COMPARATIVE RELIGION
The Historical Fallacy of Atonement
(part 1 of 2): Paul of Tarsus and the Concept of Salvation in Christianity Salvation can be defined as the deliverance from sin and its penalties; the path to salvation, however, varies from one religion to another. In Christianity, salvation is found through the...
read moreOriginal Sin
The concept of original sin is completely foreign to Judaism and Eastern Christianity, having achieved acceptance in only the Western Church. Furthermore, Christian and Islamic concepts of sin are virtual opposites with respect to certain nuances. For example, there...
read moreChristian Healing Miracles – An Exposé
(part 1 of 2): What is a Healing Miracle? The word miracle has become so common place in today’s language that it is often used to refer to something as ordinary as individual good fortune. The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines a miracle as “an extraordinary...
read moreThe Authority of the Talmud in Judaism
There is a misconception about Judaism common among Christians and Muslims. This is the misleading idea that Judaism is a ‘biblical religion’; that the Old Testament has in Judaism the same central place and legal authority which the Bible has for Protestant or even...
read moreThe Talmud and Its Authors
What Is The Talmud? The Talmud is the basic book of Judaism. Encyclopedia Britannica states that the Hebrew term “Talmud” refers to a compilation of ancient teachings regarded as sacred by Jews from the time it was compiled until modern times and still regarded so by...
read moreOut of Egypt: The Story of Passover in the Quran
Many Jews may be surprised to learn that Islam as preached by Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, was the same religion preached by Abraham, as well as of all other prophets mentioned in the Torah and the Bible. Muslims honor all the prophets of...
read moreTen Reasons to Get Excited about the Dead Sea Scrolls
Five Reasons to Get Excited about the Dead Sea Scrolls 1) They’re old. So what? Yeah, well, I understand. Grandpa’s old, but the only one who’s excited about him is grandma, and even there, the magic wore off twenty years ago. But the key is not the age of the Dead...
read moreThe Dead Sea Scrolls, in Ten Easy Steps
1) Khirbet Qumran, meaning ‘ruin of’ Qumran, sits on a plateau at the top of an irregular border of limestone cliffs beside the Dead Sea. Many of these cliffs contain caves which, given their location, are accessible only with difficulty. To the West lies the Judean...
read moreWhat is Sikhism?
(part 1 of 2): Ten Gurus and a Book Sikhism originated from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit root śiṣya meaningdisciple or learner. It is the world’s fifth largest religion, with approximately 27 million adherents. The majority of Sikhs live in the...
read moreThe Old Testament
“[The Bible] has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.” —Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth, Vol. II Let’s begin by putting “two of every sort (of animal) into the ark,”...
read moreThe New Testament
Both read the Bible day and night, But thou read’st black where I read white. —William Blake, The Everlasting Gospel Of course, Blake’s sentiment in the quote above is nothing new. The New Testament contains enough inconsistencies to have spawned a dizzying...
read moreMuslim Prayer Postures Found in the Bible
Prayer holds a very important place in the religion of Islam. It is the second pillar of faith and the act of ritual prayer is performed five times every day. There is great power entrenched in the postures of prayer not the least of which is that it establishes and...
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