The Essential Difference

Submitted by Seamus MacNemi (United States), Feb 23, 2008 at 16:08

Both Islam and Christianity grew out of foreign and extremist interpretations of the Hebrew scriptures. If one bothers to study the Works of the Rabbis to any degree of depth he (or she) will undoubtedly find that there is absolutely no justification for either extremist view, either that of the Church or the Mosque.

The one thing that I have found unique in the Jewish view as opposed to the Christian or the Islamic views, is that it is far and away much more humane in its approach to the matter of G-D and religion than is either Christianity or Islam. If one bothers to study the Rabbinical commentaries in the Talmud it quickly becomes obvious that the extreme measures spoken of in the Torah were and are rarely undertaken in practice. The Rabbis enclosed the law in many strictures to protect the innocent from false accusations and to see that justice was truly done with mercy and understanding and not in anger or a desire for vengence for some supposed grievance.

If a man steals food out of a legitimate need to feed himself and his family. He is held to no account before the law according to the Rabbis. Not so according to the dictates of Islam and there have been times in our history when Christians hanged children for stealing food. Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is my example for this.

Likewise, a woman could not be punished for adultery unless and until she openly and willingly without coersion confessed to her transgression in a public forum before legitimate judges. A victim of rape could not be held accountable for any sin. Honor killing was a thing unheard of amongst the Jews of old as it is today.

So what does that tell us?

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