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Contrast of Islam and Christianity
Differences between Islam and Christianity
Contrast of Islam and Christianity
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Monotheism and Polytheism
Today in the world…. people worship in some form of religion, be it in monotheistic religions like Christianity, Islam or Judaism; or a polytheistic religion like Mormonism or Hinduism. Worshipping a higher power is not a new development in our world. The desire to worship a higher power or powers have been inside of man since the very beginning of mankind. With the help of Ancient literature, we can trace the various forms of monotheism and polytheism that sprung up amongst our ancient ancestors to worship the higher power they venerated.
Common in many of the earliest writings such as the Epic of Creation and Gilgamesh, focuses on the mythologies of ancient cultures. Both stories are polytheistic in nature and focuses upon the hierarchy of gods and men. In the Epic of Creation we see the hierarchy, “QUOTES” In this story humankind is made to serve the gods. The other ancient story, Gilgamesh, also introduces us to a hierarchy of gods, “QUOTES”. Gilgamesh also introduces to us another element, the idea of a hero. The hero is usually part divine and many great achievements. These two stories show the growth
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Christianity carried the monotheism from its parent religion of Judaism, while the Romans carried on the polytheism of the conquered Greeks. Around the late seventh century another monotheistic religion sprang out of Judaism, called Islam. Not much has really changed between the modern age and the Ancient Roman time-period. Christianity and Islam grew to be the two most dominant religions in the world, completely shaping Western culture, while the polytheistic aspect of religion has dwindled. People still worship the same way as the ancients did. They offer prayers to their god usually in the time of a disaster. The sacrifices to their god changed from blood and grain to that of time and
Between 600 BCE and 600 CE, religion played an important role in the social order of the Middle East. The introduction of monotheistic religions challenged earlier polytheistic religions and caused people to have faith in in one almighty god. Social order was affected by these new understandings because people began to believe that those who sided with God would be granted everlasting life while those who were on the side of evil were sentenced to eternal punishment.
Often, literature is based on several heroes and their adventures. Most especially, the epic stories symbolize different countries, nations, and cultures. The authors usually shape the characteristics of these stars and profile their unique techniques of writing as well as their imaginative power. Gilgamesh is one of the most known heroes, whose character was developed in the famous “Epic of Gilgamesh” as the strongest of men, a fair judge, a brave warrior, and an ambitious builder who built the magnificent walls of Uruk to protect its people. On the other hand, there are some undesirable characteristics that he possesses such as selfishness, and arrogance mostly brought about by the fact that he is part human and part god. He is characterized
A myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Each civilization has its myths about the creation of the world and its human race. Most speak of “gods” who perform feats far beyond that of humankind. Most are legends passed down through oral tradition, and embellished along the way. The book of Genesis is one of the most significant books in the Bible and is sacred scripture for Jews, Samaritans, and Christians. The Babylonian epic, Enuma Elish, is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview. Hesiod’s Theogony is a poem describing the origins and genealogies of
The ancient Mesopotamian writing, The Epic of Gilgamesh, gives readers insight into the traditions and customs of the people who wrote it. Like all epics, The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of a heroic national figure: this epic gives the story of the life of Gilgamesh from his birth as two-thirds god, one-third man to his death. Throughout the epic the importance of loyalty is addressed. In The Epic of Gilgamesh readers see that loyalty is the most important aspect of a Mesopotamian relationship and that there are always consequences for violating trust.
In many literary works throughout history, there is a deity mentioned that has some form of involvement in the life of humans whether it be monotheistic or polytheistic. In Augustine’s Confessions, the main point driving his entire work is how he strayed from God and found his way back to him. It’s an autobiography of an imperfect life. In contrast, the Epic of Gilgamesh is a story of monstrosity and self-discovery contributed to by many authors over the course of history pertaining to an arrogant King who was the puppet of many gods. However, both explore how a supreme deity is a central part of life.
Norse, Japanese, and Greek mythologies, too, agree on a lot of ideals. They each contain a clash of gods and the death of certain gods in order to form life. The list of creation myths, and myths in general, that relate to each other could stretch out for miles. With these parallels, humanity can better understand earlier cultures and document the method to how mythologies change over time. Works Cited Browning, W. R. F. Dictionary of the Bible.
How did people revere their gods differently among three civilizations? Did they worship with the same general intent? What were gods’ role(s) in people’s lives? A brief exploration into the religions of Egypt, Greece, and the Hebrew people may bring insight to these questions. Although the main idea of higher beings remains constant throughout societies’ religion, their form of presence in people’s lives varies. I will present the relationship between the leaders and the gods, as well as resemblance to monotheism and systems of government.
The relationship between the gods and humanity in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey are the same. In each saga, the gods seem to live nearby and are always present. Both epic poems portray humans as simply at the mercy of the gods. The gods feel that it is their duty to intervene if they feel that man is traveling off course from his destiny. However, the gods are not all powerful.
The epic hero’s journeys hold the hopes for future of ordinary people’s lives. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in approximately 2000 B.C.E which is highly enriched with Ancient Mesopotamian religions, and The Ramayana was written by ancient Indians in around 1800 B.C.E. The stories were written in two different parts of the world. However, these two stories etched great evidence that show people from generation to generation that different cultures and religions are interconnected; they share ideas with each other. Both Gilgamesh and Rama traveled long journeys in these tales. These epic journeys played a role in the creation of different archetypes. We can clearly see that these two tales share similarities between these archetypes. Although
Religion and science are integral parts of present day life all across the world. However, ancient civilizations had no form of science to explain common earthly occurrences. Therefore, they relied on religious storytelling to explain the world and all of its workings. Most prevalent of these writings include, the Bible, “The Epic of Gilgamesh” by N.K. Sandars, and “The Iliad” by Homer. Ancient civilizations comforted people by using God, gods, goddesses, and other religious deities in these works of literature to explain the phenomena of the world.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
Although there are differences between this ancient culture and ours, one similar idea found in the story is that of the worship of deity. There are many gods represented in the story of Gilgamesh. This reflects the tendency of the people of that time to cling to religious ideals to explain the unknown.
Every religion has its own goal, and their own path and believe to reach their goals, however there are also many similarities in believes. Although the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam may see things differently, they all fundamentally hold the same values and codes. To Islam, the Prophet Mohammad’s teaching is a complete and final revelation. On the other hand, according to the bible, Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the true lord and savior will grant you the access to heaven in the afterlife. Judaism is founded by Abraham, and it is the base from which both of the other two religions sprung. Even though the three religions differ in many areas and on many aspects, they also agree on the monotheistic, the belief in ‘One True God.’ Those religions have many similarities and a number of significant differences about God, role of women, prayer, and salvation.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.
There are many religions today that people worship and adapt into their daily lives are their creed. Some may have a lot of gods, while some only have one god. But three of these religions are considered as the major religion practiced by most people in the world today. Although different in some senses in terms of history and other teachings, they all have things in common that most of their followers do not seem to realize. The similarities are very important to understand each religion better and be able to determine which parts they vary. In this paper, I like to discuss the similarities found in the three major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.