Christianity and Islam
By: July • Essay • 1,582 Words • November 14, 2009 • 1,767 Views
Essay title: Christianity and Islam
Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings,
death and resurrection of Jesus as described in the New Testament of
the Holy Bible. Although Christians are monotheistic, the one God is
thought to exist in three persons called the Trinity. Most Christians
believe that Jesus is the son of God, but according to other
traditions, Jesus is thought to be a human messiah that instructs his
followers to worship God alone.
Christianity encompasses numerous religious traditions which have
varied due to things such as culture and time over the past millennia.
Christianity has been grouped into three main branches: Roman
Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. It is the world’s
largest single religion with over 2.2 billion followers. To be
Christians means �belonging to Christ’ or �of Christ’.
Islam is a monotheistic faith and the world’s second largest religion.
Followers of Islam, known as Muslims, believe that one God (Allah)
revealed his direct word for mankind to Muhammad and other prophets
including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. But it was considered that
all that was revealed to Muhammad was the final and ultimate
revelation.
The Muslims hold that the main written record of revelation to mankind
is the Koran (Qur’an) which is believed to be flawless since it is the
direct word from God to mankind. To be Islam means �one who surrenders
to God’ or a �vassal of God’.
Christianity and Islam are two very closely related religions because
they all revere Abraham and other patriarchs mentioned in the bible as
their spiritual ancestors. This is why both Christianity and Islam are
called Abrahamic religions. Many of their main points of belief and
worship hold similarity, this is no guarantee that their followers get
along. Most of the serious religious motivated conflicts, mass crimes
against humanity and genocides in the 20th century have been between
Muslims and Christians.
There are many points of belief and worship which are similar if not
exactly the same, but there are other which is very much opposite or
inconsistent, such as Christianity and Islam’s concept of deity.
Christians believe in the trinity which is three persons in one
Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit whereas Muslims believe God
(Allah) is one and indivisible, promoting very strict monotheism.
It is interesting to see that both Islam and Christianity acknowledge
Jesus as apart of both their religions but in very different ways.
Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God, worshipped as God and
apart of the trinity whereas for Muslims, Jesus is highly respected as
the second-last prophet. Yet both believe he was a virgin birth and
his current location is in heaven and there will also be a second
coming of Jesus in the near future. Yet both religions disagree on the
nature of Jesus’ death. Christians believe Jesus was crucified by the
Roman Army and then resurrected three days later, yet the Muslims
believe Jesus did in fact not die but rather ascended alive into
heaven.
Both religions have what we could call a �Golden