Sunlight beams through arched windows encased in stained glass; reflecting rays of red, blue, green, and yellow throughout the entryway. Below our feet, a wood floor echoes as we walk, and silences with a step onto the red carpet. Dark mahogany pews stand at attention to our left and right. Directly above on the back wall, a stained glass image of a woman standing over an infant in a cradle, sunlight illuminating her delicate features, she gazes down at the child. Her thin angelic lips slightly open, her hands clasped together in a prayer-like stance. A blue veil cascades down her shoulders interlocking with her robe below. To the right of the infant, a table displays a large white book with gold-tipped pages. On the cover, prominent gold letters display the words The Holy Bible.
This extravagant Christian place of worship, located in St. Petersburg, Florida, shows the importance of religious establishments as additional resources used in teaching religion. Two of the world’s largest religions use faith-powered books, The Holy Bible and The Holy Quran, to educate members. The scriptures in these books have provided direction, spiritual guidance, and theologies from one generation to another, however, religious icons and historical occurrences within these books, when compared, are often contradictory, but have one major element in common: both believe its book is the “Word of God.” To understand their differences, we must examine the history of these books more closely.
Christianity is the largest practiced religion with 2.2 billion members, or 33% of the world population. Today there are hundreds of smaller Christian denominations all over the world; practicing Christians believe the Holy Bible is the word of God.
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... crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
There are many different interpretations and translations of words in both the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran over the centuries. Although the Quran said to be, the original recitation even Muslims agree the Quran was not all documented by Mohammad and he has assistance from companions. We know the Bible had many authors and the book has been written-and-rewritten, interpreted-and-reinterpreted, translated-and-retranslated, and then communicated to people-by-people who are not without sin. Without personal faith paired with the tenants of scripture of either religion, a follower would find it difficult to live by the words of either book. The books do represent religion as a powerful, life-altering force in the lives of many thousands of humankind throughout the centuries and in many different societies.
People who practice the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam collectively comprise over one half of the world’s population, and while disparities between these three religions are widely spread and politicized, the similarities between their religious texts outweigh their differences. A crucial similarity between these three religions is their view on Abraham as their spiritual patriarch (lecture). The Koran makes use of both the Tanakh and the New Testament, and while minor differences exist between these texts, the perspectives they share are far more significant. The Koran retains many of the core ideas found in the Tanakh and the New Testament, specifically in regards to the perception of Abraham, the status of God, and the role of women. Any religious text can be interpreted in any number of ways, and while it is easy to pull apart texts of different faiths and dissect the differences, finding common ground and similarities is arguably more important.
Writing about a topic that has been on an upward slope of controversy and criticism within the past two decades, Fred Donner a notable Islamic History professor at the University of Chicago whom has written multiple texts about the origins of Islam, tells the tale of the beginnings of Islam and how it would be shaped into its current manifestation today with Muhammad and the Believers. Donner admirably conveys the early history of Islam and its success to its centrality and “Believers’ Movement” opposed to many western historians accrediting it to the need of social and economic reform. Muhammad and the Believers is split up into five chapters, all of which Donner imparts his main thesis of Islam being a group of believers (mu’minun) opposed
Armstrong, Karen. A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.
...all, W. The Sources of Islam. Edinburgh, Scotland: T & T Clark Sivan, Emmanuel. Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics. Enlarged Edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001 Spencer, H. Islam and the Gospel of God: A Comparison of the Central Doctrines of Christianity and Islam, Prepared for the Use of Christian Workers Among Muslims. Delhi, India: S.P.C.K., 1998 Stott, John R. & Coote, Robert, editors. Down to Earth: Studies in Christianity and Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000 Sweetman, J. Windrow. Islam and Christian Theology. Part II Volume II. London: Lutterworth Press, 1999 Vander Werff, Lyle L. Christian Missions to Muslims. S. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2002 Zwemer, Samuel M. Heirs of the Prophets: An Account of the Clergy and Priests of Islam, the Personnel of the Mosque and 'Holy Men'. Chicago: Moody Press, 2002
Christianity and Islam are most dominant religions worldwide. Statistics show that thirty-three percent of the population is Christian and twenty-one percent is Muslim. Thought they share many similarities in origin and mirrored images in their sacred texts, the two beliefs hold several key differences.
The Qur’an is believe to the ultimate source of God by many Muslim believers. It contains 114 suras for the believers as the core practices of the Islamic religion and Muslims throughout the world recites its verses (Chang, Lecture. 1/21/14). They believed the prophet of Allah was Muhammad, who received the words of Allah through Angel Gabriel, and was passed on with the Qur’an during Ramadan. Angel Gabriel one night came to Muhammad “in clear human form” (“Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur’an and Hadith” 104), and gave the messages from Allah to him. From the establishment of the Qur’an, Muslims have viewed the book as the last revelation of their god Allah, and thus are the true words from God for their ways of life and in reaching Allah in their afterlife. The book also teaches “mankind’s responsibility assigned by God” (Gordon 115). Therefore, Muslims practices in ways to prove their devotion towards the new religion of Islam by being faithful, and performing religious practices.
Contained in the many intricate and poetic Surahs of the Qur’an are retellings of a number of famous stories of the Hebrew Bible, known to Jews as the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. However, the Qur’an’s account of the lives of certain biblical characters often differs in significant ways from the Jewish version. While a believer in the divine nature of the Qur’an may claim that differences in facts stem from distortions of G-d’s message as recorded in Jewish holy books, both Muslims and non-Muslims might agree that the differences in emphasis are intentional. A more cynical observer might claim that the Qur’an changed the known Bible stories to suit its purposes. By choosing to include certain parts of a famous story and leaving out others, the story itself takes on a very different significance. Occasionally, the Qur’an will also discuss parts of the story which are entirely left out of the Torah, in which case a Muslim may claim the Torah did not deem those facts important for its own reasons. A cynical observer would claim the Qur’an made these additions to make its own message clearer.
Christianity has the largest population worldwide and has been able to continue to develop over the centuries. “Christianity is the name given to a religion based on the first century CE life and ministry of Jesus”. His followers claimed Jesus to be “The Jewish Messiah”, a person sent to the people of Israel to bring salvation and hope. However, during the first century, Christianity spread throughout the regions controlled by the Roman Empire and as Jesus’ followers began to separate from Judaism they established this living religion. Thus, the core foundation of Christianity is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which can be found today in the Bible.
Christianity is the world’s most prominent religion, with more than six billion people practicing worldwide. Although Christianity has come to dominate the world of religion, it began as a small and mysterious cult in Ancient Rome. Small, and poorly understood, Christianity soon became an enemy of Rome, marked with persecution, martyrdom, and murder. By the end of the third century CE, tens of thousands of Christians had been arrested and killed for their beliefs.
However much Islam and Christianity would seem to share common ground, the discussion is not complete without noting the parallels between this two that have taken center stage. Some of the remarkable differences as they try to answer deep life complexities arise in the areas of religious practices by both their adherents and the clergy (Dorothy 13-28). “There is also a stark contrast to the belief system subscribed to, means of salvation, scriptures”. The most prominent difference present concerns the belief of life after death and practices of depicting the metaphysical
Renard, John. Islam and Christianity: theological themes in comparative perspective. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. Print.
At the first glance, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common, however; as you go beyond the surface, they appear to have many similarities such as their beliefs of God, their beliefs of life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although two entirely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true way to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout the course of this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the alikeness between these two growing religions.
... people. It also shows the dependence of people on God. Moses was a man of courage who sought to see the face of the God. He received the laws of the lord and made sacrifices for them when they sinned. Moses acted as a mediator between Yahweh and his people (Woolfe).
The Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek and Arabians with a collection of sixty six books. Scholars believed that the New Testament was written by some apostles and the disciples of Christ while the Old Testament. Moses himself wrote the book of Exodus.He received the ten commandments of God that contains the religions of Jews and Christians.” You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not acquit whosoever takes His name in vain.”(Exodus 20:5) In this context, our God is merciful but you cannot play with His name. However, Jesus came to save the world in his journey, He teaches his disciple to obey the word of God and stated that if you sin and repent, God will forgive you, but there is no forgiveness for those who sin against the Holy Spirit. Which means that it does not matter if you kill a thousand people in the world when you repent you will be forgiven. And Jesus teaches us to forgive others Similar to the Koran, God forgives your s...
When I was a child I used to be frightened of entering such a place for it seemed so imposing and somewhat dangerous, especially when music was being played. One day, in order to keep a promise I had made, I saw myself forced to enter. It took me quite a while to get the courage to pass through the old oak door, but the moment I stepped in, I realized just how enchanting and breathtaking this building could be. Its fantastic architecture and exquisite frescoes reflect perfectly the unity between this earth and the unseen kingdom of angels in such a manner that one cannot say where one ends and the other begins. The way in which the church was built is also the vivid testimony of a medieval period. Although it is a place that can sometimes be cold and ask for respect it is where prayers are answered and magic is done. An overwhelming feeling of inner harmony takes over you once you enter and God seems much closer. Darkness and light are welded perfectly together creating Redemption’s house. The tower allows you to see the entire town from the smallest river to the biggest building site, offering you its mightiness.