By Grady Cothran

This story map seeks to explore three major forms of symbolism present in Abrahamic Religions (the name of God, saint veneration, and aniconism) and the role they play in each faith. Specifically, each of these forms of symbolism will be evaluated not just within the religious context of the religion they are most closely associated with but also with the other two Abrahamic religions. The goal of this map is to determine what the use of these symbols in these religions can tell us about each religion’s approach to the topic of heresy and what it means to properly worship God. This project asserts that symbolism is important for determining the content of worship and therefore is essential in defining the character of a religion and the culture that springs up around it. Because of this, the map will demonstrate how each of these religions has impacted one another and why practitioners of each view members of the other two in the way that they do.