Islam vs. Christianity

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Islam was coined from an Arabic word "Salema", which means submission to God. On the other hand, Christianity connotes a religious faith based on the teachings of God (Troll, 2012). Both these religious faiths believe in God who is a supreme being and creator of the universe and who sent his prophets to come and spread his word. These prophets include Moses, Abraham, and Elijah (Levack et al., 2013). Also, they both believe that Mary was a virgin, and therefore Jesus was born miraculously beyond the understanding of humans. Both religions believe that Torah and New Testament are Holy Scriptures of God and contain God's words to humanity. Moreover, both faiths believe that Satan is an evil creature and that there is hell and paradise. Satan is stationed in hell while God is in paradise looking down upon his creation (Troll, 2012).

However on the other hand there are some disparaging differences between Islam and Christianity. Most Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, where there is God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Troll, 2012). On the other hand, the Islamic faith holds that Jesus is neither God nor Son. According to them, he is just an ordinary living prophet like the rest, and there is only one Allah (Levack et al., 2013). According to Quran, Jesus did not die on the cross but he ascended to heaven. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, and was buried. On the second day, he rose up again and ascended to heaven. Also, Christians believe in original sin that was brought about when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Every Christian is born with it. Muslims believe that God forgave Adam, and no one should carry the burden of another's sin (Troll, 2012). Therefore, it can be said that both religions are fundamentally similar in many respects as they believe in one God, and the only differences can be attributed to earlier ideologies, cultures, and understanding of scriptures.

References

Levack, B., Muir, E., & Veldman, M. (2013). The West: Encounters & Transformations. New York: Pearson.

Troll, C. (2012). Muslim Ask, Christian Answer. New York: New City Press.