Abrahamic religions Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Proselytism === Judaism accepts converts, but has had no explicit [[missionary|missionaries]] since the end of the [[Second Temple Judaism|Second Temple era]]. Judaism states that non-Jews can achieve righteousness by following [[Noahide Laws]], a set of moral imperatives that, according to the [[Talmud]], were given by God{{efn |According to Encyclopedia Talmudit (Hebrew edition, Israel, 5741/1981, Entry ''Ben Noah'', page 349), most [[Rishonim|medieval authorities]] consider that all seven commandments were given to [[Adam]], although [[Maimonides]] ([[Mishneh Torah]], Hilkhot M'lakhim 9:1) considers the dietary law to have been given to Noah.}} as a binding set of laws for the "children of [[Noah]]"—that is, all of humanity.<ref>Encyclopedia Talmudit (Hebrew edition, Israel, 5741/1981, entry ''Ben Noah'', introduction) states that after the giving of the [[Torah]], the Jewish people were no longer in the category of the sons of Noah; however, Maimonides (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot M'lakhim 9:1) indicates that the seven laws are also part of the Torah, and the Talmud (Bavli, [[Sanhedrin]] 59a, see also Tosafot ad. loc.) states that Jews are obligated in all things that Gentiles are obligated in, albeit with some differences in the details.</ref>{{efn |Compare {{bibleverse | |Genesis |9:4–6 |HE}}.}} It is believed that as much as ten percent of the Roman Empire followed Judaism either as fully ritually obligated Jews or the simpler rituals required of non-Jewish members of that faith.<ref name="Times Atlas">{{cite book |trans-title=[[The Times Atlas of World History]] |title=Spectrum–Times Atlas van de Wereldgeschiedenis |editor-first=Geoffrey |editor-last=Barraclough |editor-link=Geoffrey Barraclough |year=1981 |orig-year=1978 |publisher=Het Spectrum |pages=102–103 |language=nl}}</ref> [[Moses Maimonides]], one of the major Jewish teachers, commented: "Quoting from our sages, the righteous people from other nations have a place in the world to come if they have acquired what they should learn about the Creator." Because the commandments applicable to the Jews are much more detailed and onerous than [[Noahide]] laws, Jewish scholars have traditionally maintained that it is better to be a good non-Jew than a bad Jew, thus discouraging conversion. In the U.S., as of 2003 28% of married Jews were married to non-Jews.{{sfn|Kornbluth|2003|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2022}} ''See also [[Conversion to Judaism]].'' [[File:Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg |thumb |''The [[Sermon on the Mount]]'' by [[Carl Heinrich Bloch]] (1877)]] Christianity encourages [[evangelism]]. Many Christian organizations, especially Protestant churches, send [[missionary|missionaries]] to non-Christian communities throughout the world. ''See also [[Great Commission]]''. [[Forced conversion]]s to Catholicism have been alleged at various points throughout history. The most prominently cited allegations are the [[Constantine I turn against Paganism|conversions of the pagans after Constantine]]; of Muslims, Jews and Eastern Orthodox during the [[Crusades]]; of Jews and Muslims during the time of the [[Spanish Inquisition]], where they were offered the choice of exile, conversion or death; and of the Aztecs by [[Hernán Cortés]]. Forced conversions to Protestantism may have occurred as well, notably during the [[Reformation]], especially in England and Ireland (see [[recusancy]] and [[Popish plot]]). Forced conversions are now condemned as sinful by major denominations such as the Roman Catholic Church, which officially states that forced conversions pollute the Christian religion and offend human dignity, so that past or present offences are regarded as a scandal (a cause of unbelief). According to [[Pope Paul VI]], "It is one of the major tenets of Catholic doctrine that man's response to God in faith must be free: no one, therefore, is to be forced to embrace the Christian faith against his own will."<ref>Pope Paul VI. [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651207_dignitatis-humanae_en.html "Declaration on Religious Freedom"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211202206/https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651207_dignitatis-humanae_en.html |date=11 February 2012 }}, 7 December 1965.</ref> The Roman Catholic Church has declared that Catholics should fight [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitism]].<ref name="Pullella 2015-12-10">{{cite news |last1=Pullella |first1=Philip |title=Vatican says Catholics should not try to convert Jews, should fight anti-semitism |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-jews-idUSKBN0TT1BK20151210 |access-date=13 January 2016 |publisher=Reuters |date=10 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112060659/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-jews-idUSKBN0TT1BK20151210 |archive-date=12 January 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Dawah]] is an important Islamic concept which denotes the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". A Muslim who practices da‘wah, either as a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort, is called a dā‘ī, plural du‘āt. A dā‘ī is thus a person who invites people to understand Islam through a dialogical process and may be categorized in some cases as the Islamic equivalent of a missionary, as one who invites people to the faith, to the prayer, or to Islamic life. Da'wah activities can take many forms. Some pursue Islamic studies specifically to perform Da'wah. [[Mosques]] and other Islamic centers sometimes spread Da'wah actively, similar to evangelical churches. Others consider being open to the public and answering questions to be Da'wah. Recalling Muslims to the faith and expanding their knowledge can also be considered Da'wah. In [[Islamic theology]], the purpose of Da'wah is to invite people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, to understand the commandments of God as expressed in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as to inform them about Muhammad. Da'wah produces converts to Islam, which in turn grows the size of the Muslim [[Ummah]], or community of Muslims. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page