In an incisive and articulate voice, Corrigan and his colleagues uses an opportunity in the book to represent significant readings in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The book uses general methodology to hermeneutics and historical revisions to relay its main agenda on the religions (Corrigan 143). In so doing, Corrigan tries to treat both the real and ideal issues embedded in these three faiths. The book uses a wide range of excerpts and allegorical interpretation of the scripture, to affirm the origin, believes and practices of the trio-religions. The main themes presented by the book are monotheism, worship and ritual among others. Rather than just making his arguments theoretical, Corrigan progresses to verify the various liturgical practices of these religions. Perhaps his inherent understanding on these religions makes his book touches to the tip f iceberg (Corrigan 145)
The first monotheist religion that Corrigan presents in his excerpts is Judaism. Corrigan states that the history of the Judaism spanned 3000 years ago. He echoes that this is one of the oldest religions that still to-date exist. He believes that it is the mother of all religions. He believes that this religion is not static but a dynamic. It is a religion with varied history, law, literature and language of its own (Corrigan 310). He denotes that the difference between this religion and others is its point of reference and the frame of its reference (Corrigan 314). Reconstructionists and conservatives like Corrigan fully believe that the main important element of the Judaism religion is its sense of belonging and awareness to the society. The central religious believe of Judaism as portrayed in the excerpts their covenant with God. All the Judaism doctrines denote that they have a special relationship with God. The literature states God revealed Torah to Israel through Prophet Moses. The Corrigan excerpts help to reaffirm the deep meaning of Judaism religion (.Corrigan 320)
Christianity is another second monotheist religion that is closely discussed by the reconstructionists in his excerpts. Corrigan presents this form of religion to originate as a sect of Judaism (Corrigan 280). Corrigan presents Christianity as a religion that believes fully in Jesus as a savior and a divine power. Jesus death on the cross is one of the most significant issues to Christians as presented by Corrigan. The sacred text for Christians is the bible that is compost of both the old and the new testaments. Most of the Christians have trust in the possibility of life after death. Therefore, they normally accept salvation through their Lord Jesus Christ. The excerpts present various Christian topics that are fairly detailed to defend most of his arguments. They are suitable for any person from either undergraduate or postgraduate system to understand the basic units of Christianity and its doctrines (Corrigan 356).
The last significant religion presented by this collection is Islam. The excerpts in this section are finely turned to allow the reader to zero in all the necessary teachings regarding the Islamic religion. Corrigan takes the noble opportunity to relate the contextual meaning of his words to the visual writings. He explains that Islamic religion mainly believes in Prophet Mohammad (Corrigan 154). The sequentially and independently categorized excerpts explain the origin and the sequential trend of the Islamic religion. Their main point of reference is Quran (Corrigan 364).
As a researcher and a scholar, I admit that Judaism represents several themes. However, it is important to explore their core principle in relationship with God. A typical Jew would recite prayers’ three time a day as a result of their close relationship with God. Most of these prayers are conducted in a solidarity status although sometimes quorum prayers were conducted (Corrigan 316). When performing special acts, a Jew is expected to recite a special prayer throughout the day. The synagogues are mainly used to preach the word and translation of the word. During this period, white knee-length clothing is worn by prayer leaders as a sign of holiness (Corrigan 320).
The Jews Diaspora main refers to the Jews origins that left the Kingdom of Judah. When the state of Israel was being established in 1948, the Israelites had hope on the return of the Jews in Diaspora. However, the Jews in Diaspora never returned as they viewed the new Kingdom of Judah as doomed and abnormal land that existed out of Gods promise (Corrigan 312). The incident of Holocaust was a practical proof the negative Zionist movement. The Hebrew bible clearly indicates the Israelites movement from the persecution of Pharaoh in Egypt to the Promised Land which is Canaan. It is in this land that they are still considered as Diaspora. However, the question is still a scholarly debate that requires a greater exposition in order to expand (Corrigan 325).
Both Martin Luther King and Gustavo Gutiérrez use a pure black liberation theology in order to explain the themes of Christianity. Their main aim was to liberate African-Americans from various oppressions that they were subjected. As the original advocates, these authors managed to construct statements that were believed to have support from the bible. However, the rational of their teachings may not be supported by the better parts of the teachings in New and Old Testament thus may be considered inconsistent. Malay Annals and Sayyid Qutb’s works has acted as political theorist in the Islamic world. They are often referred as radical political Islam theorists. Their ideas have had a profound impact in the historic Islamic world into the present day. They are seen as the pre-eminent thinkers and activist in the Muslim Brotherhood movement. As I will argue, the intellectual Islamic thought that was created by these people portrays a total rejection of modernity and western culture. This trend has limited Arab-western human co-existence. Therefore, I may argue that these rationales are inconsistent. In the Torah, the term Israel refers to the church. Therefore, the establishment of the Israel; King and Gutiérrez; and Qutb clearly presents the exact meaning of the church and its various movements.
The three monotheists’ religions have faced several setbacks since their scriptures were established. However, it is important to mark that the challenges are unique in their way. First is the struggle for supremacy. All these religions have struggled to reveal their supremacy to the world. These believe have resulted into negative world movements such as contention rather than social-economic understanding of one another. This tendency of hostility has been addressed by the various bodies yet others still rest in vain. The various ethical problems, religious chauvinism and brotherhood have been addressed. However, the specialist have presented to the individual faiths of the equality of believe in God. However, a genuine pluralism remains a big challenge.
Work cited
Corrigan, John. Readings in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall, 1998. Print. Pp. 1-375
