. From a moral/ethical but not theological standpoint, Christianity has more in common with Buddhism than with either Judaism or Islam. Indeed, even from a theological point of view, it is possible to interpret Christian faith in a way that shows more commonality with Buddhism than with Judaism or Islam.
The linkages between the three monotheistic religions can easily be demonstrated. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have in common the fact that each was an institutional outgrowth of existing religious practice and belief. Judaism represented a monotheistic response to tribal polytheism, with Yahweh, "the one true God," demanding exclusive worship (Molloy 296). That Christianity evolved out of Judaism is a very familiar narrative of Western history. Islam broke from two different religious traditions: traditional desert tribal polytheism on one hand and Judaism and Christianity on the other (Molloy 434). The nod that the Quran makes to both Judaism and Christianity supports a contention that these three religions have something in common. Indeed, the evidence of the Quran is that Islam was meant to either fix everything that was wrong with Judaism and Christianity in particular, or to supplant them altogether. After rebuking Jews and Christians for their religious exclusivity, the text explains:
Indeed, those that surrender themselves [accept Islam] to God and do good works shall be rewarded by their Lord: they shall have nothing to fear or to regret (Quran 2:111, qtd. in Van Voorst 304-5).
To see how Christianity can be likened more to Buddhism than to the monotheistic religions with which it is historically linked, it may be helpful to begin with the Christian God-concept. Although the concept of the Trinity and the host of saints and angels might be interpreted as evidence of a species of polytheism, Christianity, like Judaism and Islam, is considered monotheistic. Leaving aside the issue of the status or relative divinity ...