Why Does One God, With One Basic Message, Produce Many Different Religions? – OpEd

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Most college students at one time or another have asked, ‘If there is only one God why are there so many religions?’ This is a good question that I as a Rabbi have often been asked. This is my answer. The Qur’an declares that Allah could have made all of us monotheists, with just a single religious community, but didn’t, in order to test our loyalty to the prophet and the religion each of us have been given. 

“To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (God’s plan is) to test you in what He has given you: so compete in all virtues as in a race. The goal of you all is to (please) Allah who will show you (on judgment day) the truth of the matters in which you dispute.” (Qur’an 5:48) 

Why do I as a Rabbi answer this question by quoting the Qur’an? 

Because I think of myself as a Reform Rabbi and a Muslim Jew. I am a Muslim Jew i.e. a faithful Jew submitting to the will of God, because as a Rabbi I am faithful to the covenant that God made with Prophet Abraham the Hebrew (Genesis 14:13) – the first Muslim Jew, and I submit to the covenant and commandments that God made with the Banu Israel, People of Israel at Mount Sinai. 

As a Reform Rabbi I believe that Orthodox Jewish religious leaders should not have made religion difficult for people to practice. This is one of the lessons that prophet Muhammad taught, 12 centuries before the rise of Reform Judaism in the early 19th century. Reform Jews are the largest of the Jewish denominations in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.K..Reform Judaism is called Liberal Judaism. 

As a Reform Rabbi who first began studying Islam at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem almost 65 years ago. I think it is vitally important for our generation to understand how much Islam and Judaism have in common.

All Monotheists agree that there is only one God; who does not want us to associate in our worship, any other being. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Deuteronomy 5:6-7)  And “We never sent any apostle without having revealed to him that there is no Deity save Me; therefore, you shall worship [only] Me.”  (Qur’an 21:25)

Jews, Muslims and most Protestants also believe that the one God, who created the whole universe, does not want us to worship God through statues, paintings and other objects made by human beings. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters below.” (Deuteronomy 5:8)  And “It has been revealed to you, and to those before you that if you ever commit idol worship, all your [good] works will be nullified, and you will be with the losers. So worship [only] God and be among the grateful.” (Qur’an 39:65-6) 

Since the Children of Israel were the only ongoing monotheistic community in the centuries after the Torah of Prophet Moses and the Psalms of Prophet David, there were many occasions when a part of the Jewish people were seduced into following the majority of non-Jewish idol worshippers. The Hebrew prophets constantly opposed those who made and worshipped idols.

Prophet Habakkuk proclaims: “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.” (2:18)

And Prophet Muhammad proclaims the same message: “As for the idols they set up beside GOD, they do not create anything; they themselves were created. They are dead, not alive, and they have no idea how or when they will be resurrected.”  (Qur’an 16:20-21)

In addition to these two basic commitments relating to Divine worship, God requires all of us to live a   humble, kind and virtuous life, according to the rules that each of God’s Prophets have given to our nation and tribe: 

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to be in awe of the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good.” (Deuteronomy 10:12-14)

This is why Prophet Jesus answered a man who asked him which of the many commandments God gave to the Jewish People was the most important and fundamental one, by saying there were two, not just one: 

“The first of all the [Torah’s] commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) “And the second, is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31) 

This teaching of Prophet Jesus, is the same message that Prophet Micah (8th century BCE) proclaimed to Banu Israel long before Jesus. Micah said, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what the LORD requires of you. Only to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:8)

Another religious principle that Jews and Muslims share is that God is merciful and forgiving to all  those who repent their evil ways and do good instead. 

As Prophet Isaiah states: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the LORD, who will have mercy on him; to our God, who will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7) 

As the Qur’an states: “But as for him who repents after having thus done wrong, and makes amends, behold, God will accept his repentance for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.” (Qur’an 5:39) 

Finally, Muslims and Jews share the religious principle that ritual acts of devotion are inadequate if they do not increase our moral virtues of self control and ethical responsibilities to help other people. People may call themselves believers, and still be hypocrites in their hearts and attitudes.

Since the Hebrew Bible covers a period of more than eight centuries from the time of Prophet Moses to to the time of Prophet Ezra, the Hebrew Prophets speak frequently about that part of the People of Israel who failed to follow the Torah of Moses. Take for example, the public actions of fasting.

The Qur’an states: “Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint,” (Qur’an 2:183) and the Torah of Moses decrees for Jews a 24 hour day of fasting for repentance and forgiveness. (Leviticus 16:29, 23:27)

Seven centuries after Prophet Moses, Prophet Isaiah rebuked that part of the Jewish community who were religious hypocrites; who strictly observed the fast without being transformed by the fast into compassionate, charitable, kindhearted people.

“They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers.Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today,trying to make your voice heard in heaven. Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the Lord? 

“No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains,to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard.

“Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into midday [sunlight].” (Isaiah 58:3-10)  

Or as the Qur’an says succinctly: “O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do?” Greatly hateful in the sight of Allah is that you say what you do not do. (61:2-3) Thus the same basic message about loyalty to the one and only God who created the universe and requires all humans to live lives of kindness, modesty, faithfulness and justice is repeated from Adam to Muhammad. 

The details of each religion do vary from religion to religion; but the basics always remain the same. As the great poet Jalal al-Din al-Rumi taught, “Ritual prayer can be different in every religion, but (Monotheistic) belief never changes.” (Fihi Mafih)  This will continue for Jews, Christians and Muslims until judgement day when “Allah who will show you the truth of the matters in which you dispute.” (Qur’an 5:48)

Rabbi Allen S. Maller

Allen Maller retired in 2006 after 39 years as Rabbi of Temple Akiba in Culver City, Calif. He is the author of an introduction to Jewish mysticism. God. Sex and Kabbalah and editor of the Tikun series of High Holy Day prayerbooks.

3 thoughts on “Why Does One God, With One Basic Message, Produce Many Different Religions? – OpEd

  • January 23, 2023 at 8:45 am
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    There is only one God…Jesus is the truth and the life. The Messiah promised in the oldest scripture. The problem is us…His children…lost like sheep. But, the lost know His voice…and are welcomed back to the flock. We are saved through our faith and His grace…

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  • January 23, 2023 at 5:23 pm
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    Peace and blessings to you, Rabbi Maller. Thank you for your thoughtful article. I was born into a family with at least one verifiable Jewish grandmother, and as a Christian all my life whose faith practice is to hold the entire Bible, both the Jewish Old Testament and the Christian New Testament, as God’s Holy Word of instruction and guidance to all humanity of whatever sort or kind; I was grateful to recognize truth and wisdom in your article. It is a breath of fresh air to hear a Jewish Rabbi articulate his belief that Jews, Christians and Muslims (in order of their appearance on the world stage of history) all serve the same monotheistic and Abrahamic originated faith system. Your thinking and beliefs that place all 3 faiths together as one family of brothers and sisters is what the believers and the world need to see and hear more of. There has been conflict in the Middle East for too long where Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims, and Christians and Muslims (during the Crusades era) have quarreled and killed each other over land rights, supremacy of one faith against another, and other important issues. Our God must be sorely grieved that His so called faithful followers can not get along and sort out their differences. Our 3 faiths suffer as a result. What a poor example we are setting for the world and unbelievers to witness. In acting so and against the principles of our collective faiths, we damage the credibility of God’s message to the world and weaken our collective effort to share the good news that our short sojourn in this world is to ‘submit to the will of God’ that we might receive God’s peace and blessings in this life, and more importantly in the next life. Quarreling amongst ourselves hinders that basic core mission to convey God’s message to a world who desperately needs to hear same. Symbolically, our short mortal life is like a short straight line with a point A (birth) and a point B (death). Whereas our eternal existence is like a circle which never ends, and we should all be working collectively in our own sphere of influence to convey the importance of God’s scriptural message that this life is the time to prepare for which of two destinies we will want to acquire in the next never ending existence in the Hereafter, rather than wasting our mortal life in the fruitless and shortsighted endeavor to continually quarrel and war against our brothers and sisters of the three monotheistic and Abrahamic faiths. Abraham, Sarah and Hagar must be weeping in the next life to look down upon this catastrophe and ask God to raise up among the children of men, more good conveyors of God’s message of peace, unity and solidarity among our 3 communities of Faith. The true spiritual seed of Abraham, by spiritual adoption via a faith conversion into one of our 3 faith communities, are the ones who will recognize the truth of your convictions and be grateful to God for same! May God’s peace and blessings attend you continually in your continued faithful service to Him who created us!

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  • January 24, 2023 at 7:42 am
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    Thank you ALL who contributed to this truly Blessed article.
    It has assured me and strengthened my Christian faith to know
    that, our painful attempts to omit one religion’s tenets has
    been responsible for horrible, anti-God misery and suffering
    among all peoples of all religions who seek our Creator-God in all
    true and faithful ways as we continue on our mutual Journeys
    to God (whatever we name Him) and to the Eternity of Peace
    and Justice with Him in Paradise (as He promised).
    Bless you all. Do not stop your preaching, your writing.
    We need the prophetic voice today as we have never needed
    it over the centuries.

    Reply

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