Introduction
Christianity and Islam are two of the main religions in the world. Although they have very distinct differences in their practices and in their beliefs, they also share a lot of similarities, especially when it comes to their core values and their perspectives on life.
Comparison
One major similarity between Christianity and Islam is that both religions believe in God. Although Christians call their god as simply God, Lord or Father while the Muslims call their god Allah, the gods of both faiths can be considered the same – a supreme being who is the world’s creator. Both religions are monotheistic in nature. In addition, both religions were founded by holy men – Jesus Christ for Christianity and Mohammad for Islam. Moreover, both religions make use of holy books as their source of guidance where the Christians have the Holy Bile while the Muslims have the Quran. Both faiths believe in the concept of heaven and hell and both faiths believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ, although for the Christians, Jesus is considered the son of God while the Muslims consider Jesus as a prophet just like Muhammad. Similarly, both faiths believe that Mary is the mother of Jesus. Also, Christians’ believe in Jesus’ resurrection. However, the Muslims do not because for them, Jesus did not die.
When it comes to their religious practices, the followers of both religions have the practice of praying and worshipping in church where the Christians go to a Christian church while Muslims go to a mosque. In addition, the followers of both religions observe solemnity and reverence while praying and worshipping. As well, although Muslims are required to pray five times a day while Christians are not necessarily so, even Christians are encouraged to pray several times a day – for example, upon waking up, before and after meals, before going to bed, and others. Moreover, even the Muslims’ Ramadan can be likened to the Christians’ Lenten season where fasting and abstinence are encouraged.
Most importantly, though, the main similarity between Christianity and Islam is that the followers of both faiths want to promote peace, harmony, and respect in the world. Although there have been Muslims who have come under the law, these Muslims are not representative of the entire Islamic faith. Moreover, there have been many Christians, too, who have come under the law but neither are they representative of the entire Christian faith.
Needless to say, Christianity and Islam share a lot of similarities in that both faiths aim for the good of all, yet both faiths also have their own imperfections.
Contrast
Despite the many similarities between Christianity and Islam, it cannot be denied that they also have many differences. One distinct difference is the role and freedom that women have. While Christian women enjoy the same status and freedom that Christian men do, Muslim women are considered inferior to Muslim men; and thus, do not get to share in the rights and freedom that the Muslim men have. This is also apparent in the way that women dress. In particular, Christian women are allowed to wear anything they like whereas Muslim women are required to dress conservatively where their entire bodies are usually covered.
Similarly, Christianity adheres to monogamy when it comes to marriage whereas Muslims allow polygamy under certain conditions. With Christians, it would be considered adultery if any of the spouses had an extra marital affair. However, there’s nothing wrong with Muslim men having more than one wife (up to four wives) as long as they are able to provide equally for all their wives. Another difference is that Christians are not prohibited from eating any food. Muslims, on the other hand, are prohibited from eating pork.
While Christianity originated in Jerusalem, Islam originated in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Moreover, while there are three main sects in the Christian faith, which include the Catholics, he Protestants and the Orthodox, the Muslim faith have hundreds of sects but the two main groups are the Sunni and the Shia. In addition, although both faiths practice monotheism, the Christians believe in the trinity while the Muslims do not. As well, some Christian sects allow the depiction of their god in images and statues, but such is not allowed by the Muslim faith. Moreover, while Christians have the practice of praying to saints, angels, and the Virgin Mary, the Muslims prohibit such and are allowed to pray only to Allah.
Conclusion
This essay discussed how there are many similarities between Christianity and Islam, particularly in their general teachings, beliefs, and principles. While there are also a lot of differences, it can be said that the differences are in the details of both faith’s practices and beliefs. In addition, many of the differences in these religions can be considered to be a result of the differences in culture. In particular, Christians have adapted more to modern ways of living whereas the Muslims tend to be more traditional and conservative. However, regardless of these differences, it can be concluded that the followers of both religions aim to promote peace and their own well-being, as well as those of others.
