THEOLOGY

Religion and Theology

Religion and Theology

War

Islam does not allow Muslims to openly engage in war but it does give the right to defend them should the peace be at risk. According to Islamic teachings, Muslims hold the right to go to war if their freedom and pursuit of truth is at stake. This teaching was also preached by the Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad lived in life in Mecca without resorting to violence, but wage war against any threats to the religion and justice.

According to the clerics of Christianity, Jesus Christ only used force and might to drive the moneychangers out of the sacred temple. Jesus declared war or violence of any form unlawful if it was meant to harm fellow humans. Jesus' spirit and character were humble and he forgave his cruelest persecutors. War from personal and unjust reasons bears no resemblance to Jesus' teachings. Christians see war as a means of evil and categorically reject the idea.

Judaism values human life exceptionally. Some people are of the view that Judaism does not allow war even when human life is endangered. This is true to a great extent, but Judaism does not forbid war. It allows war in two forms: Obligatory War (Milhemet Mitzvah) and Discretionary War (Milhemet Reshut) (Fernandez, 2003).

Social Justice

The Islamic system values justice as much as any other religion. According to Islamic law, if a person suffers any form of harm at the hands of another, the oppressor should is liable for punishment according to the Shariah law. Islam promotes self-preservation and also focuses on spiritual enlightenment and moral development. Islam also promotes praying to God, but teaches to protect against enemies. Islam emphasizes nobility of character. It commands Muslims to trust in God and pursue knowledge and goals.

Judaism lays similar emphasis on justice and righteousness as both are orders from God Himself. According to Judaism, since God create all men as equals, all humans have equal rights. Each human being is unique and discrimination is strictly disallowed in Judaism.

Abortion

In Judaism, abortion is an act that is strictly allowed when the health or life of the woman is in danger. Judaism lays importance to the welfare of women and the rights of the unborn. In cases where there is no threat to human life abortion is disallowed strictly. Rabbis consider abortion as a religious duty when the women life in is danger.

In Islam, different schools of thoughts have varying views on the legality of abortion. The consensus lies in the belief that abortion is only legal if and when the fetus is not considered a human or to have taken soul. Once the fetus has taken soul, Islam prohibits abortion categorically. Similar to Judaism, if there is a threat to the life of the woman, abortion can be carried out. In other cases, if the fetus is faced with any form of malformation or threat, abortion becomes legal according to Islamic laws (Wilkinson & Salazar, 2002).

According to different scriptures and religious organizations, the ...