The largest religions in existence in the world are Islam and Christianity. These two faiths have quite a number of points of contact between them. They both trace their origin to the Middle East before expanding into other parts of the world. The two religions have had an effect on various aspects of world history in the course of time. There are a good number of features that are common in both faiths and also several points of dispersion between them. These are based on religious beliefs, origin, and religious practices among others.
Both Islam and Christianity were inherited from Judaism and they both acknowledge Abraham as their ancestor. This makes them both to believe in the existence of one God who is the sole creator of the universe and who is concerned about mankind’s beliefs and practices. They have a belief in prophecy, view apostles as God’s messengers and the place of religion in society; religion is sacred. Both religions have faith in the resurrection of the dead as well as revelation, and believe in some form of religious scripture. Religion to them has a special place in society and a religious community is thus core in any society; in the same way Christians value the church, Muslims value umma.
Both faiths believe in doing good to one’s neighbors and moral living among all believers. They hold common the core commandments about loving God as the greatest commandment and loving one’s neighbor as the second greatest. Islam holds that for one to have the genuine peace of mind and soul, he or she should submit to Allah, obey His teachings and live according to his message as well. The two commandments mentioned above act as the core commandments of importance in both religions, only that there might be some slight differences in principle.
How the two religions conceptualize the idea about God being the Supreme Being is however different. This difference emanates from their theological perspectives. Christians believe in the doctrine of Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. According to Islam, there’s only one God and this is summarized in the word tawhid, to mean absolute unity. Another difference is the belief in Jesus Christ. Islam accepts the existence of Jesus Christ the Nazarene and that he was the son of the Virgin Mary. While Christians believe in Him as the son of God, Muslims regard Him to be a prophet just like any other. Islam views Muhammad to be the ultimate prophet, superior to any other previous prophet.
The Holy Scripture among Muslims is the Holy Quran. Islam believes that Injil is the original version of the New Testament that was revealed to Jesus by Allah. Muslims therefore hold it that it is Christians who interfered with the Original Scriptures thus disregarding the Bible which is used by Christians. Christians perceive the Holy Bible as the source of Truth since the writers were inspired by God. Christians also believe in baptism as a form of new birth when entering a covenant with God. On the other hand, Islam requires its followers to simply adhere to the Five Pillars of the faith. These symbolize the five duties that are responsible for uniting the believers into a form of community.
In comparing the two most populous faiths of the world, such aspects as origin, practices and beliefs should be examined since these are what encompass the main features of the two religions. There are both similarities and differences of the two religions in these aspects. Similarities are fewer compared to the differences, but there are certain slight features that are observed in both religions.
References
Gauss, James F. Islam & Christianity: A Revealing Contrast. New York: Bridge Logos Publ, 2009.
