Final answer:
The authorship of the Pastoral Epistles is widely debated in modern scholarship, and many scholars believe they may not have been written by Paul himself. Both Islam and Christianity share the worship of the same God and have the doctrine of predestination. Locke's philosophy influenced the Declaration of Independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Regarding the authorship of the three Pastoral Epistles in the New Testament, the question asks, “Most scholars believe the same person wrote all three Pastoral epistles.” The response to this is commonly seen as false. Modern biblical scholarship suggests that the letters known as First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus, may not have been written by Paul himself but could have been penned by a follower or disciples of Paul, after his death, using his name and authority to give weight to the texts. This practice was not uncommon in the ancient world.
This view is based on various factors such as stylistic differences from the undisputed Pauline epistles and different vocabulary, as well as the treatment of church organization and doctrine that seems more developed than in Paul's time.
The idea that the same God is worshipped in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism is shared among these Abrahamic faiths, and this aligns with the Muslim belief that Allah is the same deity worshipped by Jews and Christians. Additionally, Muslims hold the belief in the doctrine of predestination as stated, but they also emphasize the moral responsibility of individuals. Both of these doctrines play a role in understanding the early development and diversity of Christian and Islamic theology.
Regarding the Declaration of Independence, the rationale used by Thomas Jefferson was indeed heavily influenced by the Enlightenment philosopher John Locke, which makes the statement in the Test Yourself section true. Locke's concepts of life, liberty, and property being fundamental rights that governments should protect were foundational to Jefferson's thought process in drafting the Declaration.