do you agree or disagree with Hughes? Based on your knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam at this point, is it appropriate to group them together in the category of “Abrahamic religions” in your view?

PROMPT:

One issue in the academic study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam concerns the term “Abrahamic religions”—the idea that these three religions can be grouped together as “sister religions” adhering to similar monotheistic beliefs and all claiming common descent from the ancient Hebrew patriarch Abraham. Some scholars, such as Aaron Hughes, think this category is too broad and erases some of the distinctive aspects of each tradition. As he puts it,

“Often employed in contemporaneous discourse as a replacement for the equally vague ‘Western” or ‘Judeo-Christian’ religions, ‘Abrahamic’ is far too generic and imprecise. What counts as an Abrahamic religion? Obviously those who employ it tend to refer to the triumvirate of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But what, if anything, do these three religions have in common other than a belief in God and the notion that each later manifestation legitimates its claim to superiority based on supersessionist arguments. Certainly at particular historical moments two or three of these religions, or parts thereof, have intersected with one another, whether creatively or destructively. But to argue from this that there exists some core of ‘Abrahamness’ that all three share is highly contentious. 

‘Abrahamic religions,’ as used in much contemporary literature, is an interfaith term meant to show historical commonality and imply future reconciliation. However, it does not follow from this that it ought to be employed as either a historical or a heuristic category. Rather than use it as something to enumerate a set of features—for example, creation, revelation, and redemption—that each of these religions is perceived to share, we need to acknowledge and appreciate difference. By invoking the adjective ‘Abrahamic,’ it seems to me we level or flatten difference for the sake of an overarching unity or sameness. To say, for instance, that there exists an ‘Abrahamic’ notion of revelation or an ‘Abrahamic’ conception of scripture says very little beyond the fact that religions perceived to have their origins in Abraham possess a scripture that many take to be the transcript of divine revelation. It does not tell us, for example, about interpretive strategies and the various material conditions from which such strategies emerge. Perhaps most importantly there is very little to no historical evidence that these three religions ever believed that they shared a common understanding of scripture or anything else for that matter. If anything, adherents of these religions have accused and persecuted one another precisely for their perceived misunderstandings. To say now, in the present, that there exists a common or shared ‘Abrahamic’ framework is grossly inaccurate. And while it might certainly make some sense to do this, say, at an ‘Abrahamic salon,’ or to encourage interfaith dialogue, it makes absolutely no sense to employ it as an academic or even quasi-academic term” (Aaron Hughes, Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History, Oxford 2012, pg. 17-18).

In your final response answer the following question: 
do you agree or disagree with Hughes? Based on your knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam at this point, is it appropriate to group them together in the category of “Abrahamic religions” in your view? What are the potential pros and cons of this approach? 

To substantiate and support your argument, compare and contrast Judaism, Christianity, and Islam overall. How are they alike and different in your opinion? What makes each of them unique and what do they have in common? 

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SOURCES: Make sure to cite AT LEAST ONE primary source (a source produced by practitioners of the religion, such as the Bible, Talmud, New Testament, or Quran)  for EACH of the THREE religions as well as Zeba Crook, Religions of a Single God AT LEAST THREE TIMES in your response for a TOTAL of SIX citations.

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