Our Heritage from Abraham

Abram knew he had to leave Ur.  He traveled to Haran with his father, wife, nephew, and others.  I don't know how long they lived there, but I suspect Terah's  resolution to get away from idolatry was short-lived (see Abraham 2:5), for once again Abram was called to leave his father and his home.  Terah stayed and eventually died in Haran.  This is the story as told in Genesis:

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will [show] thee:  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: . . . when he departed out of Haran.  And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. (Genesis 11:33; 12:1-5)

Here is what Abram sought for.  God would give him posterity and a new land.  God did make of him a great nation - in fact, he was the father of many nations.  Three great world religions claim heritage from Abram.

Judaism - Jews trace their ancestry to Abraham as descendants through Judah who was a son of Jacob whom God called Israel, the grandson of Abraham.  The time frame for the origin of Jewish worship is placed about 2000 B.C. making it the oldest of the three great religions of Abrahamic origin.  The Old Testament or Torah gives several God names including Elohim and Yahweh (Jehovah.)

Christianity - Jesus Christ was a descendent of Judah through King David.  The Gospel of Matthew traces Christ's genealogy to Abrahams.  Mainstream Christianity preaches about a trinity of gods who are one in substance.  Latter-day revelation teaches that the Gods are one in purpose, but separate in substance.  Elohim is our Father in Heaven who created the plan for this earth; Jehovah is Jesus Christ who created the earth and administers the Father's plan and who preformed the ultimate sacrifice to offer salvation and exaltation.  The third member of the Godhead is the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit through whom God works with his children on earth.  With the parable of the Olive Tree, Christians claim kinship to Abraham through adoption whether or not they are literal biological descendants or not.  Christianity began with the ministry of Christ in about 33 A.D.  Restoration of Christ's Church happened in 1830.

Islam - Islam means to submit to the will of God.  It's foundation began with a descent of Abraham through his first-born son, Ishmael.  This Prophet, Mohammed, lived in the 6th century A.D.  The Arab nations claim their inheritance through Ishmael who was Abraham's son through his concubine wife, Hagar.  Other descendants through Abraham's third wife, Keturah, are also numbered among the Arab nations and consider themselves Muslim.  The term, Muslim means one who submits to God.  Allah is the Arabic word for Elohim, which is Hebrew in origin. The stock addition to any plan for the future ends with God willing, In'shallah,
أن شاء الله

With everything that divides us, we should remember that we have at least one thing in common: our heritage from Abraham. 

Gebara Education 2016