similarities between islam and christianity essay pdf

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Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective

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In light of the widespread public perception of incompatibility between Islam and Christianity, this book provides a much-needed straightforward comparison of these two great faith traditions from a broad theological perspective. The book illuminates the similarities as well as the differences between Islam and Christianity through a clear exploration of four major dimensions—historical, creedal, institutional, and ethical and spiritual. Throughout, the book features comparisons between concrete elements such as creedal statements, prayer texts, and writings from major theologians and mystics. It also includes a glossary of technical theological terms. For western readers, in particular, this balanced, authoritative work overturns some common stereotypes about Islam, especially those that have emerged in the decade since September 11, 2001.

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Islam and Christianity

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Islam and Christianity by Daniel A. Madigan , Diego R. Sarrio LAST REVIEWED: 25 May 2011 LAST MODIFIED: 25 May 2011 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195390155-0114

Islam and Christianity have been related since the former emerged as what Muslims would see as a divinely initiated reform and restoration of perennial prophetic religion, particularly in its Abrahamic forms in Judaism, Christianity, and the rituals of the sanctuary of Mecca. The relationship has been theological and cultural as well as political. Despite a common tendency to read “Islam and Christianity” as signifying “Islam and the West,” a substantial part of the interaction has taken place in the central Islamic lands. The Qur’an itself engages in conversation, sometimes controversy, with the biblical and postbiblical tradition, and Islamic thought developed in a close relationship of both dialogue and polemic with the existing traditions of the Middle East, particularly Christianity. Grand narratives about the relationship have tended either to see a history permanently marked by conflict between two incompatible systems or to see Islam and Christianity as integral parts of the continuing, though nonetheless contentious, history of Western monotheism. In either case, both traditions have continued to construct their identities in relation to one another.

The various partial bibliographies available may eventually be superseded by the monumental project of Thomas, et al. 2009 , which intends to cover all historical periods and geographical areas. The analyses of Anawati 1969 and Caspar 1975 , although now somewhat dated, are from two major authorities in the field. The bibliographies of Christian Arabic literature ( Graf 1944–1953 , Teule and Schepens 2005 , and North American Society for Christian Arabic Studies ) are generally for the specialist. The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford is developing more introductory resources, and the website of the Muslim dialogue initiative Common Word offers graduated lists.

Anawati, Georges C. “Polémique, apologie et dialogue islamo-chrétiens: Positions classiques médiévales et positions contemporaines.” Euntes Docete 22 (1969): 375–451.

Covering polemical works of Muslim authors from the 9th century to the 16th, then the most relevant works of both Muslim and Christian authors 1865 to 1968. The author analyzes 20th-century developments in Muslim attitudes toward Christianity by comparing them to the classical positions.

Caspar, Robert. “Bibliographie du dialogue islamo-chrétien.” Islamochristiana 1 (1975): 125–181.

Continued in Islamochristiana 2 (1976): 187–249; 3 (1977): 257–286; 4 (1978): 247–267; 5 (1979): 299–317; 6 (1980): 259–299; 7 (1981): 299–307; 10 (1984): 273–292; 13 (1987): 173–180; 15 (1989): 169–174. Covering the period from the 7th century to the 14th, this series of essays includes not only the works written in Arabic by both Muslim and Christian authors but also Christian works originally written in Greek, Latin, Armenian, Georgian, Coptic, and Syriac.

Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford .

“Starter bibliographies” on various issues related to Muslim-Christian relations.

Common Word .

Graduated reading lists for the understanding of the two religions contributed by scholars (both Muslim and Christian) involved in the Common Word initiative.

Graf, Georg. Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur . Studie testi 118, 133, 146, 147, 172. Vatican City: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1944–1953.

History of Christian Arabic literature. Covers literature in Arabic concerned with Christianity until the end of the 19th century. Graf sought to complement Carl Brockelmann’s Geschichte der arabischen Literatur , which did not include Christian Arabic literature. A guide to the use of this work produced by the Middle East Librarian’s Association (MELA) is available online .

North American Society for Christian Arabic Studies .

Notices of recent publications in Christian Arabic studies, including many on Islam and Christianity.

Teule, Herman G. B., and Vic Schepens. “Christian Arabic Bibliography 1990–1995.” Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 57.1–2 (2005): 129–174.

DOI: 10.2143/JECS.57.1.2003120

This project from the Institute of Eastern Christian Studies (Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands) is compiling a bibliography of Christian Arabic studies since the work of Graf 1944–1953 . A subsequent publication by the same authors is “Christian Arabic Bibliography 1996–2000,” Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 58.1–2 (2006): 265–300.

Thomas, David, and Barbara Roggema, with Juan Pedro Monferrer Sala, Johannes Pahlitzsch, Mark Swanson, Herman Teule, and John Tolan, eds. Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History . Vol. 1, 600–900 . The History of Christian-Muslim Relations 11. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2009.

DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004169753.i-960

Impressive first volume of a major project covering all written sources to do with Muslim-Christian relations. In addition to David Thomas’s general survey, includes useful essays on the presentation of Christians in the Qur’an, in its commentaries, in prophetic biography, in hadith, and in Sunni law.

Thomas, David, and Alex Mallett, with Juan Pedro Monferrer Sala, Johannes Pahlitzsch, Mark Swanson, Herman Teule, and John Tolan, eds. Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History . Vol. 2, 900–1050 . The History of Christian-Muslim Relations 14. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2010.

Originally projected to cover the period to 1200, because of the quantity of material this volume only covers the period prior to the Crusades. Introductory essays include David Thomas on Muslim regard for Christians and Christianity and Nicholas Drocourt on sources and themes of Christian-Muslim diplomatic relations in the period.

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Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay

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In what way is Islam similar to Christianity? What are the differences between Christianity and Islam? The essay below will answer these questions! Compare and contrast the two religions effectively with us.

Introduction

• Compare & Contrast

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Christianity and Islam share a lot of similarities and at the same time differ on several aspects. This paper will carry out a detailed comparison of the Christian and Islam religions. Among the similarities are: they both worship one God, they both believe that Jerusalem is the holy city and lastly they believe that the date of the judgment is decided when one dies.

Despite the above similarities, the two religions differ on other aspects; their main points of differing are: on their central teacher – Christians consider Jesus to be their main figure whereas Muslims believe in Mohammed as their central figure; in reference to the revered texts; Christians consider the Bible as the holy book and Muslims have Quran as their holy book.

Both religions also differ with respect to their places of worship; for Christians their place of worship is church or cathedral and according to the Islamic religion the place of worship is masjid or the mosque (Flemming 332).

Islam vs. Christianity

Christianity and Islam are closely related religions due to the fact that they revere Abraham and other patriarchs cited in the Hebrew scripture as their spiritual ancestors.

Major denominations of Christianity :

• Catholicism;
• Protestantism;
• Latter day saints (Anon 1).

Major denominations of Islam :

• Sufism (Akhter 171).

Compare and Contrast Islam and Christianity

On religious beliefs : Christianity and Islam have various differences and at the same time related in other aspects. On the concept of the deity, Christians believe in the trinity which encompasses three persons in one God, that is, the God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Muslims on the other hand believe in only one Allah who can not be divided. Consequently, both religions believe in existence of Jesus though the Christians consider Jesus as the son of God whereas Muslims consider Jesus as a respected prophet who ranks second after Mohammed in significance.

On the death of Jesus : Christians believe that it was sanctioned by Pontius Pilate and carried out by the roman army and Muslims believe that Jesus was neither killed nor died but he ascended into heaven alive. They, however, both believe that Jesus ascended to heaven. Notwithstanding the fact that they both believe in a holy book, they refer them by different names; for the Muslims, their holy book is called the Quran and the Christians call it as the Bible.

Based on religious practices : On the interpretation of the holy book, Christians interpretation ranges from the statements made by the pope and also resolutions in conventions which is common among the Protestants; Muslims on the other hand interpret the holy book based on the opinion of various scholars and hence there is no individual who is an authority in the interpretation of the holy book according to the Muslims (Brodd and Sobolewsky 10).

With respect to the place of worship : Christians worship in the church or rather the cathedral whereas the Muslims worship in the mosque. Also the two religions differ based on their day of worship; Christians worship on the Saturdays and Sundays and to Muslims hold their worship on Friday.

With regards to the relationship between the church and the state : Christians believe that it should be separated and to an extend Christian countries are democracies. According to Islam, the church and the state are integrated and majority of Muslim countries are governed dictatorial (Christian and Islam 11-19).

On humanity : In the Christian perspective, Christians seek to foster cooperation among their churches especially in their mission to the world. They also seek to heal any historical division that might exist among churches. The main agent of the Christians is the World Council of Churches and they achieve their mission through ecumenical movements. Christians mobilize other Christians in the mission to confront social problems that afflict the societies like poverty and injustice (Young 12).

Islam stresses the need for social justice and they provide for the marginalized and the vulnerable members of the society which include the poor, the hungry and the orphaned. They as well stand against the extreme group of Muslims who take advantage of the conventional brotherhood and sisterhood to further clannism and sexism and they also reject globalization that benefits Multinational Corporation at the expense of ordinary citizens (Young 224)

On human problem : Christians consider a problem as an individual since individuals are sinners and any resolution is personal transformation; they consider the main problem as the separation of an individual from God (Young 213). Muslims appreciate gender justice as a way of promote justice in the Muslim community. Muslims also believe in pluralism. The cause of human problem according to the Muslims is when an individual rejects the guidance of Allah and does not believe in the original sin like the Christians (Young 242).

Cause of human problem : According to the Muslims, human problem is caused by human distraction (Young 242). With regard to the Christians, the main cause of human problem is the original sin that was committed in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve; they argue that individuals should be liberated from sin (Young 214).

End of transformation : According to the Christian theologians, human life is subjected to danger by their sins and these sins may encompass ecological dimensions. To the Christians, there is life after death. They believe that Jesus rose from death in order to transform human life on earth (Young 215).

Sacred : According to the Muslims, there is no other God but only Allah and true connection with him can be established through dedication in prayers and also through Jihad, which is a holy war (Young 247). Christians on the other hand believe that there is only one God who exists in three forms, that is, God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. This sacred can be known through the circumstances that he is the agent of creation and the fact that he brought harmony and unity to all the reality (Young 218).

Symbols, myths and rituals : Muslims wage Jihad to demonstrate their protection and allegiance to God. They celebrate rituals such as the holy month of Ramadan and also Id ul fitr which is their holy holiday, and Al-Hijra which is the moment of personal renewal, Christians, on the other hand, celebrate Christmas which is a reflection of the death of Jesus Christ and they also remember Good Friday and Easter Monday (Morrill 2).

When the two religions are compared with Judaism especially doctrine wise; both Islam and Judaism are based in the Middle East. Just like the other two religions, Judas believes in Jerusalem as the holy town. Judaism like Christians both shares the history of the Jews but Judaism like Islam designates civilization as a way of life. It is only the secular nature of Judaism that distinguish it form Christianity otherwise they are doctrines which are similar and both are the religions of the tribe of Abraham (Warren 235).

Akhter, Shamim. Faith & philosophy of Islam; Volume 2 of Indian religions series . New York: Gyan Publishing House, 2009. Print.

Anon. Christian denominations . article no.91. Upper Triad, 2011. Web.

Brodd, Jeffrey and Sobolewsky, Gregory. World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery, 3rd.edition. New York: Saint Mary’s Press, 2009. Print.

Christian and Islam. Forgotten Books . New York: Prentice Hall, n.d. Print.

Flemming, Laraine. Reading Keys , 3 rd edition. New York: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Morrill, Ann. Religious New Year’s Celebrations ; Holidays and Celebrations . New York: InfoBase Publishing, 2009. Print.

Warren, Mathews. World Religions , 6 th edition. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.

Young, William. The world religions ; worldviews and contemporary issues , 3 rd edition. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

• Faith and the Future: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• Comparing Judaism and Islam
• Exploration of American Judaism
• Core Beliefs and Practices of Islam
• Smith, Huston. The Religions of Man
• World Religions and Ultimate Goal of Human Existence
• The Second Great Awakening
• Religion: The Past and the Future
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2018, October 12). Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparing-and-contrasting-islam-and-christianity/

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1. IvyPanda . "Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay." October 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparing-and-contrasting-islam-and-christianity/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Difference Between Islam and Christianity Essay." October 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparing-and-contrasting-islam-and-christianity/.

Christianity vs. Islam

Christianity and Islam have more in common than most people know — they are both monotheistic Abrahamic religions , and Jesus Christ is an important, revered figure in both religions.

Followers of Christianity — called Christians — believe in the Holy Trinity , and that Christ, the son of God, walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father"). Most Christians also believe Christ will return at the end of the world.

Muslims (followers of Islam) consider Jesus Christ to be a [Messenger-vs-Prophet-in-Islam|prophet, a messenger of God]] and a messiah. However, they believe that Muhammad was the last prophet and he recorded the word of God verbatim in the Quran.

Comparison chart

Early History

In many ways, Christianity and Islam were radical for their times, often preaching tolerance, respect, and equality between different races and classes, despite rigid monotheism. This initial progressive nature resulted in considerable persecution but ultimately did not stop the development, evolution, or expansion of either religion. Ultimately, early Christianity and Islam were spread by exploration, trade, missions, warfare, and colonization.

According to the New Testament , Jesus Christ had a number of followers prior to his execution in Golgotha , but the concept of Christianity as a religion did not truly exist until after his crucifixion, when his most ardent followers, such as the Roman Apostle Paul , began writing and speaking of Christ's reported miracles.

Christianity acquired many of its terms and beliefs from the Hellenistic Judaism and Greco-Roman paganism that were dominant at the times and places of Christianity's earliest development. The Roman Empire, with its common language—Latin—crossing great swaths of land, helped spread Christianity, especially after Emperor Constantine (around 300 CE) converted to the religion, ordered the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , and adopted the cross for his army's banners. To learn more about early Christianity, its development, and the spread of the religion, watch the Crash Course video below.

By the time Islam was formed in 622 CE, Roman Catholicism, the most widespread form of Christianity, already had its 69th Pope— Pope Boniface V . In Mecca, in the Arabian Peninsula where Islam began, there was a melting pot of faith that included Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and those who worshipped Mesopotamian gods. It was in this place and time that Muslims believe Muhammad was visited by the angel Gabriel and told to begin writing down the word of the one true god, Allah.

Many in the region saw monotheism as a threat, eventually forcing Muhammad to migrate with his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE in what is known as the Hijra . Most consider this the beginning of Islam as a religion, as the migration brought many new followers to the fledgling faith. In 630 CE, Muhammad and his followers were able to return to Mecca in a near-bloodless conflict.

Murji'ah , an early Islamic philosophy that promoted tolerance of a wide variety of beliefs within Islam (leaving the judgment of Muslims to Allah), likely smoothed the way for early conversions. Within 100 years, Islam had spread rapidly east and west of the Arabian Peninsula. A Crash Course video that covers Islam's development, expansion, and how it split into two main branches can be watched below.

Short Timeline of Christianity and Islam

Note: Dates are historical estimates.

• 5 BCE: Jesus is born in the Roman province of Judea. Christians generally believe he was "born of a virgin," Mary.
• 26 CE: John the Baptist begins ministry.
• 28 CE: Jesus begins his ministry.
• 33 CE: Jesus is arrested and executed by way of crucifixion. Christians believe he rose from the dead three days later and ascended into heaven. Christianity begins.
• 44 CE: James, Jesus' older brother, becomes a primary leader in Jerusalem's Christian community.
• 57 CE: Paul the Apostle is arrested in Jerusalem after failing to help Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians reach a compromise regarding the depiction of Jesus.
• 62 CE: James is stoned to death.
• 63 CE: The Temple of Jerusalem, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is built.
• 64 CE: Roman Emperor Nero blames Christians for the burning of Rome .
• 66 CE: Mark begins writing his version of Jesus' life.
• 70 CE: Rome takes over Jerusalem and destroys its temple, more or less ending the more Jewish branch of Christianity.
• 73 CE: Matthew and Luke write their versions of Jesus' life, partly based on Mark's version.
• 75-90 CE: John writes his version of Jesus' life.
• 90 CE: The Romano-Jewish historian Josephus writes of the life and death of Jesus . Scholars often believe his words have been tampered with over the years.
• 125 CE: The earliest surviving New Testament writing, written by John, is roughly dated as being from this year.
• 380 CE: Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire.
• 397 CE: The Councils of Carthage decide which gospels and other written works will be considered canon books of the Bible versus which will be considered apocryphal.
• 570 CE: Muhammad is born in Mecca.
• 610 CE: Muslims believe this is the year Muhammad is first visited by the angel Gabriel.
• 610-622 CE: Muhammad begins his ministry. Islam begins.
• 622 CE: Muhammad and his followers migrate from Mecca to Medina in what is known as the Hijra. The Islamic calendar begins and the Prophet's Mosque is built. The first Islamic state begins when a constitution is drafted that combines Medina's government with Islam..
• 623 CE: Muhammad marries Aisha . Muslims generally view this marriage favorably, but Aisha's age—nine, to Muhammad's 53—causes great controversy outside of the Islamic faith today.
• 628 CE: The Treaty of Hudaybiyah is created, allowing Muslims in Medina to make pilgrimages to Medina.
• 630 CE: Muslims peacefully overtake Mecca after the Treaty of Hudaybiyah is dissolved. Other faiths' idols are destroyed and Mecca becomes an Islamic state.
• 632 CE: Muhammad dies from an illness. Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father-in-law (Aisha's father), becomes caliph (spiritual leader).
• 633-655 CE: Islam is spread through warfare. Muslim armies take over Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Syria, the North African coast, and portions of the Byzantine and Persian empires.
• 650 CE: Caliph Uthman forms a committee to standardize and reproduce the Qur'an. Muhammad's dialect of the Quraysh tribe is chosen as the standard dialect.
• 656-661 CE: Islam's first civil war; the Shia and Sunni sects form.
• 675 CE: Sufism forms.
• 1096 CE: The First Crusade , a three-year battle between Christians and Muslims, begins.

Jesus Christ in Islam and Christianity

Jesus Christ, son of Mary is, of course, the most important figure and namesake in Christianity. Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God, and that along with God and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is part of the Godhead, or Holy Trinity. Christian belief is that Jesus' mother Mary was a virgin, that Jesus died when he was crucified, and that he was resurrected on the third day after his death.

Several of these beliefs about Jesus are shared in Islam . Muslims also believe in

• virgin birth
• that Jesus Christ could (and did) perform miracles
• the second coming of Jesus during the apocalypse

Where Islamic beliefs about Jesus differ is that Muslims believe that Jesus, although he was crucified, never actually died but ascended to heaven. God raised Jesus to Himself. Because Jesus never died, Muslims do not believe in the resurrection .

Position of Mary

As the virgin mother of Jesus Christ, Mary is an important figure in both Christianity and Islam. Mary plays a larger role in practices of some sects of Christianity, particularly Catholicism , where statues of Mary abound. In Islam, Mary is considered the best woman God ever created, and free of sin.

Beliefs and Practices

Beliefs and practices among Christians and Muslims vary greatly across the world and among certain demographics. Within Christianity, Catholics and Protestants often have very different beliefs, and Protestantism itself holds denominations as varied as evangelical fundamentalism and Unitarianism. In Islam, similarly large differences exist between Sunni, Shia, and Sufi Muslims and their beliefs. These differences have run so deep that Catholics and Protestants, Sunnis and Shiites, and Christians and Muslims have sometimes warred against each other over their beliefs.

A few major similarities exist between Christians and Muslims. Both belief systems are monotheistic, encourage or require the practice of daily prayer, and believe in the importance of many of the same figures, though their interpretation of them is often very different. Likewise, certain basic principles are generally supported within both faiths: the Ten Commandments for Christians and the The Five or Seven Pillars of Islam for Muslims. Heaven and Hell, angels, demons, and spirits, are generally accepted by both religions, as is an apocalypse.

Similar to Judaism, Islam tends to have stricter guidelines or rules than Christianity does. In modern Christianity, most hardline rules are found in the Old Testament and more related to Judaism, and many of the rules found in the New Testament are downplayed. For example, Christians may or may not "keep the Sabbath holy" by resting, even though doing so is a commandment, and most freely eat whatever they want, including pork and foods not blessed by religious leaders, something that Muslims and Jews do not do under halal and kosher dietary restrictions.

Two of the biggest differences found among Christian sects/denominations when it comes to scripture have to do with how literally the Bible is interpreted, whether it is considered the inerrant word of God as passed down through various writers or seen as being "inspired" and metaphorical, and whether "good works" or "faith alone" is most important for entry into heaven. Some Christians believe the Bible should be at the foundation of all matters: politics, education, charity, etc. Others believe their faith is personal and private and that Christian scripture really only applies to Christians.

Muslims believe there have been many prophets and messengers sent by Allah throughout time, but that their messages have been corrupted by man. They believe Muhammad was the latest and final prophet and that the Qur'an is the only uncorrupted holy message in the world. The vast majority of Muslims believe the Qur'an is the inerrant word of Allah, as passed down through the Prophet Muhammad, and can and should be part of every aspect in life, even when it comes to matters such as banking, warfare, and politics. The governmental enforcement of Islamic beliefs and practices is known as Sharia law. In a 2012 Pew Research study on Muslim political beliefs , a majority of people in Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt felt laws should strictly follow the Qur'an, while people in Tunisia, Turkey, and Lebanon were less inclined to want their governments to follow the Qur'an.

Christians and Muslims' sociopolitical views often go hand-in-hand with how literally they interpret the Bible or Qur'an, with the most traditional and fundamentalist of both religions rejecting certain matters of gender equality, same-sex marriage, the theory of evolution, etc.

Belief in an imminent apocalypse that is soon to transpire varies by region among Christians and Muslims, but in many cases both groups do believe it will occur at some point in the future. There are many similarities between their versions of the apocalypse as well, having developed from similar or even the same texts.

Some Muslims believe as Christians do, that Jesus will be the one to return at the end of the world; the difference is that Muslims believe Jesus' return is a sign, not the actual end, and that his purpose is to destroy Christian symbols and convert Christians to the true religion of Islam. Other Muslims, such as the Shia Twelvers , believe Jesus is a minor figure in the apocalypse, if even present, and that a figure known as the Mahdi —Islam's 12th imam who has been hiding since the 9th century—will be the one who returns and helps cleanse the world of evil.

Demographics

With over 2.1 billion followers, over half of which are Catholic, Christianity is the world's largest religion. Islam, with over 1.5 billion followers, is the world's second largest religion; Sunnis make up 80-90% of Islam's adherents. Because the two religions are the largest in the world, one or the other is generally the dominant faith in nearly every country, with a few exceptions in Asia where Buddhism or no religion is dominant.

• Christianity's Influences - Patheos Library
• Christianity's Missions and Expansion - Patheos Library
• Christianity's Origins, History, and Beliefs - Patheos Library
• History of Islam - ReligionFacts
• How Muslims View the Qur'an - ApologeticsIndex
• Islam Timeline - Faithology
• Islamic History - University of Georgia
• Islam's Missions and Expansion - Patheos Library
• Mapping the Global Muslim Population - Pew Research
• Most Muslims Want Democracy, Personal Freedoms, and Islam in Political Life - Pew Research
• Muslim Beliefs in Angels, Fate, the Afterlife, and the End Times - Pew Research
• Muslim Views of the Apocalypse - Huffington Post
• Overview of Christian History - ReligionFacts
• Timeline of Islam - PBS Frontline
• Timeline of Islam - ReligionFacts
• The Trial of Jesus: A Chronology - University of Missouri-Kansas City
• Wikipedia: Christian
• Wikipedia: Muslim
• Wikipedia: History of Christianity
• Wikipedia: History of Islam
• Wikipedia: Islamic schools and branches
• Wikipedia: List of Christian denominations by number of members
• Wikipedia: Origins of Christianity
• Wikipedia: Quran
• Wikipedia: Timeline of Christianity
• Wikipedia: Christianity
• Wikipedia: Islam

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Comments: Christianity vs Islam

Anonymous comments (5).

October 10, 2013, 3:42am whoever wrote this is wrong, self harming is not permissible in Islam. Repenting yes, self harm no. — 76.✗.✗.82

May 6, 2014, 7:38pm I am grateful. this has shown me the differences between us — 86.✗.✗.181

February 25, 2014, 6:08pm Thanks, this really helped me! And to everyone trying to push their beliefs on others, and being rude to other faiths, please, can't we learn to love and tolerate? I'm Catholic, but I have no problem if you don't believe the same thing as me. — 81.✗.✗.177

June 3, 2014, 6:37pm I'm a Christian and i am tired of the ignorance shown by many people towards both Islam and Christianity. No, Muslims are not terrorists. I have a lot of respect for Islam and its followers, and i don't follow the media garbage often said about the religion. People should also know that Christians worship only one God, not three as is often claimed. Just because God appeared in three different forms does not mean there are three Gods, it means that God can appear in different forms, after all he is God isn't he. He is able to do literally anything. Just because there are different names for God doesn't mean he changes, he is always the same God, and always will be. — 86.✗.✗.210

May 28, 2014, 11:04am Enes you completely took scripture out of context and left out important parts of the verses. In fact that is how satan deceived man from the beginning. He twisted the word of God to deceive eve. This is what your doing now enes. — 108.✗.✗.194

• Catholic vs Protestant
• Sunni vs Shia
• Christianity vs Judaism
• Islam vs Judaism
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• Prophet vs Messenger in Islam
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• Islam vs Zoroastrianism

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Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: The problem of "Abrahamic religions" and the possibilities of comparison

Religion Compass

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have long been known as "Abrahamic religions," and the comparative study of these three religious traditions has occupied scholars focusing on a variety of time periods from antiquity to modernity. Recent research has begun to question, or at least to complicate , the label "Abrahamic religions," opening up a host of new avenues of inquiry when examining the history and development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this article , I explore the relationship between popular and scholarly modes of understanding these religions. I examine the role of religious competition as a framework through which to research Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I offer concluding thoughts regarding why this framework is beneficial not only to scholars of religion but also to lay readers for understanding why this field of comparative scholarship matters to them.

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The term 'Abrahamic faiths' and its cognates, prominent in inter-faith and political conversations, has now entered, largely uncritically, into academic discourse. It is not clearly defined and is used by scholars in different and potentially misleading ways. Thus far the term has evaded theological critique; this paper is a contribution to towards just such a critique. The 'Abrahamic faiths' are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but, this paper shall focus on Christianity and Islam. I propose to critique the term 'Abrahamic faiths' by evaluating three different 'levels of usage' employed by scholars of religion. This evaluation shall first involve examining Christian and Islamic theological continuity. Then, I shall investigate Christian and Islamic theological dissimilarity concerning four core Christian doctrines. My objective is to show that the continuity and discontinuity of Christian and Islamic doctrine requires careful consideration. I conclude with a study of the term 'Abrahamic faith' itself, noting its problematic nature. I conclude with some constructive reflections for inter-faith dialogue. A revised article based on an earlier article of the same title published with the Evangelical Quarterly. Made freely available with the permission from Paternoster Publishing, the publisher of Evangelical Quarterly. http://www.paternosterperiodicals.co.uk/evangelical-quarterly 2

samuel zinner

This pdf file contains a proposed 2nd revised and corrected edition of my book Christianity and Islam: Essays on Ontology and Archetype, published in London by The Matheson Trust in 2010. (The Matheson Trust retains the copyright to the original 2010 edition). For this proposed revised edition I have chosen the new title The Abrahamic Religions: Philosophy—Theology — Mysticism.

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The period from the reign of the Christian Emperor Heraclius (610-641 C.E.) to the rise of Islam is a unique and largely neglected historical era that witnessed rapidly changing interactions between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Many Jews believed this time of declining Christian dominance and the ministry of Muhammad (ca. 610-632 C.E.) marked a new age of history. During the seventh century C.E., Jewish communities combined apocalyptic beliefs with mysticism to explain Islamic rule. Most of these apocalypses contain visions attributed to Jewish mystics that view the Arab conquest as one of the signs of the end of days. They show that the Jewish community of Palestine used a variety of mystical traditions, apocalyptic calculations, and messianic beliefs to explain this turbulent period when Christian rule in the country collapsed. Christians likewise used similar traditions to account for the appearance and dominance of Islam throughout the Middle East. This paper examines a few Jewish and Christian texts that document this historical period, which are among the oldest literary witnesses to Muhammad and the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 C.E.). They are not only interesting for the light they shed on ancient Jewish views of Islam, but they also document a unique form of Judeo-messianism as well as Judaism’s early relationship with the Muslim community in Palestine.

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