Difference Between Christianity And Islam Research Paper

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Difference between Christianity and Islam
Introduction
The two biggest religions in the world today are Christianity and Islam. While these faiths have similarities, there exist many differences that continue to divide proponents of each. The differences between these religions have been sources of conflicts not only in the past, but also in the present time. With conflicts existing causes numerous deaths, it is critical that the features underlying these two religions be examined to understand the sources of the divergence. Christianity and Islam differ in many fonts. The major difference between the religions is in regards to the nature of God, the Holy Scriptures, founders, and means of salvation. This paper examines these aspects that are the sources of disparities between the religions. Understanding these differences can be the beginning of reconciling the two religions and eventually reduce the conflicts between their followers.
Nature of God
A major difference between Islam and Christianity is in relation to the nature of God. In Islam, God, or Allah is the sovereign creator. Islam puts an emphasis on the absolute unity of God and such; there is no division like the way it is in Christianity. The oneness of Allah is key to the Islamic religion, and it is one of the areas where it differs from Christianity (Geisler and Saleeb 15). In Islam, an association of Allah to any partner is the greatest sin which is referred to as Shirk (Rose Publishing). The advocating of one God by Muhammad was a courageous understanding since the Arabic world was characterized by idolatry. Muhammad succeeded in the challenging of the system that existed, and eventually, monotheism became adopted by the Islamic religion. Another aspect of the nature of God that sets Islam apart from Christianity is the issue of the God’s will. The will of Allah is absolute and cannot be contravened by his creation. He is the final judge of the followers of the religion without a mediator.
On the other hand, Christianity differs on the nature of God in regards to Trinity. In Christianity, God is one; however, he is a complex unity. As such, it is the belief of Christians that God lives in three co-equal and everlasting persons, that is, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarianism is embraced by Christianity while shunned by Islam. Engagement in such belief in the Trinity, in the view of Islamic religion, is Shirk. The Father, Son and Spirit are taken by Christianity as one God. While to Christians this is the recognition of the same God, Muslim take it as believing in more than one God and as such it is considered a sin. In contrast of Allah’s will is God’s love. According to the Christian religion, the demonstration of God’s love is done through the creation (Rose Publishing). It is the love of God that chooses to act and not God himself choosing to love. As such, the nature of God is one of the areas in which Christianity differs from the Islamic religion. While Muslims take Christianity as a polytheistic religion, Christians themselves consider it monotheistic.
Holy Scriptures
Another major difference that exists between the two religions is with respect to their sacred literature. For Muslims, their holy book is the Qur’an while for Christians the Bible contains inspired words of God. According to Islam, the Old Testament’s first five books, which they refer to as the Torah, the Psalms, as well as the Gospels were provided by God. These books, according to the religion were given with the warning that Christians and Jews had corrupted the word of God and there they should not fully trust the Bibles. In regards to the Qur’an, which is the Final Word from God, it was given to Muhammad miraculously. The Qur’an was given to the prophet over the course of about 22 years. Islam also recognizes that the Holy Scripture which they believe in was given to other earlier prophets as well. The Torah was given to Musa, the Psalms to Dawud, while the gospel was given to Isa. It is the teachings of the religion, however, that these writings that were given to the prophets before Muhammad were corrupted as mentioned above. In the present day, the Qur’an is divine to the religion and is usually recited and memorized in Arabic.
Unlike Islam that considers Qur’an as the sacred book, Christianity considers the Bible as the authoritative word of God. Comprising of 66 books, the sacred scripture of Christianity is believed to be transmitted by more than 40 prophets, holy men, and the apostles. Prior to the coming of Jesus Christ, the 39 books of the Old Testament were written over a period spanning many centuries in Aramaic and Hebrew languages. The remaining number of books of the Bible was written in Greek and after Christ (Rose Publishing). The Bible that contains both of the two categories of writings and is the true God’s inspired word according to the Christian religion.
Founders
A major point of disparity between the two religions relates to their founders. While Jesus is regarded as the founder of the Christian religion, Mohammed is accredited for starting Islam. These two leaders of the two religions held differing views that characterize the difference that exists today between Islam and Christianity. Therefore, evaluating the teachings of both leaders is essential to unearthing the underlying differences between Islam and Christianity.
According to Gabriel, Muhammed and Jesus had different messages to the world (10). Muhammed considered himself as a prophet that had come to portray the real picture of Allah to the people of the world. He specifically pointed out to his followers that he had no power to forgive their sins. According to his teachings, the only true religion that was practiced by Abraham was Islam. However, it is the Jews and Christians that distorted it (Gabriel 10). For one to please Allah and see the paradise, it is essential that he or she follows Islamic teachings, particularly the five pillars. The five pillars of Islam that include Zakat, Salat, Sawm, Hajj, and Shahadah have to be followed in order for one to live a responsible and good life. According to Hussain, Shahadah involves reciting honestly the Islamic faith profession and such, one has to carry o...