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Welcome! An Introduction.
The Muslim Qur’an (Muslim Holy Book), the Jewish Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), and the Christian Bible (Hebrew Bible differently ordered plus “New Testament”) present their description of world history from the creation of the world. Unfortunately, many Christians have never read the whole Bible, many Jews have not read the entire Tanakh, and many Muslims have yet to read the whole Qur’an. This book is here to help!
In this work you will find the most important stories, characters, and beliefs from within the foundational works of these three major monotheist world religions. You will see mostly direct quotes rather than my opinions or representations. I will however, present to you a summary of many stories from the more ancient texts as well as some helpful questions to consider as you read some of the most significant books ever written.
Whether you are Muslim, Jew, Christian, or just a curious reader, I hope that you find this work to be a simple way to deepen your understanding of their storyline of history. Before you start reading, here are a few important things to know about this book:
The Interconnectedness – The Qur’an, the Tanakh, and the Bible represent the teachings of the major monotheistic religions of the world. While there are many sects and cults that have split off and added their own writings and authorities, these foundational documents of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have many overlapping similarities in their storyline.
Yet, for anyone who has read and compared these texts, there are significant differences as well. Islam claims all three books to be “Holy” yet you will see that its stories often differ greatly from the accounts within the Tanakh and Bible. Judaism assert that its Messianic prophecies are not fulfilled yet. Christians hold that the Gospels and New Testament clearly reveal that Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of over 300+ Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh. Which one is true? Are any true?
A Chronological Approach - Since we live our lives in the space of time, I am going to seek to share and compile the writings of these major religions in order of their occurrences, chronologically. In addition, I will also try to compile some of the most interesting references to share with you in order to better understand and compare their belief systems surrounding important topics.
Truth Claims - Each of these world religions makes exclusive truth claims. By definition that means that they all cannot be true. I hope you use this book as a tool to consider your own spiritual beliefs. Oftentimes we find that we may easily slip into the belief system of our family or culture without really assessing our own beliefs and comparing it with other systems of religious belief.
Selective Study – Since the Qur’an, Hebrew Bible, and Christian Bible are so lengthy in themselves, this compilation cannot do full justice to the scope of these religions. I have selected the characters, stories, and topics that I feel are most relevant to making an honest comparison and assessment of these faith systems. I encourage you to consider the context of the passages and go deeper yourself. Much of what I share is simply designed to help you see the evidence from each faith yourself and then to consider reflective questions for understanding and discernment.
If you don’t have a print copy of these works, here are three websites that I have found helpful to read an English translation online:
· The Qur’an (Muslim Holy Book) – www.quran.com
· The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) - www.sefaria.org/texts/Tanakh
· The Christian Bible - www.bible.com
Questions to Consider – In every section, following the verses that are shared, there will be some questions to consider. These questions will help:
1) Address the similarities and differences between the revelation within the Muslim Qur’an, Jewish Tanakh, and Christian Bible
2) Challenge you to think through the seriousness and application of these teachings to your own life
An Illustration – Consider if you had a valuable family heirloom, like gold jewelry with gems and pearls, that was passed down to you. You may have protected, guarded, and loved the item both for sentimental reasons but also for reasons of worth. Suppose that one day you befriended an honest expert in jewelry. If that expert taught you how to test your jewelry to see if it was authentic, would you pay attention? Would you apply their teaching to your family heirloom?
Let’s assume that the jeweler had no ulterior motives and sincerely wanted to help you by sharing their expertise and studies. Perhaps there would be three sorts of responses we might see people take to such an offer:
1) Refusal – Such a person could not consider that their belief in the genuineness of what was passed on to them could possibly be fraudulent. Maybe another sort of refusal would come from someone who was afraid of the consequences of their treasure being declared worthless. Perhaps someone else may simply prefer ignorance over awareness so that they can continue in their current way of life undisturbed.
2) Reluctant Acceptance – This person may be willing to have to conversation with the expert jeweler but remains skeptical of any questioning of what they have always known to be valuable and important. Yet this person is open to reason and willing to consider the possibility that someone in their family lineage, as well as themselves, had been duped or deceived into believing something false. The consequences of such a possibility are enormous, yet they would rather know the truth than believe a lie.
3) Confident Acceptance – This individual has already done their own research and is confident in the authenticity of their jewelry. They are not afraid of a jeweler giving them more information. They would welcome the jeweler’s expert evaluation in order to more clearly see the beauty and worth of what has been passed on to them. Such a testing of the genuineness of what they hold onto will only increase their gratitude for what they are privileged to possess.
Have you made the connection with this illustration? Whether you are a Muslim, Jew, Christian, Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, or other religious group you should want to know if what you are “holding onto” (your faith) is real, genuine, valuable, and true. When someone with years of experience in studying religious texts offers their advice for you to consider, I hope you will accept.
This is why I have written this book and made it free online so that you do not think my motives are sales-related (www.Quran.place and www.Muslim.place; www.Tanakh.place and www.Jewish.place; www.TrustworthyWord.com and www.Bible.best) I am a Christian pastor who has spent decades of my life studying the Qur’an, Tanakh, and Christian Bible (plus a lot of other religious texts) in order to:
1) test the genuineness of my own faith, as I want to “hold on” to truth
2) help others to evaluate what they are “holding on to” and to make that choice based on the evidence of the major “Holy Books”
We all have an enemy in Satan and his demons. They are liars and deceivers. God describes us as all in a spiritual battle and pleads with us to fight in His strength and wisdom and not our own. God loves you and has a lot to reveal to you within the pages of this book. I hope you will consider the evidence I share and then apply it in evaluating the genuineness of your own personal faith. If, while on this journey, you discover that you have believed a lie, I pray that God gives you the humility and courage to choose the truth.
To the Skeptics and Critics – Whether this information is coming to you in book form, on a webpage, in a social media post, or via a video, I believe you will see that this is a different approach. I am not going to tell you what to believe. I am confident that you will see the differences between these faiths by the simple reading of the texts that are placed in front of you. The questions I share should help you in this process, but you may also think of other helpful questions and verses to consider. Dive deep.
I know that for many the use of the original languages (Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek) may be preferable to the English I use. For the majority of us however, English is our primary language, so that is what I will be writing in. There are tools online that you may find helpful in considering the original texts but I have found that the English translations of these books will be perfectly fine for the level of research and discussion that we are having. Varying translations will not make a significant difference for the clear differentiations we will see.
My hope and prayer for you is that as you read these religious texts and consider these important questions, that you will form your own conclusion as to what is true. May your conclusion not be shaped by fear or worry of what others will think, say or do. May your decision instead be founded in courage, by considering the evidence from the primary sources of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, to choose what is right.
A Helpful Note – In multiple places you will see the Qur’an reference the Torah (Taurat) and the Gospel (Injeel). While the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) is only part of the Jewish Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are only part of the Christian Bible, this work will consider passages from across both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles.
When referencing the Qur’an, I will state “The Qur'an” followed by the number of the chapter (in this book we will not use the name of every chapter) with a colon and then the number of the verse. When referencing the Hebrew and Christian Bibles I will use the English book title (i.e. Genesis, Exodus…Matthew, Mark, etc.) also followed by the number of the chapter, a colon, and the number of the verse. Also, for consistency and simplicity, I will use the English Standard Version (ESV) for both the texts from the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Bible. Feel free to look up any of these passages in your preferred translation of the Qur’an, Tanakh, or Bible.
Thanks for joining me on this journey! ~ Jonathan Carl