The relationship between Christianity, the principal religious belief of the West, and Islam, the predominant religion of the East, has been in the limelight in contemporary times. The fundamentalism and terrorism having got intertwined and the governmental body too referring to the war against terrorism as the Holy Crusade, the issue now needs to be comprehended and the essential contrasts and similarities between the two pivotal religious beliefs need to be put under a scanner. It needs to be taken into account in the inception that both the religions are monotheistic. Both the religions describe God as the paramount creator of the universe and the transcendental figure is seen as forgiving and loving. The religions explore the relationship of the God with the human being. However, the major difference lies in the fact that the Christians trust in the Holy Trinity, which is the existence of three persons in one divine nature, whereas Islam preaches that God is one person while Trinity is actually the expression of the Christian belief in three Gods.
The foremost difference lies in the founders of the two religions. Muhammad, the founder of Islam is not only a prophet, but also a political leader who is sinless and infallible. On the other hand, Jesus Christ is the founder of the religious belief of Christianity.
Both Islam and Christianity recognize Jesus Christ, in their different ways. Both the religions nurture the view that Jesus was infallible and sinless and was born of the womb of the pious Virgin Mary. It is accepted by both the beliefs that Jesus indulged in performing miracles and was thus ascended to the paramount position of the God. However, Islam regards Him is the prophet, while to the Christians He is God Himself. It is believed in Christianity that Jesus Christ was crucified and three days later he was resurrected in compensation for the sins of human nature. To them, the spirituality of Jesus is placed on a pedestal of apotheosis, but He is not regarded as a political leader. Thus, in Christian nations a separation of the state and church can be seen unlike in the Islamic nations.
The concept of the achievement of salvation is different for the two religions. It is common between the religions that God has created man and human kind is placed in a special position among the innumerable creations of the God. Christianity believes in the piety of Mary and Jesus while all the men are born the original sin, the only way to remove which is through the sacraments. Man is believed to be imperfect and can only receive salvation through the transcendental grace of God and the varied sacrifices of Jesus Christ.
Christianity propagates the belief that man can earn reparation for his sins through the works of the saints. However, in stark contrast, Islam believes that each human being is born sinless and thus the onus of responsibility to remain sinless throughout life rests on the shoulders of the individual. Muslims believe that the individual is responsible for salvation and also no person can ever receive an indulgence, opposed to Christianity.
Both of the religions’ beliefs about the end of time comply with each other. It is believed that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will come to judge human kind. There is commonality in their beliefs of heaven and hell and while Christians believe that both are eternal, Islam propagates that God has the power to pardon those who will go to hell after the end of temporal life on earth.
Indulging in regular prayers, almsgiving and fasting are very important aspects of both the religions. Both the religions have holy days which obligate the believers to attend group prayers. Christians go to the Church on Sundays, while the Muslims visit the mosque on Fridays. In regard to daily prayers, Islam is more rigid and instructs the Muslims to face the holy land of Mecca five times a day to say prayers.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar calendar when the Muslims fast every year. During this time, they refrain from having food between the sunrise and sunset. On the other hand, Christians fast on specific days known as Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. Christians are allowed to have a meal, water and two snacks with no meat on Fridays in lent. The religion obliges the Muslims to give away one fortieth of their total earnings each year. The Christians are also urged by the religious doctrines to donate ten percent of their earning per annum to the holy church.
There are certain differences in the accepted norm of attires in the two religions. While Christianity imposes no prohibitions on the individual, Islam promotes the view that the women folk of the Islamic society need to be modest and cover the body shape and hair, with only the hands, face and the feet being left unveiled. Men too need to be modestly attired and the body part between the waist and the knee should be kept covered.
The other major difference is in the belief regarding marriage. In Christianity, it is seen as a bond of love between two souls. However, Islam allows the male to indulge in polygamy and marry up to four brides on the condition that all of them are treated fairly and rights are kept unhindered for everyone.
In their belief of other Abrahamic religions, the two paths of religious beliefs differ. In Christianity, Judaism is accorded as the true religion, but in Islam, Jews and Christians are attributed respect as “People of the Book” with the paramount belief that Islam is the sole correct way among all. Islam also has the Sharia Law as the foundation and it is meant to be followed literally by the Muslims. In regard to the virtues on which the religions are actually based on, Christianity propagates selfless love in comparison to the message of peace nurtured by Islam. Thus, a comparative study of the two religions can lead to a comprehensive knowledge about the respective beliefs and disagreements which govern innumerable individuals in their view of God and human nature.
CHRISTIANITY
The Christian religion has within its vast domain all the churches and also the believers without any church. The religion requires the individual to go to the church and incorporate the teachings of God in life and pray to the Almighty. It is through the faith in Jesus that forgiveness for all personal sins is aimed at. The goal of Christianity is the attainment of Heaven after demise and also the beautiful manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth. The Holy Bible is the religious text which is transcendental in the eyes of the Christians. The book has two parts, namely the Old Testament and the New Testament. Also, every man needs to strive to follow the Jesus’ commands and the Ten Commandments are also obeyed in accordance by innumerable Christians. Scripture readings are drawn especially from the Gospels and the Christians pray to God and attend the church.
The Trinity of God is preached by the religion and the immortality and omnipotence of God is believed from the core. Jesus Christ is viewed as the savior and the religion universally propagates family values and peace of heart. Over the time, Christianity has been divided into several groups based on the variations in the respective beliefs. The distinctions are mainly catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Episcopalian, Greek Orthodox, Baptist, Rastafarian, Gnostic and Coptic. Christianity, the largest religion in the entire world, has its predominance in the Western world with a rapid growth in Africa and Asia.
Thus, religions spread their paramount influence in the lives of gazillion beings across the globe and among many differences in beliefs they act as the unifying force among the members of the respective community and aid in the process of achieving a better life of temporal existence.
Works Cited
Al-Moghamis, Naser. Christianity and Islam According to the Bible and the Qur'an. Riyadh:
Dar-us-Salam, 2002. Print.
Becker, C. H. Christianity and Islam. New York City: Harper, 1909. Print.
