Abraham's Tent
A SMOTJ Web Magazine dedicated to better understand the beliefs, customs and perceptions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity in the Mideast
The Goal
The Grand Priory of the United States, SMOTJ, has long held as our principle goal the objective of assisting Christians at Risk, primarily in the Holy Land and Mideast. A corollary concern, supportive of the first, is that we strive to build bridges between the three great Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In the Mideast, some perceive the Christian communities there as a bridge between Jewish and Muslim peoples, helping to overcome historic antagonisms.
Understanding
How can members of the Grand Priory and friends better understand the difficulties and dangers that are faced by Christians in the Mideast, without an insight into the perceptions of these three group toward one another? The purpose of this Web Magazine will be to provide a clearer picture of the beliefs, customs and perceptions of Muslims, Jews and Christians in that part of the world.
This will be set forth through a series of articles, written by experts who have studied these subjects for years. Through such a vehicle, it is to be hoped that we can try to grasp what Christians face in the Mideast and thus be better able to assist them in the hardships that they face there.
| Publisher Jeffrey Peter Agnes |
Editor LTC Thomas P. Curtis II |
Contributing Editors Rev. Michael P. Forbes David D. Fautua |
| Readers are encouraged to write in letters to the editor with questions and observations at the following address: tent@smotj.org | ||
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, with the Torah as its foundational text (part of the larger text known as the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible), and supplemental oral tradition represented by later texts such as the Mishnah and the Talmud. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God established with the Children of Israel.
Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an, a book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: Allāh) and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of hadith) of Muhammad (c. 570 BC – c. 8 June 632 AD), considered by them to be the last prophet of God.
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and oral teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. Most Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, fully divine and fully human, and the saviour of humanity whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament. Consequently, Christians refer to Jesus as "Christ" or the Messiah.