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Similarities and differences essay
Similarities and differences essay
Similarities and differences essay
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Islam is currently the worlds 2nd largest and fastest growing religion with nearly one-fifth (approximately 1.2 billion) of the world’s population believed to be Muslim (About.Com, 2008, Online http://islam.about.com/od/muslimcountries/a/population.htm). Islam is a monotheistic religion which means it believes in the one God. It is Abrahamic or one of the ‘Religions of the Book’, this means that, similar to in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah, stories such as that of the Creation story in Genesis and the stories of Abraham (abc.net 2009, Online http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s790151.htm ). This essay includes a brief summary of the general beliefs of Islam, the Islamic take on social justice, a summary of Islam in Australia, the similarities and differences to Christianity and the efforts for interfaith dialogue between Christianity and Islam.
Islam means submission to Allah (God). Islam is said to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad who lived from 570 CE to 632 CE in Mecca in which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. It is believed that, through the Archangel Gabriel, Allah dictated the Qur’an to Muhammad. The Qur’an is the core source of Islamic beliefs and is their sacred text; it is believed to be the exact words of God. Muslims believe in the same God as the Jewish and Christian God, but unlike in Christianity, it is believed that God is a unique being with no other parts, sons etc (About.Com, 2008, Online). They believe in the same prophets such as Adam, Abraham and Moses. They believe that Muhammad was the last and greatest of all God’s prophets.
In Islam, there are 5 key elements of faith; these are called the Pillars of Islam. These 5 pillars are:
Faith: The Shahada is the Mu...
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...ue prophet of God who’s message had been distorted. They do not believe in his crucifixion or resurrection but that Judas Iscariot died in his place, they do believe that he ascended into heaven. Another key difference is the way of worship, Muslims worship in Mosques while Christians worship in Churches. In Islam there is no set interpretation of their Holy Text, the Qur’an, it is up to individual authorities to interpret it, unlike the Christian churches where it has been interpreted by a ruling body (ie in Catholicism the Pope and Vatican) (ReligionFacts, 2009, Online). Other key differences are the Islamic worship of Muhammed as the last and greatest of prophets. While Christianity has a highly structured hierarchy including the Pope, Bishops and Priests, Islam has no sole leader, they have religious leaders called Imans who are relatively equal in authority.
The original language is Arabic. There are around 1.3 billion Islamic followers. The text of Islam is the Qur’an which is the scripture and Hadith is the tradition. The Islamic god is Allah. Islam believes the Jesus was a prophet sent by God, but his message was corrupted. Jesus was followed by Muhammad. It was believed that Jesus did not die on the cross, he ascended into heaven during crucifixion. The place of worship is a mosque on Friday. Salvation is achieved by good works, and our righteousness outright our sin.Hell is a fiery punishment but there is levels and you may not spend eternity there.
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
3) Five Pillars of Islam- The Five Pillars of Islam are five important actions that all Muslims must complete during their life. Muslims must recite the profession of faith, pray five times a day facing Mecca, give alms, fast during the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Five Pillars of Islam are the base for the whole religion of Islam. The pilgrimage to Mecca is the only one that is not required; if a person is not able to go at all, they are not required to.
Islam is a religion that is based on the submission oneself to the will of God, who is called Allah. Muslims are the people believe in that, regardless of their culture, background or ethnicity. It is believed that God’s prophets brought a message for the people to worship one God without intermediaries and that prophet Muhammad was the end of G...
Islam is a monotheistic faith centered around belief in the one God (Allah).
Islam is a monotheistic religion which is originated from the Middle East or more specifically in the Arabian Peninsula early in the 7th century. This religion was founded on the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed who named this religion after the Arabic word acceptance. Islam has 2 major sects the Sunni and Shi’a. This split occurred when Mohammed died. The Sunni believed that the new leader of Islam should be determined through election but the Shi’a thought that the new leader should be Imam Ali a cousin and son in law of Mohammed. Another branch of Islam is Druze but only a small minority of Muslims who live in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine are followers of this sect (3 Faiths with One God - Islam, Arab American National Museum).
The world religions of Islam and Christianity may have their differences to the naked eye, but when you take a closer look into their histories similarities arise. They both went through transformations that had drastic impacts on the way they were controlled and the way that the religion was taught to the followers. Christianity and Islam have both experienced splits between their members due to the fact that followers thought that their beliefs were the correct way to practice the religion. While these transformations are long in the past, the splits that have occurred within each religion continue to have lasting effects on Islam and Christianity to this day.
Centered around revelations of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam was founded thousands of years ago. According to Mary Fisher, author of Living Religions, followers of Islam are commonly referred to as Muslims (Fisher, 2008 p. 381). Very similar to the structures of both Christianity and Judaism, Islam is a monotheistic religion, where worshipers believe in a single God, commonly referred to as Allah, according to Mary Fisher (Fisher, 2008 p. 386). In fact, many Muslims recognize some of the prophets from Judaism and Christianity, such as Moses and Jesus, as messengers of God, according to Mary Fisher
In addition to the many different ways the followers of Islam spread the religion and expanded their empire, the religion itself was appealing to many people outside of Arabia. The Islamic religion contained many beliefs and practices that were extremely appealing to others. One of these beliefs was that Islam is an uncompromising monotheistic religion, meaning there is only one God. In addition, there was an extremely well and highly developed set of legal codes and a strong sense of community among the followers of Islam. The five pillars were also extremely appealing because they provided the basis for religious unity. The humbleness and prayerfulness of the Islamic people was admirable to those of other faiths.
In Zainab Ali's book, "Unveiling Islam: What Muslims Believe," she explains the basic beliefs of a Muslim. She also elaborates on the images of Muslims in the media created by important leaders such as Saddam Hussein and Louis Farrakhan and how they contradict the Islamic belief. The writer then gives her explaination of these contradictions with respect to Islamic rules. She focuses on the rules of the faith - the five pillars of Islam - by provinding explanations, definitions, and examples. After an elaboration of each pillar, the writer explains the relevance of the pillars in life and the affects that the pillars have on the character of a true Muslim. She then compares this character to the characters of the Islamic leaders in the media to support her claim that people of the Islamic faith are not compatible with the images portrayed through the media. By making this claim, the author is trying to correct the misunderstandings of the Islamic faith and of the Muslim image by providing examples, explanations, and comparisons to define a "true" Muslim.
Renard, John. Islam and Christianity: theological themes in comparative perspective. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. Print.
They are both monotheistic religions which means that they only believe in one God. They also both live by some of the same principles such as you shall only worship one God and not any other deities. These two religions also differ. Muslims do not believe in the Trinity, they believe that Jesus was a prophet of God not the son of God, and they also do not believe that Jesus died on the cross, but Christians believe that all of these things are true. Christians believe in the Bible which states that a person who has been sinful cannot live up to the holy God and only by the grace of God can sinners be saved through their faith in Jesus. On the other hand, Muslims believe in the Qur’an and that they can reach heaven by keeping the Five Pillars
INTRODUCTION Islam is the most misconstrued religion in the world, by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. A lot of people (especially in the west) have formed an erroneous opinion about Islam that it is a religion that preaches violence and intolerance because of incessant terrorist attacks, especially following the 9/11 attack. Against this background this essay seeks to examine the status of peace and tolerance in Islam so as to clear the erroneous mindset and misconception which some people may have about the religion. PEACE IN THE LIGHT OF ISLAM Etymologically, the word Islam is traceable to the Arabic word “Salam” which means peace.
Imagine being lost in a blistering desert and finally seeing an oasis ahead. Walking through a palace where color bursts through the doors like children running to recess and the stories of Muslim heroes described right in front of ones eyes; open for the world to see with nothing to hide; this is Islam. Although one may consider Islam a monotonous religion, Islam has a unique way of socially accepting Muslims, great advancements in architecture, and distinctive artwork. Islam is a monotheistic religion that follows the scared text called the Qu'ran. To be a Muslim, one must follow The Five Pillars of Islam and show dedication to Allah (god).With the development of Islam's unique culture came a brilliant artistic language that represents the stories behind faces, dedication to Allah and the rich culture Muslims all share. Islamic architecture is based upon both religious and non-religious types of composition which can be found in Mosques, tombs, forts and palaces. Even though there are many different laws and ways of life, with communication and the same dedication to god, the Islamic culture flourishes on its diversity yet similarity.
This word originated in Arabia where this whole culture developed (BBC “Islam”). Islam followers, or Muslims, were introduced to their culture by the Prophet Muhammad (BBC “Islam”). The word Islam comes up very often, but who knows what it means? It is said to be the “submission to the will of God (BBC “Islam”).” The majority of the U.S. population today see Muslims as bad people only because a certain group attacked the United States.