The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

Judaism & Christianity Chirps

08/28/22 Judeo-Christian Morality

The importance of the black preacher in the Civil Rights movement cannot be overstated. Not only did they galvanize their congregants to peaceably support this movement, but they raised the conscience of white Americans to the morality and justness of this cause. Without their voice, the Civil Rights movement may have failed or degenerated into mob violence.

Throughout the following decades, they have continued to support the importance of Civil Rights, but they have also drifted apart from the core issues into supporting tangential issues that have led them astray from the core issue of Civil Rights—the importance of treating every person as an individual. The worth and dignity of each individual person, and the importance of Judeo-Christian morality in dealing with each person and the ills of society, are at the core of Civil Rights.

Consequently, all preachers of Judeo-Christian morality need to ask and answer the following questions regarding the role of Judeo-Christian morality in the functioning of our society, and the actions of individuals within our society:

• What is the Judeo-Christian morality of making a people dependent upon government subsidies for their subsistence?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality of affirmative action by government that favors one group of persons at the expense of another group of persons?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for the countenance of mob violence to achieve a positive social goal?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for theft and violence against persons and their businesses and employees?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for illegal drug use and illegal drug dealing?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for forcing a person to undergo medical treatments against their will?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for not allowing persons to freely associate with each other?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for pregnancy outside of marriage?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for the acceptance of abortion?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for a father abandoning a mother and his children?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for the acceptance of single motherhood?

The answer to these questions is self-obvious to a person of Judeo-Christian morality—they are a sin as they transgress against the Ten Commandments, and they are an affront to the worth and dignity of each individual person. These affronts are also destructive to the moral fiber of America and ruinous to our society.

As such, preachers of all faiths and races need to become more involved and vocal about Judeo-Christian morality in individual actions and societal solutions to the ills confronting America. And these actions and solutions need to be based upon Judeo-Christian morality of the importance of treating every person as an individual. America would be a much better place if all persons treated each person as an individual worthy of dignity and respect.

02/19/23 What are Judeo-Christian Values

The term “Judeo-Christian values” is frequently used. I and many others use it, and I believe in them. But exactly what is meant by Judeo-Christian values? A new article by Dennis Prager, “What Are Judeo-Christian Values?” explains what the core Judeo-Christian values are:

No. 1: There is only one God.

No. 2: The Hebrew Bible introduced the most revolutionary moral idea in history: that there are objective moral truths.

No. 3: Because there are moral truths, good and evil are the same for all people.

No. 4: God is the source of our rights.

No. 5: The human being is “created in the image of God.”

No. 6: The world is based on a divine order.

No. 7: Man is not basically good.

No. 8: Therefore, we must not follow our hearts.

No. 9: God gave us the Ten Commandments to keep in our hearts and mind.

No. 10: Human beings have free will.

I would encourage all to read this article to understand the core Judeo-Christian values and their meaning in life. You must practice these core values in your daily life, for if you cannot practice these core values in your daily life, then you do not believe in Judeo-Christian values.

11/30/23 Christian Wars

Widespread war is not peculiar to Christianity, as it has always been practiced by all religions in human history. What is peculiar about Christian wars is that the teachings of Christ would seem to preclude engaging in wars or violence, as he commanded:

• “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
• “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
• “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
• “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

So why is it that Christendom has engaged in so many wars?

The simple answer is that humans are fallible and that they are often motivated by other concerns rather than Christian morality. Many Christian leaders looked to the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles to justify what they wished to do rather than for guidance on what they should do. Thus, we have Christian wars.

It is also because we have the concept of Just war theory as a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. It has been studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists, and policymakers. The criteria are split into two groups: jus ad bellum ("right to go to war") and jus in bello ("right conduct in war"). The first group of criteria concerns the morality of going to war, and the second group of criteria concerns the moral conduct within war. There have been calls for the inclusion of a third category of just war theory (jus post bellum) dealing with the morality of post-war settlement and reconstruction. The just war theory postulates the belief that war, while it is terrible but less so with the right conduct, is not always the worst option. Important responsibilities, undesirable outcomes, or preventable atrocities may justify war.

Many wars have been fought within Christendom from its ascent to the present. Among those major wars were the Crusades (1095–1291), the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the American Revolution (1775–1783), the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), the American Civil War (1861–1865), World War I (1914–1918), and World War II (1939–1945), along with the European wars of religion of the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. Emperors, Kings, Princes, Popes, and other leaders and religious extremists have often claimed that their wars were just wars, but the real question is, to paraphrase Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what is a just war, but who shall decide what is a just war?".

We can certainly say that the American Revolution, the American Civil War, and World War II were just wars, as they were fought to reestablish the Natural Rights of individuals against oppression. The other Christian Wars have more ambiguity in their justification. Thus, we can condemn these wars as not being just, but we cannot condemn Christianity if it is an unjust war. However, we should condemn those who led Christians into an unjust war. The question is, should we condemn Christianity for engaging in any war? Unfortunately, evil, greed, and lust exist in the minds of men, and sometimes, it is not possible to confront and eliminate such evil without a war. To not engage in a war against evil portends the destruction of the good of Christianity without such confrontation. The first duty of a Christian is to attempt to change the minds of such evil men without a war, but when push comes to shove, evil should not be allowed to triumph. Thus, war is sometimes necessary to ensure that Christian values will triumph and humankind will not descend into barbarity once again.

12/02/23 The Decline of Christian Faith and Values

Today, in America and in other parts of Christendom, we are seeing a decline in Christian faith and ideals in the world. This bodes ill for the future advancement of humankind, and it bespeaks the possible increase of oppressive governments in the world. Indeed, we have seen an increase of oppression in the government actions within Christendom, with the most common being in the attempts to restrict the Liberties and Freedoms of thought, speech, association, press, and the practice of religious faiths, as well as constrict the concepts of “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All”. We have also seen an increase in the weaponization of government against those who would disagree with government actions, as I have written in my collected Chirps on “The Weaponization of Government”. All such restrictions and constrictions fly in the face of our Christian values, as I have written in my article “How Christianity Transformed the World”.

In many of my Chirps and Articles, I have pointed out that the concepts and practices of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Identity Politics, Wokeness, Equity and Equality, Social Engineering, and the Greater Good versus the Common Good are antithetical to the  Christian theology of the individual worth and dignity of all people, as I have Chirped on “11/07/23 The Divine Sovereign Individual”. These concepts and practices are most often the words and deeds utilized by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders to obtain their political goals and policy agendas. Thus, they are engaging in unchristian-like behaviors and sowing disharmony and chaos in our society and governance.

Alas, until we return to our beliefs in Christian values and uphold them in our society and governance, we shall see more disharmony, oppression, and chaos in America and the world, to the detriment of all Americans and the freedom-loving peoples of the world. This decline of Christian faith and values will also result in the atrophy of the advancement of humankind and an increase of barbarianism in the world.

01/01/24 How Christianity Transformed the World

As we have finished celebrating Christmas is important to reflect on how Christianity impacted the world. Wars, Oppressions, Slavery, Injustice, Degradation, Thefts, Murders, Rapes, Disease, Poverty, Destruction, and other harsh living conditions were the lot of the common man throughout history. With the advent and establishment of Christianity, this all began to change. In no other part of the world, except Christendom, was there any hope of change for the betterment of the common man. Christianity changed all that by its theology of the individual worth and dignity of all people. Christianity established that Human rights were a gift from God and could not be abrogated by any government, organization, or person, or as the Declaration of Independence stated:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In no other part of the world was this recognized as integral to the individual human being. Christianity was responsible for bringing these truths to light and establishing them as a basic tenet for all persons. This tenet changes the world for the better. The journey took two millennia to get us to where we are today, with several false starts, wrong turns, dead ends, and occasion retreats before much progress was made. My new article, “How Christianity Transformed the World” examines the impacts of Christianity upon the world.

05/11/24 The Chosen of God

The Jewish people are the chosen of God, chosen to show what faithfulness to God’s will means and the evils of the faithless against God’s will. Given the turbulent trials and tribulations of the Jewish people throughout history, they have provided this showing. Yet throughout these trials and tribulations and throughout history, the Jewish people have persevered. No historical people have persevered for as long as the Jewish people, which leads me to believe in God and that God chooses wisely.

Today, they are again showing the evilness of those who are faithless in God’s will. The terrorism of Hamas and Hezbollah against the Jewish people demonstrates the evilness of the faithless against God’s will. The elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah from the Mideast may be another reminder by God as to the terrible consequences of evil against God’s will.

Just as God demanded that the ancient Jews eliminate the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (Deuteronomy 20:16-18), he may be directing the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah. Those who oppose the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah may, therefore, be supporting the evils of the faithless against God’s will. Consequently, woe be to those who support Hamas and Hezbollah, as they may be supporting the evils of the faithless against God’s will, and God will judge of their words and deeds when they meet their maker.

To those Jewish people who have suffered the terrible consequences of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism, I would say that your sacrifice has not been in vain, as you serve as a reminder of God’s will, and your sacrifice will be rewarded by God in the afterlife. I would also say long live the Jewish people as a reminder of what faithfulness to God’s will means and the evils of the faithless against God’s will.

04/13/25 Choose Life

In the Judeo-Christian Bible, Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ESV states:

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turnsLawfare away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Thus, choosing life in the Bible refers to the decision to follow God's commandments and embrace a relationship with God, and to choose life so that you and your descendants may live.

Today, we have seen this dilemma in the Middle East and throughout the world of people and their leaders who choose death rather than life. Radical Islam, Communist China, Dictatorial Russia, and other peoples and leaders have chosen death over life. Such people and leaders who choose death are evil, and they, therefore, should perish.

In his travels through Israel and Gaza, #1 International Bestselling author Douglas Murray has seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer, and he has no trouble choosing a side. In his new book, “On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization”, he examines this issue in regard to the Israeli and Radical Islam conflicts. There is also a YouTube video, “Douglas Murray: Choose Life, Not the Death Cult”, in which he elaborates on this topic. As I have not yet had time to read this book, I cannot recommend this book at this time, but I have watched the video, and I would recommend that all watch this video to gain a fuller understanding of “Choosing Life”.

06/05/25 The Story of Israel

Naftali Bennett, who served as the 13th prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022, breaks down the entire history of Zionism in 3 minutes in a YouTube video. It is important to understand this history to understand what the current conflict is about. The following is a transcript of this video:

“I'll do something I've never done, and I'll try in three minutes to do the history of Jews and Zionism starting now. The Jewish people first entered the land of Israel 3,300 years ago and everyone can read that in the Bible. Assuming you don't believe the Bible then you can look at archaeology which shows evidence of about 3,000 years ago.

There's no dispute that the Jewish people founded their first commonwealth, the Kingdom of David 3,000 years ago. It was destroyed. We were kicked out. We came back, founded the second commonwealth of Israel, which went on for several hundred years. And again, it was destroyed, this time by the Romans. Jews stayed in Israel, but few Jews stayed in Israel. The rest of the Jews were kicked out to all across the world. And every day they prayed three times a day that they want to return to Israel.

And it was a pretty lousy 2,000 years, you know pogroms and holocaust. But about 150 years ago secular Jews, primarily Herzel, Jabotinsky, and others, took the initiative of let's come back to our own homeland. The Jews are the indigenous people of the land of Israel. The term Palestine was coined by the Romans in order to dissociate the place that was called Judea. Until now It had no connection to Arabs for the simple reason that Arabs arrived to the land of Palestine only 600 years later during the Arab conquering. So, there were no Arabs in the land of Israel. But yes, throughout those 1,400 years, very slowly Arabs came, primarily mostly when Jews returned in the 19th century.

Then the world decided, I'm cutting long story short, to bring a solution, a tough solution to both sides to divide the land between a Jewish state and an Arab state. It wasn't called Palestinian. Jews said yes, Arabs said no. This was the Peel Commission. Fast forward to 1947, the UN came up with the same sort of idea to divide into a Jewish state an Arab state. Jews said yes, Arabs said no, and attacked the Jews and wanted to kill all the Jews. The Jews fought back and won. During that war, 600,000 Arabs that had been living in smaller Israel fled, and some of them were also expelled, because that's what happens when you try and kill your enemy, and you lose. That's what happened throughout history.

We founded the state of Israel, and that's where we are now. So, the state of Israel is the third time we have a Jewish state in on our indigenous land. We have 2 million Arabs living in the state of Israel. Full Israeli citizens. They vote. They serve on court. They pay taxes. They're one of all and enjoy full equal rights. That's the story of Israel.”

Anyone who cannot understand the point of this story of Israel is incapable of understanding the current conflict, and they will make uninformed opinions about this conflict. Do not be fooled by the deceptions of the supporters of a Palestinian state. The Arabs said no, time and again, to an Israel state. The Palestinians do not want human rights and a peaceful coexistence; they want to destroy Israel. Hence, all people across the world who are dedicated to Natural Rights and Liberties and Freedoms need to support Israel’s right to exist in peace and harmony with their Arab neighbors.

10/12/25 Faith, Family, and Community

A cornerstone of Christianity is the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, as Christians take this to prove God’s forgiveness of sin and the divinity of Christ. However, Christianity is more than this event; it is living a Christian life as Jesus preached. And this living of a Christian life is centered around faith, family, and community as central to Christianity. Unfortunately, many mainstream Christian denominations have strayed from this in their support of Multiculturalism, Social Justice, and other forms of Adjective Justice. In this, they have been swept up into a tide of Progressivism, Internationalism, Socialism, Secularism, Spirituality, and, alas, Islamism that has occurred over the last several decades. But this tide can also be a tidal wave in disguise that destroys everything in its path.

In this faith, family, and community, the importance and dignity of the individual person is central, but so are the personal responsibilities of the individual to themselves and to society. Activists and Activism have forgotten or do not know this, as they focus almost exclusively on the rights of groups without the responsibilities of the individual or groups of individuals to society. In this, they have also downplayed the importance of faith, family, and community in a cohesive and stable society. They also focus on governmental actions without consideration of possible harmful governmental actions on individuals, families, or communities.

In this straying from Christian values by mainstream Christianity, they have lost their way, as well as many of their parishioners. Only evangelical Christian denominations have not strayed, and their numbers are increasing. Faith, family, and community are also necessary to retain a coherent, stable, and peaceful society, and the faith, family, and community of Christian teachings (as well as Jewish faith, family, and community) are the best the world has ever seen.

These Christian values are the bedrock of Western Civilization, and without this bedrock, Western Civilization is crumbling, and modern mainstream Christianity is aiding in this collapse. Consequently, modern mainstream Christianity needs to realize the folly of its straying, and, in this, they should remember the Bible verse of "Get thee behind me, Satan", a phrase spoken by Jesus in the New Testament, specifically in Matthew 16:23, where he rebukes Peter for not aligning with God's concerns. Accordingly, it is well past time for modern mainstream Christianity to rededicate itself to the teachings of Jesus in faith, family, and community as central to Christianity, and to support the values and principles of Christianity and Western Civilization.

11/08/25 To Be Jewish in America

Vitaliy Katsenelson, a lover of Classical Music and the person behind the website My Favorite Classical Music, has written an article “Who Am I? (and my composers)” that examines what it means for him to be Jewish. In this article he has stated that, “For some people being Jewish means one thing: religion. Not me. To me being Jewish means three things: religion, tradition (philosophy), and nationality.”

He then goes on to state that as an immigrant from Russia when he was 18 years old, religion played little part in his youth:

“I didn’t realize that there was such a thing as Jewish religion until I was in my late teens. Soviets were not big fans of religion (they indiscriminately disallowed all of them), as it competed with their own version of religion – communism.”

He does not go on to explain how his Jewish religion has played a part in his adult life, but the little I have read about him leads me to suspect that his involvement in his Jewish religion has deepened over the years. He does explain how the Jewish tradition (philosophy) plays a part of his life”

“And then there’s the second part of my being Jewish – tradition and philosophy. Neither my parents or grandparents were religious, but Jewish traditions and philosophy were deeply ingrained in them. I lump tradition and philosophy together because often you don’t know where one stops and the other begins. Religion and harsh external environment (for centuries Jewish people have not had easy lives) have helped to shape both.”

As to his Russian nationality, he explains that most of it comes into play with his love of classical music (he also hints that Russian literature was also a part of his life).

I believe that his explanations of what it means to be Jewish to him are also true for many Jewish persons in America, based on my own numerous interactions with American Jews. I know that most American Jews are of a Liberal or Progressive political vent, but I also know that they consider themselves patriotic Americans who want what is best for our country. I also know that they are uniformly family oriented, and by nature and upbringing are peaceful and congenial people. I have had many friendships with Jewish people, and many of my Jewish clients have turned into Jewish friends. This is one of many reasons that I believe Anti-Semitism is despicable, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Anti-Semitism in Modern America".

I have, therefore, offered this Chirp as a means for non-Jews to better understand what it means to be Jewish in America.

12/24/25 Reasoning and Religiosity

In our celebrations of Hanukkah and Christmas, let us remember that the Judeo-Christian religion has provided the best religious answers to existential, moral, and ethical questions that the world has ever seen. But they are not the only answers. Human reasoning over the last few centuries has advanced to the point that it too provides answers. But the answers to many of these questions require both reasoning and religiosity to be satisfactory. I recently read a sentence that encapsulates the difference between the two world views of Reason and Religiosity:

“The Greeks valued physical beauty, materialism, and human reason above all else. The Jews, by contrast, cherished holiness, the soul, and the unseen presence of God.”

This explains the core difference between those who believe that reasoning is the answer to the questions that confront us and those who believe that religiosity is needed to answer these questions. Reasoning will get you most of the way to the answers, but the existential, moral, and ethical questions often require a religious answer to get you all the way to the answer.

In all of philosophy, theology, law, economics, statistics, science, engineering, and many other areas of human interactions, reasoning will allow you to come close to the truth, but in many cases, reasoning will end with multiple possible answers. It is with these multiple possible answers that you must apply religiosity to reach a decision. Religiosity in the sense of what is morally and ethically acceptable, or at least debatable. In some cases, reasoning will lead to wrong answers, as reasoning is fraught with incorrect or improper facts, logical fallacies, cognitive biases, and other issues that lead to a false conclusion. Religiosity applied to these false conclusions will often illuminate their falsehood, and it should give us pause to reconsider the reasoning.

Thus, it is important that you use reasoning, but be aware of reasoning limitations, and use religiosity to come to a conclusion before acting on a reasoned conclusion. Otherwise, you may make a wrong decision that will have negative repercussions for yourself and others.

02/21/26 A Material or Immaterial Kingdom of God

In this Chirp, I am going to explore a topic I freely admit I am unqualified to discuss properly. Therefore, I am also willing to acknowledge I might be in error and open to changing my views as I learn more or receive guidance from my readers. In my recent readings and research, I have encountered an interesting perspective on what the Kingdom of God means to both the Jewish and Christian faiths.

The Jewish view tends to interpret the Kingdom of God materialistically, envisioning God through a Messiah as restoring a nation-state of Israel and bringing justice and peace to the Jewish people. The concept of the Messiah primarily refers to an anointed leader, such as a priest or king, who restores Israel. A nation-state in which the Jewish people reside, and where God would protect this state from invasions and incursions by non-Jewish peoples. A nation-state that would also emphasize the importance of the Jewish people in maintaining their faith, laws, traditions, and rituals within Israel.

In the Christian perspective, Jesus envisions a spiritual Kingdom of God that exists within the hearts and minds of his followers. He believes that he is the prophesied Messiah of this spiritual kingdom, linking him to the fulfillment of ancient prophecies and the hope for salvation through the forgiveness of sins. Christians believe that Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, and his life, death, and resurrection are seen as the realization of those expectations. Living according to Jesus's lessons and teachings in daily life is more important than a nation-state dedicated to God. As the Bible states in the New Testament of Matthew 22:21, “So give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Both views are based on different interpretations of the Messiah as described in the Old Testament of the Bible, a book shared by both faiths, with both worshiping the same God. The concept of the Messiah in the Old Testament is complex, involving various roles and expectations. While Christians see Jesus as the fulfillment of these prophecies, Jewish interpretations maintain that the Messiah has not yet arrived, emphasizing a future hope for peace and restoration. The New Testament presents Jesus as the Messiah, shifting the focus to a more spiritual and redemptive role than the political and nationalistic expectations in the Old Testament.

I do not have a strong opinion on this topic, but I am concerned that the Jewish interpretation can be too restrictive in a multinational and multireligious world where the Natural Rights, Liberties, and Freedoms of individuals are at risk. An immaterial approach allows God's words and deeds to spread regardless of national borders and religious preconceptions. This, hopefully, will change the direction of nations that are antithetical to the words of the God of the Bible, and bring about a better world.

02/23/26 Abrahamic Religions Adoption of Faith

Abrahamic religions are a group of monotheistic faiths that honor or respect the biblical figure Abraham. These include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but the term also often covers several smaller faiths. These religions share similarities in doctrine, history, and geography, setting them apart from Indian, Iranian, and East Asian religions.

Judaism was founded on divine revelations given to the prophets over many centuries. Jewish history can be grouped into three periods; Ancient Israel (1500–586 BCE), Second Temple period (538 BCE – 70 CE), and Talmudic period (70–640 CE). Founded by the Patriarch Abraham (c. 2000 BCE), its most notable prophets include Moses (c. 1400 BCE), Isaiah (800 BCE – 700 BCE, and Jeremiah (c. 650 BCE – c. 570 BCE).

Christianity was based on Judaism and the three-year teachings of Jesus (c. 6 to 4 BC – CE 30 or 33) as espoused by the Apostles over the next several decades after his crucifixion. The most famous Apostles were Peter (born Shimon bar Yonah; 1 BCE – CE 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, and Paul (born Saul of Tarsus; [b] c. 5 CE – c. 64/65 CE), commonly known as Paul the Apostle or Saint Paul. Christianity religious history can be grouped in several different periods; Early Christianity (c. 27 CE – 325 CE), Late antiquity (325 CE – c. 600 CE), Early Middle Ages (c. 600 CE–1000 CE), High Middle Ages (c. 1000 CE–1300 CE), Renaissance and Reformation (c. 1300 CE–1650 CE), Modern period (c. 1650 CE–1945 CE).

Islam was founded by Muhammad (c. 570 – 8 June 632 CE), who at the age of 40 began receiving divine messages over 23 years, which he preached to others, and Islam spread rapidly across the Arabian Peninsula through military conquests and trade over the next several decades. Islam history can roughly be separated into different periods: Rashidun Caliphate  (c. 632 CE–661 CE),  Umayyad Caliphate  (c. 661 CE–750 CE), Abbasid Caliphate  (c. 750 CE–1258 CE), Fatimid Caliphate  (c. 909 CE–1171 CE), Ayyubid dynasty  (c. 1174 CE–1260 CE), Mamluk Sultanate  (c. 1250 CE–1517 CE), and the Ottoman Empire  (c. 1299 CE–1922 CE),

In Judaism and Christianity, a person's conversion or adoption of their faith must be voluntary and based on their own beliefs. In contrast, in Islam, conversion or adoption is often enforced through threats of violence. This represents a key difference between Judaism/Christianity and Islam. While some individuals choose to adopt Islam based on their beliefs, the history of Islamic conversion has often involved conquest and forced conversion, unlike Judaism and Christianity. When the Ancient Jewish people went to war, it was not to force others to adopt their faith but to defend themselves against enemies. Although some Jewish people were converted to Christianity under threat of violence, these cases were few, occurred centuries ago, and Christianity has recognized that such coercion is morally wrong.

In modern Islam, threats of violence are often terroristic threats and violence. Terrorism is employed by many Muslims to impose their will on non-Muslims. Although Muslim terrorists are not aiming to force others to adopt their faith, they are trying to impose Islamic will on the non-Islamic world through terrorism. Unfortunately, a large percentage of Muslims agree with this tactic, and this makes the world an unsafe place for non-Islamists. This must end, and end by any means necessary. Whether the Islamic leadership puts an end to this or the non-Islamic leadership takes action to end this terrorism, it must be done to put an end to Islamic terrorism. If this ends than Islam will truly be ‘a religion of peace’, and the world will be a better place.