Antar Ibn-stanford

Islam Antar Ibn-stanford

This book is a presentation of the tenets and practices of Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity that are comparable to or are similar to those of Islam for the benefit of the adherents of those faiths and others who wish to establish a dialogue with Muslims and explore common ground. This Comparative Religion, Interfaith Dialogue Resource consists of three units and fourteen chapters. The first unit includes two chapters-Chapter One, titled "The Search for a Complete Religion," and Chapter Two, which focus on "The Definition of Religion." My resource and personal experiences reveal that many professionals-judges, lawyers, chaplains, and academics-have difficulty defining religion. In spite of these difficulties, there are two common elements to "a satisfactory definition of religion," namely, the existence of the creation and the Creator. Without human creation and the Creator, there is no religion. Therefore, religion has to involve the relationship between the creation and its Creator. However, some religions may also include the relationships among the creation. In my quest for a definition of religion, I started with the religion of the first human beings, Adam and Eve according to the Torah and the Qur'an, or Manu and Satarupa according to Hindu scriptures.