I discovered that Islam is a branch off of Judaism. They share many of the same prophets. However, they believe that Jesus was only a prophet. They believe that the Bible has been corrupted, but they do have something that is similar to the Ten Commandments. Here are their commandments.
Be good to your parents;
You shall not kill your children on a plea of want; we provide sustenance for you and for them;
You shall not approach lewd (obscene) behavior whether open or in secret,
You shall not take life, which God has made sacred, except by way of justice and law. Thus does God command you, that you may learn wisdom.
And you shall not approach the property of the orphan, except to improve it, until he attains the age of maturity.
Give full measure and weight, in justice; no burden should be placed on any soul but that which it can bear.
And if you give your word, do it justice, even if a near relative is concerned; and fulfill your obligations before God. Thus does God command you, that you may remember. Verily, this is my straight path: follow it, and do not follow other paths which will separate you from God's path. Thus does God command you, that you may be righteous. (6:151-153)
I took note that they have a commandment against killing and lying.
I also looked up to see what Hinduism beliefs are. I discovered that they belief in Karma and reincarnation. That means that if you do good and develop good Karma, you will be reincarnated into a better position. If you do evil and develop bad Karma, you will be reincarnated into a lower position. In there belief it is possible to come back as animals. They also teach that everyone needs to take responsibility for their own actions and learn from past mistakes.
For those who may not know, Christians all believe in the Ten Commandments. Which are
'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'
'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
'Honor your father and your mother.'
'You shall not murder.'
'You shall not commit adultery.'
'You shall not steal.'
'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
From what I have learned, it would seem that about 68% of the population claims to believe that killing is wrong. When I listen to the news I hear about this shooting and that stabbing. In 2011 there was about 16,200 people killed in the United States of America alone. That is very disturbing considering the number of people who openly say they are Christian, Islam, or Hinduism. Maybe if everyone that claims to believe in one of these three religions would stand up and tell the other 32% of the world population to stop and think about what they are doing, the majority could create a better world for our children. I know that there are so many differences in these three beliefs that we could never agree on everything. However, is it not possible to set aside all of those differences for a few moments and come together on the common ground that killing is wrong? If we stop shooting at each other and stop bombing each other, it is possible that we could create a better world for the future generations.
I am sure that some of the other religions have a commandment against killing.
Common Ground
How to make the world better for our children
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