Judaism is the oldest of the three Abrahamic religions (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) that believe in a monotheistic God, or a God who is One being. It began with Abraham, who was a nomad but who found favor with God. God entered into a covenant relationship with Abraham, in which He promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations and he would inherit the promised land of Canaan.

As Abraham grew older, he wondered if he had heard God correctly — he and his wife Sarah had no children. Abraham was so frustrated that he took his wife Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar, and had a child with her named Ishmael. Then, miraculously, Sarah at a very old age gave birth to Isaac.

Jewish tradition teaches that the Israelites were and continue to be God’s chosen people.

This story is important because Isaac ended up receiving Abraham’s blessing and carried on the covenant relationship with God, creating the history of the Israelites. Ishmael became the founder of Islam — and so we see the early divisions of the two religions.

Central to Judaism is the idea of God having a covenant relationship with His people. Time and again, God speaks to the prophets like Abraham and Moses and binds Himself to them through promises. One can see this in the first five books of the written Hebrew text, the Torah. In addition to the written law in the Torah, rabbis teach the Talmud, which is a collection of rabbinical teachings, including the oral version of the Torah.

Jewish tradition teaches that the Israelites were and continue to be God’s chosen people. Jewish believers revere God so much that many will neither write nor say His name. It is common to see God’s name written as G-D or in one of His Hebrew names, which Jews will not utter: YHWH, meaning LORD. Judaism teaches that faith, worship, and obedience to God are central to being a good believer.

Related: With Faith, There Is No Fear

Judaism is not simply seen as a faith but as part of a lifestyle, which includes eating Kosher foods, observing the Sabbath, and following God’s commandments. Jewish people believe that the purpose of life is to serve God and to study His teachings. Contrary to what many think, Jewish tradition teaches that heaven exists and that the spirit of Jewish believers go to heaven — and if those souls have lived a good life, they will receive special blessings from God.

Mormonism may seem, on the surface, to have theological similarities — but the two faiths are very different. Mormons believe in a monotheistic God and share many of the same beliefs about who God is. Mormons, like Jewish believers, feel that obeying God’s laws is central to the faith. But from there, Mormonism diverges from Judaism.

Mormons believe in the prophets of the Old Testament, but they also believe that in 1830, another prophet, Joseph Smith, received revelations from God. As a young man in New York State, Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon from those direct revelations from God. Mormons teach the Old and New Testaments, but it is the Book of Mormon and its teachings that separate them from other religions.

Many believe that Mormonism is a Christian religion, as Mormons reference Christ frequently. Believers are told to follow Christ and to accept that He died for their sins. However, the defining belief of the major Christian faiths (Catholicism and Protestantism) is the trinity: that God the Father, Holy Spirit, and Jesus are One.

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Related: Trust God with the Weight of Your Cross

Jesus, Christians believe, was fully man and fully God. Mormons believe that Jesus and God were separate beings. Jesus was a prophet who taught many good things about God and He even shared divinity with God and mortality with men — but they deny the Trinity.

The Mormon faith focuses heavily on the love of God. Mormon teaching says that believers are to follow Jesus in order to get closer to God and to experience His love. They are called to live a disciplined life, where they adhere to what the prophets of old (like Joseph Smith) and the current-day prophets advise them. Since Joseph Smith, Mormons have learned under the teachings of appointed prophets.

Mormons believe in heaven, but the way to get there for them is different from what Judaism teaches. Mormons believe that humans exist in heaven before they come to earth and when they die, their spirits move to a place where they await resurrection. They believe that the only way they can be resurrected is by the atoning blood of Christ.

If they have led a good life while on earth, then they will enjoy reunion of their spirit with a new body, which has been restored to perfection. They will live eternally with God in heaven and enjoy greater blessings if they have obeyed God while on earth.

Christianity is founded on the belief of a triune God, where God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. Christians believe that Christ came to save everyone because every person fell into sin and needed redemption. Their roots begin with Genesis and end in heaven with God eternally.

As America moves deeper into secularism, every one of us must be extremely cautious.

Islam, as we have seen, has similar beginnings but does not believe in the trinity. It broke from Judaism after Abraham had his first son Ishmael and descended from him. Judaism began the same way but descended through the lineage of Isaac, which received further blessings from God. Jewish tradition teaches that God will send a Messiah in the future.

Interestingly, all four religions emphasize obedience to and worship of God. Each recognizes Jesus as having been a prophet or good teacher, but only Christianity calls him God. And regarding heaven, each faith believes in an afterlife — but the way to get there differs between each of them.

As America moves deeper into secularism, every one of us must be extremely cautious. Men and women are spiritual people. We know this by studying the desires, needs, and hearts of men through the past several thousand years. If we ignore this elementary but crucial fact, we will live in a country of citizens with deep spiritual voids. And this is a very dangerous place indeed, because where a spiritual void exists, it will be filled. And the concern for all of us should be: With what will the voids be filled?

Dr. Meg Meeker has practiced pediatrics and adolescent medicine for 30 years. She is the author of the online course, “The 12 Principles of Raising Great Kids,” which is part of The Strong Parent Project