Christianity

Christianity and Islam

To compare and contrast religions is a somewhat difficult task because religions , by their very nature , are based on faith . Since religions do not seek to establish their validity based on empirical facts as much as the validity is based on a moral way of life designed to lead to everlasting salvation in the world beyond life and death , to draw comparisons between abstract faiths is fairly difficult . However , what can be compared is the basic tenant of the religions and draw parallels between them

In regards to

the differences between Christianity and Islam , there are numerous pronounced differences which would make chronicling a list of the difference worthy of a multi-volume book series . Furthermore considering that both religions have been around for centuries , it would be difficult to compile a terse distinction between the two . This is why it will be the purpose of this comparison essay to highlight the primary differences of faith between the two religions and then center on their current primary influential place in the modern world , the world of geo-politics

there are a lot of differences between Christianity and Islam . I will mention them in very clear words . First , and foremost , the two different books , the Quran and the Bible . Second , the two different founders Mohammed and Jesus Christ . Third , the two different deities , the God of the Bible , and Allah of Islam . Fourth , the two different ways of salvation . The way of Cain , which is salvation by works , and the way of God , which is salvation by grace alone . Then , I would say , fifthly , that the two different standards of life (Labib

Christianity is a religion that saw its origins developed in 2 ,000 years ago with the birth of Jesus Christ . According to the Christian faith Jesus Christ is the son of God who became man . A carpenter by trade he began his ministry preaching to the Jewish people of the occupied Roman Empire professing that God 's temple is for everyone and not an exclusive club

Such statements angered the Jewish leaders of the time and this anger eventually spread to the Roman overlords who felt that unrest in the Jewish territories would be potentially troubling . This led to Jesus arrest for sedition and his eventual crucifixion . According to the New Testament , Christ died to save humanity from original sin . After his execution , he arose from death and ascended into heaven , proclaiming that he will come again at the end of the world to lead those who have been faithful to God to heaven . Modern Christians follow the tenants of Jesus Christ with the hope that this will lead them to salvation

Christianity is broken into innumerable factions . Originally , the primary religious was Catholicism , which ruled with hegemony for many years until the forming of breakaway factions of the Christian denomination of Protestantism . There are innumerable Protestant Christian religions in the world today , but the most prevalent is the American Evangelical movement , a solidly fundamentalist religious movement designed to fuse biblical teachings and political rule into a more unified form

The religion of Islam places the historical figure of Mohammad as the guiding light ' of the movement . According to Islamic tradition Mohammad was the greatest of God 's prophets and he was given a book called the Qu 'ran , a book of God 's religious teaching designed to present the true religion of the Lord . In the Islamic religion , God is referred to as Allah . Contrary to what many people believe , according to Islamic beliefs , Allah and the Christian (and Jewish ) God are the same deities . However , according to Islam , the Qu 'ran represents the true word of God whereas the Old and New Testaments refer to mistranslations or misnomers of the word of God . In the most significant departure from Islam and Christianity , according to Islam , Christ was not the son of God , but rather a great prophet . In the early days of the Christian religion , such statements were considered heresy and the source of a great deal of conflict between the two religions

The religion of Islam has the Qur 'an as the source of truth . Muslims believe that the original New Testament , which they call Injil , was the original revelation that Jesus received from Allah . They believe however , that the Christians of today have corrupted the original Scriptures therefore the Bible that is read by Christendom today is unreliable . Muslims believe that the message of Muhammad continued the original truths that were outlined in the Injil , and additionally , have corrected the errors that Christians have added . Christians hold that the Bible , including the Old and New Testaments is the infallible Word of God . They believe that God inspired the Scriptures it is their only source of truth and instruction "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man , but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1 :21 (All About Religion

These statements show that there are radical differences between the ideologies of Islam and Christianity . Now , if a person is a moderate Christian or moderate Muslim , then such differences mean very little because there will not be the my way is the only way at the exclusion of all others ' ideology present that creates the riffs and separation of the people and culture . However , when the individuals involved with more fundamentalist Islamic or Christian beliefs are concerned , there will be more emphasis placed on the exclusionary aspects as opposed to the aspects of peace , love and harmony that is the center of most religious ideologies . In terms of a defined epicenter of the Islamic faith , one needs to examine the Five Pillars ' that comprise the Islamic faith and belief

To a great degree , the Islamic faith is guided by what is commonly referred to as the Five Pillars which are defined below

Five Pillars of Faith (The Central Duties of Islam

The Creed : To testify that "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet " This creed must be confessed in to become and remain a Muslim . Prayer : To offer the (compulsory congregational ) prayers dutifully and perfectly . They originally prayed facing Jerusalem until Mohammed fell out with the Jews . Almsgiving : Muslims are required to give one fortieth of their income to Allah as Zakat (obligatory charity . The recipients of such benevolence feel no gratitude towards the giver . They believe they are giving him the opportunity to fulfill his responsibility . Fasting : To observe fast during the month of Ramadan this is the month that Mohammed performed his meditation Pilgrimage : It is the duty of every Muslim to perform a Hajj (Pilgrimage ) to Mecca at least once in his lifetime . The pilgrim runs around the Ka 'aba seven times , drinks from the well , Zimzam , and performs other running exercises and acts of devotion (Singh

A significant misconception about Islam is that it is primarily a Middle Eastern religion . This is completely inaccurate as the Islamic religion has several billions of followers who come from all ethnic groups and nationalities , although the religion (like Christianity ) did start in the Middle East

So , how did Christianity and Islam spread from the Middle East to the rest of the world ? By the sword both Christianity and Islam spread as the nations that prescribed to these religions would expand their colonial ambitions to other nations . For Christianity , as Western Europe would spread colonialism through the rest of the world as it conquered smaller and weaker nations , it would bring with it the forced conversion of Christianity to the conquered people . While the logic at the time stated that this was done to civilize ' indigenous people , it was also an effective tool for eliminating the culture of the oppressed people and replacing it with the culture of the conqueror . Islam would essentially do the same thing with great success although with Islam the laws of governance of the conquered (and mother countries ) would be based upon Sharia law (Islamic law , as opposed to the primarily secular law prescribed to by the Christian nations . As such , Islam seems to go hand in hand with theocracy while Christianity does not . Granted , there are obvious theocrats in the fundamentalist wing of the Christian world but no Christian nation is expressly a theocracy , while in many Muslim nations such is the case

After Mohammad had died , those who prescribed to his faith and ideologies would launch a campaign of conquest that would lead to the establishment of the Sassanid and Byzantine Empire . This essentially created the wide expansion of Islam into the territory of the Middle East and North Africa . This expansion was benign in some ways , while more forced in others

Similarly , Christianity would expand in a similar manner over the years by way of the expansion of Western European nations into other parts of the world . Spain , specifically , played an integral role in the forced conversion to Catholicism of the indigenous nations in which it conquered

While Catholicism and Christianity were the spread by the western nations , the systems of government that oversaw the colonies were not Christian theocracies . In the Muslim expansion , the establishment of monarchies ruled by Islamist theocrats (the expansion is commonly called a caliphate ) under Muslim law (called sharia law ) was the norm . While the faith of the Western European invaders was Christian , the law that were established were primarily secular (they were notable exceptions such as the Pilgrims , for example ) and the development of a theocracy was not a concern

In Europe , North America and Latin America , while the influence of Christianity is tremendous , the establishment of a theocracy has not occurred , although at varying times in history Christian fundamentalist groups have held particularly strong sway in influencing a government However , no government uses the Bible as the primary basis in the development of the laws of the land . In Islamic culture , the use of Sharia is significantly more widespread

This leads to a question in regards to the difference between Sharia Law as it exists in the Middle East vs . Christian Fundamentalism as it exists in the west . Comparisons between the two are often common however , to state the Christian fundamentalism and Islamic fundamentalism share a parity is not correct at all

Christian fundamentalists make up a large voting block of the American population to the volume of 70 million people . They are , in basic terms , constituents of politicians and they weigh a great deal of influence on politicians in their ability to shape domestic and foreign policy , oftentimes to the chagrin of other constituents who do not prescribe to the same beliefs

However , the law of the land in the United States calls for a separation of church and state . Therefore , while fundamentalist Christians can influence the law based on their exercising of their voting rights , the law is primarily secular and certain lines are drawn between what is and what is not acceptable in terms of legislation Furthermore , the judiciary branches are not beholden to elections and are free from any influence from outside sources

In a system of Sharia Law , there is no separation of church and state and Islamic law remains the epicenter . Because of this , there are no other external influences or ideologies guiding the decision policies of many Islamic nations . To a great degree , this has harmed many Muslim nations as it has greatly inhibited the domestic modernization of many countries as well as it has contributed to many foreign policy clashes and disasters with other nations that do not prescribe to Sharia Law . To a great degree , the differences between Christianity and Islam have lead to numerous clashes and disagreements over the years until finally culminating into the current War on Terror . This is a pitiful shame because the ultimate goal of religion is to bring about positive changes in the world and in the recent military actions in the world have once again shown that harmonious co-existence between religious groups can be difficult and , when the parties involved prescribe to fundamentalist extremism , co-existence may prove near impossible

As stated at the outset of this essay , there are numerous differences of faith , history and philosophy between Christianity and Islam . In to present a comprehensive evaluation of the differences would require a significant body of work actively examining each component difference as well as each subset of differences . However , a clear generalization regarding the differences between the two religions can be examined by looking at the basic philosophical and ideological differences between the two , as well as an examination behind the earl years of each religions expansion . Finally , an examination of the role of fundamentalism 's role in the political process has been presented in depth and in relation to current world foreign policy

To a significant degree , many of the problems that exit between Christianity and Islam is not so much the differences between the two but a lack of understanding of the similarities that are based in living a moral life combined with a desire for hegemony on each part Hopefully , this will someday become a footnote in history and co-existence between the two will be more harmonious

Bibliography

All About Religion (2007 ) Islam vs . Christianity ' Retrieved February 18 , 2007 from

http /www .allaboutreligion .org /islam-vs-christianity-faq .htm

Labib , Mikhail (2006 ) The Spirit of Islam ' Retrieved February 18 2007 from

HYPERLINK "http /thespiritofislam .com /text /Q02 .html http /thespiritofislam .com /text /Q02 .html

Singh , Parveen (2007 ) Islam ' Retrieved February 18 , 2007 from HYPERLINK "http /wri .leaderu .com /articles /islam-singh .html http /wri .leaderu .com /articles /islam-singh .html ...