and laws set by God. God as portrayed by Jesus is just so
attractive because he cared so much for well-being of his people, something rarely found in the other
existing religions.
I also found the similarities between the mystery religions the story of Jesus quite intriguing.
There are many similar stories that roughly follow a plot in which a woman or female figure gives a
virgin birth to a savior who is killed and is resurrected. For instance, there is a story in which the mother
of all gods and men has a virgin birth to Attis, the good shepherd of the earthly world. He is killed and
fastened to a tree trunk similar to Jesus being nailed to a cross. His mother mourns him and he is
resurrected in the spring. In Egypt, we have a mother figure who is similar to Mother Mary; Isis who
grieves for her murdered son Osiris, whom she resurrects. It sometimes makes me wonder if the story of
Jesus is possibly an abridged version of other religious stories and how these stories came to be so
similar.

Islam
One thing I really like about Islam is Muhammad; hes a very powerful and interesting man.
Although he couldnt read or write, he was a well-respected business man as well as an excellent
politician and even a great military leader. And although he had many wives, those he chose as his
wives were those in need.
Khadija, Muhammads first wife intrigues me in relation to Islam practice today. As
Muhammads first wife if the men are to strive to follow Muhammad as a role model, then it makes
sense for Khadija to stand as the example for Muslim women. However, this concept doesnt match up
in some Islamic countries. On one hand, we have Khadija, a strong woman who is especially wealthy
because of her booming caravan business. She is the one who hires Muhammad as well as the one to
propose marriage to him. On the other hand, we have Islam countries oppressing womens rights;
keeping them in the home. For instance, it is illegal for women in Saudi Arabia to drive. Now, it is a
misconception that all of Islam preaches the oppression of women. This oppression stems from the
culture, not the religion. All the same, the contrast between the word and the practice shocks me a bit.