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Similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity
Similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity
Similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity
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In the book of Allah: A Christian response, writing as and for Christians, Miroslav Volf addresses what Christian perspective is regarding the God of Muslims in the Qur’an. In the majority of the book, he principally argues that called to love God and neighbors by the same God, Christians and Muslims believe in the same God, who is only one Creator.
What Miroslav Volf has a contentious argument is that Muslims and Christians do worship the same God, revealing that God, who is love, commands that people love their neighbors. However, Muslim monotheism is not compatible with Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which is a hindrance to harmony. He defends the doctrine of the Trinity against Muslim critics, successfully connecting the Trinity to
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First, Volf has accurately summarized core similarities between Christianity and Islam, highlighting six claims about God’s formal similarity between Muslims and Christians: 1) There is only one God, the one and only divine being, 2) God created everything that is not God, 3) God is radically different from everything that is not God, 4) God is good, 5) God commands that we love God with our whole being, and 6) God commands that we love our neighbors as ourselves (p. 110). Moreover, he describes another four areas of agreement between two faiths: 1) God is loves, 2) God is just, 3) God’s love encompasses God’s justice, and 4) Human being should love their neighbors as themselves (p. 158-159). Christians should listen to what God works and shows His love through Volf’s honestly desire to concentrate on the similarities for the peace and the common good. Second, Volf suggests considerable efforts into revealing obviously what the Qur’an asserts and denies about the Trinity, which is the most contentious issue between Christianity and Islam. According to his argument, there are five hostilities to the Trinity in the Qur’an: 1) God cannot have begotten a son, 2) God cannot have an associate, 3) God is not one of three divine beings, 4) God cannot be Christ, …show more content…
As a committed Christian in Jesus Christ, I believe that I should spread the Gospel in my Christian journey because God calls me for the Gospel. For this reason, I need to prepare various strategies how to share the God’s love to those who do not know Jesus. Accordingly, learning what Muslims believe in their God and think about our God, Jesus Christ, is one of my strategies effectively sharing the Gospel with Muslims. Nowadays, Muslims extremely increase and widely encroach on the entire world. In other words, it is possible to have a chance to encounter them in my ministry or in mission field. When I was studying in Missiology for a bachelor’s degree, I rarely had a chance of learning about Islam. Nevertheless, I have constantly tried to exactly know differences between Islam and Christianity, having eventually learned integral approaches to my Christian journey through this book. In the last two semesters, I had informal discussion times with a professor and my friends who are practicing Muslims. Every time we discussed about God, who is revealed in the book of John. In that time, they asked critical questions that were very sharp and tough. I believe if I already read this book before discussing with them, I would give right answers about God in Christian perspective. This is
“Religion” is an inherently social creation which functions to naturalize certain behaviors and ideologies to maintain social order (Martin 94). In his book “A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion”, Craig Martin introduces the concept of a “cultural toolbox”, comprised of the concepts, values, traditions, icons, figures, texts, and stories in a culture that represent and reinforce the elements of the society (97-98). To maintain social order and convince others to conform to the proposed, religions employ a tactic known as “legitimation” to justify traditions, practices, and ideologies using the “cultural toolbox” of a society (Martin 94).
The two most polarizing and influential religious figures of time, Jesus Christ and Muhammad, have been considered to be two people who, at two different times, attempted to bring messages that would change the landscape of the spirituality of the world and gain followings from the masses. Timothy George shows the two for being responsible for creating two of the three historical religions in the world, with both descended from the third, Judaism, in his article in Christianity Today. While both may have lived a parallel path for some parts and shared a similar message amongst a few issues, they severely disagreed in their teachings on others, and encountered different events in their life span, especially towards the end. From their lives’, to their actions, and to their teachings, this paper will examine the similarities and differences in the two great “teachers” of the religious movements of the Anno Domini age, and how vastly contrasting the two truly were at the core of their leadership and values. The heart of Islam and Christianity, examined to the core of their founders.
The book lays the foundation of Islamic basic beliefs and practices. Muslims believe in one God, and feel their religion continues the Judaic and Christian traditions. Arab peoples "trace their origins to the patriarch Abraham, who, according to the Koran was neither Jew nor Christian, but a kind of universal ancestor of monotheists" (5). Thus, Muslims believe in the same God as Jews and Christians.
Both Christianity and Islam mirror Judaism. From Judaism, Christianity and Islam derived the doctrines of monotheism, prophecy, resurrection, and a belief in the existence of heaven and hell. Both Islam and Christianity have a holy book. Christians consider the Bible the inspired word of God, however Muslims believe that the Koran is the literal word of God. Mohammed was merely transcribing the words of Allah, much as a court reporter does. Muslims therefore attribute greater spiritual
Both Christians and Islam believe in one Supreme Being but according to Christian they call Him God while Muslims call him Allah. The two religions conceptualize God in different ways. Muslims view Allah as one God, this is emphasized through the word ‘tawhid’ which in Islam means “absolute unity”. Christians on the other hand view God as three holy beings, God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. According to theology this is known as the holy trinity. Early Christians did not understand the meaning of the word trinity which led to the thought that they worship three gods. However, through Christian teachings the meaning of trinity is brought out through the concept of love. Love cannot exist in seclusion ’God is Love’; hence God cannot exist in one form. This is considered blas...
The world religions of Islam and Christianity may have their differences to the naked eye, but when you take a closer look into their histories similarities arise. They both went through transformations that had drastic impacts on the way they were controlled and the way that the religion was taught to the followers. Christianity and Islam have both experienced splits between their members due to the fact that followers thought that their beliefs were the correct way to practice the religion. While these transformations are long in the past, the splits that have occurred within each religion continue to have lasting effects on Islam and Christianity to this day.
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
Christianity and Islam continue to be the two fastest growing religions in the world. Men and women, both Christian and Muslim, are now asking the question, must these two religions collide? Is there no common ground between them? Many Muslims are taught that Christianity seeks to eliminate Islam; that Christians have no knowledge or understanding of their faith; that Christians condemn Islam, and hold the teachings of Islamic Fundamentalism responsible for many if not all the terrorist activities throughout the world.
The world had always been full of different religious beliefs, because there is probably no universal explanation of the origins of human creation. Since the ancient times, we all needed a symbol of faith and of the existence of the judge, who sees everything, thus, is always eager to price, or to punish. Depending to the extent to which we’ve followed his commandments. The two religions: Islam and Christianity are highly different, and their followers are people, whose worldview differs from the other’s. However, these two faiths both believe in the existence of the Jesus Christ. It makes the two different religions mystically connected, and create a view of the existence of one God, who has the different names, but, in reality, is unique for all the people. Never the less, the understanding of this significant figure is quite different: Christians believe the Jesus to be the son of the God, while the Muslims believe him to be the God’s messenger, who was born from a virgin mother and performed miracles.
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praises is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls, and the adverse consequences of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides cannot be misguided, and whomsoever Allah leads astray cannot be guided. I bear witness and testify that there is god that is worthy of worship except for Allah, alone without any partners or peers. I further witness and testify that Muhammad (PBUH) is his slave and messenger.
The conception of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is monotheism, the belief in the existence of a single indivisible God. The three of religions maintains that there is only one God, who is active in and concerned about the world. These religions are also patriarchal, male-dominated, which has resulted in God being described as “He.” However, how Christians, Judaism and Islam conceptualize God in their respective theologies is actually quite different. In Christianity, God is the supreme creator and ruler of the universe. Christians believe God is infinite, omnipotent, all-powerful, perfect, personal, eternal, unchanging, holy, all-knowing, and all-loving. Their idea of God is shown in the belief of the Trinity. God is one, but with three aspects: God is Father, the creator, ruler, and sustainer of all life, and divine judge; God is the Son, who is Jesus, God made incarnate and savior of humanity; and the Holy Spirit, who is God working in the world. Both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus, however, the major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ. In Christian scriptures, God never claimed divinity while the emphasis in the Islamic theology of God is “absolute unity;” God is sublimely one. Muslims think that by believing in the Trinity, Christians believe in three Gods. For them, God is One God. Judaism views the existence of God as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe, and the existence of the universe is sufficient proof of the existence of God.
The Quran reads that God is just one god and that there are no different parts of him. Christians believe that Jesus is the son of god and is part of the trinity. The Islamic people just believe that Jesus was sent has a messenger and like Muhammad, was a prophet of god. As for Christians the seem him as a messenger and also the second member of the trinity and that Jesus was God himself. The trinity is made up of three parts, the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Another big difference when talking about Jesus within the two texts is Jesus death. We see that Muslims do not believe Jesus death happen on a cross, instead believe God lifted him up of him. We can see the in the text of the Quran $156-157, as to what it suggests about what happen. “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did. God lifted him up to His presence. God is Almighty, All-Wise” When looking at the opposite side of the story we see that Christians do believe that Jesus died. They believe he willingly sacrificed himself to save mankind from sin. They believe he
Islam and Christianity seem to have very little in common; however, the two actually show strong likeness, principally in the central areas. Both Muslims and Christians are monotheists, believing in one God. While both believe in the same God, He is called by two completely different names. He is referred to as "Allah" by Muslims and "God" by Christians. Although Islam and Christianity are two different religions, their similarities in beliefs and prayers make them comparable in many aspects.
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.
Islam and Christianity have a vast amount of similarities as well as differences. Islam searches for guidance from the Qur’an and Christianity depends on faith in Jesus. Islamic faith believes in the God, Allah. Above anything else, all religious Muslims obey Allah and his commandments to obtain peace. On other hand, Christianity puts faith in Jesus who is the son of God. A major concept that separates both of the religions is the fact that the God of each faith has different qualities. This means Islam and Christianity don’t worship the same God. Islam and Christianity are two separate belief systems in which two separate Gods exist.