Islam vs. Christianity
Quick Overview of the similarities and differences between Islam & Christianity
Islam and Christianity are very similar. Both believe that:
- There is only one God. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
- God sent prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob (later called "Israel"), Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus, Mohammad, etc, (peace be upon all of them).
- People should follow the holy scriptures of God and teachings of the prophets.
- The Torah (Old Testament of the Bible) and the Gospel (New Testament of the Bible) are holy scriptures.
- Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin; therefore Jesus was born miraculously.
- Jesus Christ is a Messiah and he performed miracles.
- Satan is evil; therefore, people should not follow Satan.
- An Anti-Christ will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment.
- Jesus Christ will return to the Earth by descending from Heaven and will kill the Anti-Christ.
- The Day of Judgment will occur and people will be judged.
- There is hell and paradise.
There are 3 main differences between Islam & Christianity:
1. Today, most Christians believe in the Trinity, meaning that God has 3 forms (Father, Son, Holy Ghost/ Spirit). The concept of trinity was not adopted by Christianity until the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Some of the early Christians were Unitarians. Even today, there are Christian Unitarian churches that do not accept the Trinity. Notable Rationalist Unitarians include thinkers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson (American), scientists such as Isaac Newton (British), as well as famous figures such as Florence Nightingale (British) in nursing and humanitarianism, Charles Dickens (British) in literature, and Frank Lloyd Wright (American) in architecture.
While in Islam,
(a) Trinity is totally rejected. Jesus is neither God, nor Son of God (in the literal sense). Jesus was a human prophet and not divine.
(b) Muslims worship only God, the one and only the creator and sustainer of the universe.
(c) This God (the Quran refers to as Allah) is the God and creator of Jesus and is the same God that Jesus in the current Bible refers to as Father and to whom Jesus used to pray.
(d) Muslims consider Mohammad, Moses, and Jesus as prophets and messengers sent by God. These prophets were human beings, not divine, and should not be worshipped directly or indirectly.
(e) If son/daughter of God means a person created by God, then all humans are children of God. So there is nothing special or divine about Jesus being called son of God and therefore Jesus should not be worshipped. If son/daughter of God means a pious, religious person who follows the commands of God, Jesus was indeed pious and religious. However, it is unacceptable to believe that God is the biological father of Jesus meaning that God had sex with Mary, the mother of Jesus.
(f) Finally, angels (such as Gabriel) are servants/agents of God. Angels are created by God; therefore, they are not divine and should not be worshipped.
2. The Quran says Jesus did not die on the cross, but God made it appear that way to people. Furthermore, the Quran also says that Jesus was ascended to Heaven by God. Most Christians today insist Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, but two days later was resurrected.
3. Christians believe in the concept of "Original Sin" which means that human beings are born as sinners , bearing the burden of the "Original Sin" of Adam and Eve. Muslims do not believe in the " Original Sin" for 2 main reasons:
(a) In the Quran, God forgave Adam for what he has done, and
(b) According to the Quran, no one should be made to bear the burden of someone else's sin or mistake because it is unfair.
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