Most people have at one time or another wondered, ‘If there is only one God why are there so many religions?’ The Qur’an declares that Allah could have made all of us monotheists, a single religious community, but (didn’t) in order to test us in what we have been given.

“If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (God’s plan is) to test you in what He has given you: so compete in all virtues as in a race. The goal of you all is to (please) Allah who will show you on judgment day) the truth of the matters in which you dispute.” (Qur’an 5:48)

This means that religious pluralism is the will of God. Yet for centuries many believers in one God have chided and depreciated each other’s religions, and some believers have even resorted to forced conversions, expulsions and inquisitions. Monotheists all pray to the same God, and all prophets of monotheistic faiths are inspired by the same God.

For almost 14 centuries Jews, Christians and Muslims have read each others holy scriptures from an adversarial perspective. Since all monotheistic scriptures come from the one and only God, we should view other scriptures as potentially enriching our understanding of our own scripture.

But in the middle ages almost all readers thought of revelation as a zero sum sport like tennis rather than a multiple win co-operative sport like mountain climbing. In a zero sum game any value or true spiritual insight I grant to another scripture somehow diminishes my own. This was the result of the widespread use of scripture for missionary purposes; to win over others and not to share equally with others.

The situation has not improved much in modern times. In the last two centuries university academics have written many studies of comparative religion which they claim are objective and not distorted by their religious beliefs. Unfortunately, academics who treat other religions academically usually do not believe that other scriptures are actually Divinely inspired.

Indeed, many academics do not believe that even their own scriptures are Divinely inspired. They use the same kinds of explanations to understand religion that they would use to explain secular history and literature.

One of the wonderful aspects of the Qur’an is that it is the only book of revelation that includes within itself a theory of prophethood which includes other religions. Thus the Qur’an states that there have always been (since the days of Adam) humans inspired by Allah who urged their community to avoid destruction by turning away from their corrupt and unjust ways; and turning to the One God who created all humans.  

“The same religion was established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah – which We have sent by inspiration to you – and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that you should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein…” (Quran, 42:13).

Also “The Prophet (Muhammad) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord and (so do) the believers.  Each one believes in God, His Angels, His Books, and His prophets (saying); ‘We make no distinction between one or another of His prophets…'” (Quran, 2:285)

Thus, when there seem to be contradictions within each sacred scripture or even between them, they should either be harmonized; or understood as different perspectives for different people at different times; but always coming from the One God of........

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