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Abrahamic faiths

A combination of the Jewish Star of David, the Christian cross, and the Muslim crescent and star

The Abrahamic religions are faiths that trace their common origin to the Jewish prophet Abraham around 1700 BC. Judaism is the first and oldest Abrahamic religion, having been formed in the 7th century BC; Christianity was the second major religion, formed in the first century AD; and Islam is the youngest of the three major religions, founded in the 7th century AD. Christianity differed from Judaism in that it recognized Jesus as the messiah whom the Jews were waiting for, although the Jews did not believe that he was; Christianity also did away with Judaism's strict dietary laws. Islam combined the two beliefs, believing that Muhammad was the most recent and last prophet, while Jesus and the previous Jewish prophets were all messengers from God. Islam revived the Jewish dietary laws, expanding them to include abstinence from alcohol. All of the three religions grew out of the Middle East, and they share a reverence of Jerusalem, considered to be a holy city by all three faiths. After years of military conquest and proselytization, the majority of the world adhered to an Abrahmic fatih; 54% of the world's population belongs to one of the faiths, with Christianity being the largest (33%), Islam being the second-largest (21%), and Judaism (.2%). Rastafari, Samaritanism, Druze, Babism, and the Baha'i faiths are smaller Abrahamic faiths.

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