A reformed Jewish rabbi, an Islam Bosnian Iman and a Christian pastor drew parallels of the similarities of their faiths during a forum Feb. 23 at The Fountains, a United Methodist Church.

Rabbi Helen Cohn, spiritual leader of Congregation M’kor Hayim, a Reform congregation in Tucson; Rev. Dr. Vernon Myer, a United Church of Christ pastor in Sun Lakes, and Iman Sabahudin Ceman, Imam of the Islamic Center of North Phoenix, explained the tenets, terminology, history, beliefs and practices of their faiths.

“In contemporary Christianity, we can have a decent, civil dialogue. We don’t have to be threatened by our faith by having a dialogue and an attempt to understand people of other faiths,” said Myer. He was a Roman Catholic priest for 31 years before becoming a United Church pastor six years ago.

The Fountain Hills Interfaith Alliance sponsored the forum. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all recognize Abraham as their first prophet, said Rev. David Felten, The Fountains’ pastor.

Thirty-two percent (more than 2 billion) of the world’s population are Christians, said Myer. He broke down the statistics to half being Roman Catholics, 36 percent Protestants, 11 orthodox and one percent affiliated with other denominations.

Fewer than 4 percent of people living in the Middle East are Christians, he noted, although Christianity originated in that part of the world.

The faiths of the three speakers share principles of righteousness and ethics; compassion, forgiveness and caring for the less fortunate, said Myer.

“We try to hold to the Golden Rule that begins with the love of God and moves to the love of neighbor,” he said.

He noted that in recent history so much hate has been coming from individuals who call themselves Christians.

“Forgetting the Golden Rule leads Christians to self-destruct through hate and violence.”

Another common connection is the practice of charity. “We hold in common that we are commanded by God to care for the poor, and I think that is a common ground that we can work on,” said Myer.

Ceman opened his remarks by saying that he wished to separate the religion of Islam and Muslims. He is head Iman of the Islamic Association of Bosniaks in North America, representing Bosnians in 64 communities.

Believing all humans are equal, Ceman said radical Muslims have “nothing to do with Islam or any religion because of their disregard for human life.”

“Islam is peace. It’s very hard to convince people of that belief,” he said.

He added that Islam is not a religion, it’s a way of life, shown through the life of the prophet Muhammad as how followers should live in society.

“We have so much in common as far as belief,” said Ceman. Followers of Islam believe in the Judgment Day, paradise and hell.

“God has created us all with the belief that everyone is born with the belief of faith.”

From the perspective of how most of the world views religion, Judaism is not a religion, said Cohn, a Reform Jew representing the liberal side of the spectrum.

“Religion often means attending church or synagogue, doing certain rituals and certain beliefs.

“Judaism is a way of life that Jewish people embrace. It is actually a people-hood, an identity.”

She said Jews personally carry 3,500 years of history, dating back to the expulsion from Spain to the Holocaust.

“To be Jewish, you don’t have to believe in God,” said Cohn.

“Judaism’s focus is on deeds. How we live in this life so it’s not what we believe but how we behave.”