Christianity

Christianity v. Islam

06-15-2011

Introduction

Over the past two thousand years, two major world religions have emerged from what we now know as the Middle East: Christianity and Islam. These two religions, which both have their roots firmly in Judaism, vary in history, belief, and practice, but they also share a number of distinct similarities. As such, this paper will examine the histories, beliefs, and practices of Christianity and Islam by focusing on their major differences and similarities, and the way in which these are perceived and practiced within the Muslim Diasporas. It will be shown that while the beliefs and practices of different Muslim populations are significantly impacted by their surrounding culture and political/social structure, the vast majority of Muslims, like their Jewish and Christian counterparts, believe their religion to be the absolute truth, thus having a tremendous influence on their perception of one another and, as such, their interaction and communication with one another.

I. History of Christianity and Islam

Christianity, like Islam, has its roots in the Jewish faith. Christians, like Jews, believe that God chose the Israelites as his people, thus meaning that Isaac represented the sacrificial lamb (Genesis 22:1-12), whereas Muslims believe that God chose Ishmael, the son of the slave-woman Hagar (Qur’an 37:99-109; Genesis 16). As such, Muslims believe that they are God’s chosen people. Like Jews and Christians, Muslims trace their religious heritage back to Abraham, (the father of Isaac, through his wife Sarah, and the father of Ishmael, through his mistress Hagar), to whom God had promised descendents as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5). While perhaps appearing insignificant in today’s modern world, it is this fundamental difference that impacted the development of both Christianity and Islam.

a. The Historical Development of the Christian Faith

Although...