I was assigned a project on whether or not people of the Islamic, Christian, and Jewish faiths can ever co-exist peacefully? Is there anything in any of the doctrines that you know of that would prohibit this from happening? Peace seems to be a quintessential element in all of the religions, but why is there strife between them and what can we do to fix it?
In my opinion, the answer to your question is no, they cannot coexist in peace, not in the long-term. This is because both Christianity and Islam are exclusive – they teach that if you’re not a Christian/Moslem then you’re damned, and that the entire world should and will become Christian/Moslem . Judaism doesn’t teach this – there is nothing in Judaism that says the Gentiles ought to become Jews. On the contrary, the Torah teaches that “the righteous of all the nations have a share in the World to Come.” So from our perspective, we should all be able to live in peace and harmony, but as long as Christianity and Islam are absolutist, I don’t see how that is going to happen.
Rabbi Seinfeld
http://rabbiseinfeld.blogspot.com