Essay on Christianity and Islam

Christianity is a religion founded based on Jesus Christ, whereas Islam is a religion founded based on Muhammad. Christians believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was sent to save human beings from death. Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was not the Son of God but was a prophet just like Muhammad.

Christians believe that Islam began after Abraham bore Ishmael with Sarah’s servant, Haggai, against the will of God. However, God still loved Ishmael, so there is an unmistakable resemblance between the two faiths. Many people believe that Islam began with Muhammad, but that is not true. The Quran says Islam started long ago, a religion with origin from God, given to the people through the angel Gabriel (Bos, 2018). It began when Gabriel appeared and in perfect Arabic tongue dictated the religion. I suppose this tallies with Ishmael and Haggai being visited by an angel in the wilderness. Muslims believe God’s covenant was for Ishmael, not Isaac. This is the reason why Christians and Islam have so many similarities. Both believe in God, angels, the Holy Scriptures, and life after death.

Christians have holy days to worship God, usually Saturdays and Sundays. Muslims worship Allah on Friday. The Christian and Islamic calendars differ. Christians’ major holiday is Christmas, which is celebrated to represent the birth of Jesus Christ (Brown, 2017). Muslims have Ramadhan, a month of fasting mandatory for all Muslims marked by Eid ul Fitr’s significant festival.

Christianity has several denominations due to differences in doctrine and revelation level of scripture. Islam also has divisions based on Islam with five central teachings, belief in God, belief in Angels, belief in prophets, faith in scripture, and belief in the final judgment. First, Muslims believe in one God, who is the only creator and sustainer of the universe. Anything to take place or comparison of the one true God is sin. Second, Muslims also believe in angels as ministering spirits that have existed since creation and are sent to help people from time to time. Angels are spirit beings made of light and have no gender. Third, Muhammad was a prophet who God used to reveal to the things of the supernatural realm (Platteau, 2017). Prophets help shape society according to the will of God. Fourth, the Quran is the Holy Scriptures that govern the Islamic faith and culture. It is the actual Word of God written by scholars anointed by God. Finally, Muslims believe in life after death. The life after death, however, will involve judgment first. Anyone with good actions will be with Allah; however, any evildoer will burn in a never-ending fire.

Christians believe the Bible is a collection of books written over time by people inspired by the Holy Spirit. The books of the Bible are divided into two parts, before and after the coming of Jesus. The prophecies in each testament talk about the coming of Jesus Christ, books that have a significant century difference, showing the work of the Holy Spirit in each individual (Niyonsaba, 2018). Some books were written as commandments, others as poetry, proverbs, hymns, and letters. Others were written as revelation or documenting the lives of fellow believers. The Bible is the Word of God because it is the Holy Spirit who used people to write it; therefore, reading the Bible is speaking to the Holy Spirit, who transforms lives.

Christianity and Islam have so many similarities. However, the most exploited religion is Islam for terrorist activities. Christianity is used from time to time too. Faith does not matter if love is the basis of it; otherwise, it ceases to be.

References

Bos, M. S. (2018). The Untold Story of Two Faiths: Christianity and the Origins of Islam (Doctoral dissertation, Duke University).

Brown, D. W. (2017). A new introduction to Islam. John Wiley & Sons.

Niyonsaba, F. (2018). Mission is not only about preaching. International Review of Mission, 107(2), 458-471.

Platteau, J. P. (2017). Islam instrumentalized. Cambridge University Press.