Through Force or Faith? — Page 298
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 298 Essence of Religious Teachings Every religion summarizes its teachings in a short formula to use it in its daily religious rituals and prayers. That brief prayer or credo reflects the religious doctrines, national aspirations, its intellectual prowess and its course of action. Therefore, it is essen- tial to compare various religions from this perspective as well. For this purpose we have selected the ‘Shema Yisrael’ of Judaism, the prayer ‘O our Heavenly Father!’ of the Sermon on the Mount of Christianity, and S u rah al-F a ti h ah of Islam. These are the passages that are recited at every occasion of worship, and the followers of these religions are enjoined to repeat them again and again. Shema Yisrael is first mentioned in Deuteronomy 6:4–9 as follows: Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. In Deuteronomy 13:13–21, the concept of reward and punishment is introduced if one loves or does not love God whole-heartedly. Lastly, in Numbers 15:37–41, the Jews were asked to make special