Worldwide, several religions have been found since the appearance of human societies. Typically, religion is a system of beliefs, practices, and values concerning what an individual considers spiritually important. Some of these religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. From this set of religions, Islam and Christianity are the two key faiths in the world. The two major religions share some traditional connections with some strong doctrinal similarities and differences. These two religions are believed to have a common origin in the Middle East. This paper will focus on the significant differences and similarities between Islam and Christianity religion.
Origin
Christianity originated from the Roman Province at around the 1st century. According to human history, the Christianity religion began since Jesus Christ started spreading it. When Jesus of Nazareth died, the disciples started spreading Christianity across the world. Currently, Christianity has influenced philosophers and people's morality, and it is the largest religion worldwide. On the other hand, Islam religion was founded around the 7th century in Saudi Arabia. Islam emerged 500 years after Christianity was found. According to Islamic history, Islam religion was introduced after Prophet Mohammad experienced innocent visitation in 610AD ( Alfahham, 2020 ). However, Muslims believe that their religion originated from God and not Prophet Muhammad.
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Religion
Christianity is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion that was established from the Second Temple of Judaism. This religion was founded on the birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ( Feldt & Bremmer, 2019 ). Those who follow the life of Jesus are considered Christians. Islam is also a monotheistic Abrahamic religion like Christianity. Islam was founded on the Prophet Muhammad's teachings when expressing the surrender to the will of God. The people who follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad are called Muslims. Typically, Islam and Christianity have the same monotheistic Abrahamic religion.
Leaders
Christianity leadership began at the beginning of Jesus Christ's ministry. Jesus Christ was the leader of Christianity during His ministry, and upon his death, the disciples took over the leadership. After Jesus' death, the Christian community located in Jerusalem was led by James and John. These Christian leaders shaped the view of the spiritual perspective. Islam leadership, on the other hand, was headed by Prophet Muhammad. The prophet began preaching and leading Muslims to devote their lives to Allah until he died in 632 ( Alfahham, 2020 ). Upon his death, Abu Bakr took over the leadership and became the first caliph. Caliphate became the Islam system of leadership.
Teachings
Christian teachings are based on the life of Jesus Christ. The teachings are culturally diverse in its doctrines concerning the justification and the nature of salvation. The teachings encourage Christian believers to believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Christian teachings also make the believers get ready for the second coming of Jesus and encourage them to be faithful to be saved. Islamic teachings are based on obligatory acts of worship and follow Islamic law that virtually touches on people's lives. Christianity and Islamic teachings are different.
Rituals
Both religions have some important rituals that must be conducted. However, these rituals differ between the two major religions. In Christianity, some rituals include baptism, confirmation, ordination, the Eucharist, reconciliation, marriage, and anointing of the sick ( Knight, 2019 ). Of these rituals, as mentioned above, baptism and the Eucharist are the essential rituals in Christianity. Baptism is usually conducted through ceremonial washing, either by complete immersion into water or by pouring water over an individual’s head. In Islam, some rituals include daily prayers, fasting during the Ramadan period, and paying tax for the poor.
Scriptures
Islam and Christianity religion have different scriptures. Christianity uses the bible, which contains the New and the Old Testament. The bible has been translated into various languages. Despite various translations, the Christians still believe that the bible is still trustworthy because of textual criticism. On the other hand, Islam uses the Quran as their scripture. Despite the difference in scripture, both the bible and the Quran account for the ministry and the work of Jesus Christ.
Holidays
Christian holidays differ from Islam holidays. Some of the Christianity holidays include advent, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, only to mention a few. Advent is the season before Christmas. During the Christmas holiday, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus during the Easter holiday. In Islam religion, there are two major holidays, Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, whereas Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at Ramadan.
Impacts
The impacts of both religions are similar. Both Christianity and Islam played a vital role in establishing social services and amenities, such as medical care and schooling. Christianity and Islamic theology have influenced most political activists and philosophers. The teachings of Prophet Muhammad and Jesus on helping the poor became the primary sources of modern notions of human rights and welfare. Islam and Christianity also played a vital role in ending practices such as human sacrifices that violated people’s rights.
References
Alfahham, M. B. M. (2020). Review on Religious Extremism in Islamic History (Previously and Contemporary). Forefront Journal of Humanities & Social Science . https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3547182
Feldt, L., & Bremmer, J. N. (Eds.). (2019). Marginality, media, and mutations of religious authority in the history of Christianity . Leuven: Peeters. https://www.academia.edu/download/58933320/SHAR6_vanderLans_Introduction_conclusion20190417-80862-190ykem.pdf
Knight, T. (2019). The reason for the season: A qualitative exploration of evangelical christians' perceptions of religious identity, social change, and holiday celebrations (Doctoral dissertation). https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/40013
