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Many religious followers today would classify themselves of “Christian” theology and adherence. If there was a phenomenon that diminished Christian teachings to inaccuracy and abolished its presence from civilization there would be several alternative religions to consider. Of the other four major religions that we have covered this semester it would be a close race to decide which belief system would be the best substitute to prior knowledge taught about Christianity. It would be difficult to forget years of information that Jesus is the Son of God and choosing another religion would have to have some representation of Christianity. The decision has to compare the pros and cons of each alternative between Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. Doing so provides a template that proves there would be no definitive winner between the four. If another religion had to be chosen besides Christianity it would be a close decision but Islam would edge out the others slightly.
Forgetting the core teaching of Christianity that Jesus is the Son of God, Islam would best represent the other beliefs that have been instilled upon me. Judaism, predecessor to Christianity, would be a logical choice but presents a difficult challenge when attempting to enter into the Jewish culture. The Jewish doctrine promotes a sense of family and community that comes from the teaching of a covenant with God and the “chosen people” of the Jewish community to adhere to this covenant. Denise Carmody and T.L. Brink state eloquently in Ways to the Center: An Introduction to World Religions, “Few religions are as community minded as Judaism. The Jews were the chosen people – chosen as a group or line rather than as individuals” (154). They take pride in their obliga...
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...live and conduct ourselves should be the central theology to form beliefs. I can put much more substance in believing a scripture if the message has supposedly come directly from God and doesn’t contain dramatic myths to represent what happened. Islam makes the most sense to transition into as it has reformed the Abrahamic religions as Buddhism did to Hinduism. Islam has taken some aspects of the prior Abrahamic religions, altered certain beliefs and customs, and even added a few more views to create a new religion that appeals to new converts of large masses. Minus the dietary alterations and treatment of women, the only two negatives found on behalf of Islam, Islam appears to be a conducive transition from Christianity.
Works Cited
Carmody, Denise L. and T.L. Brink, Ways to the Center: An Introduction to World Religions, 7th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2014. Print.
The World’s Religions by Huston Smith is a novel based on the different religions found around the world. The main area of focus within this book was to expand the knowledge of different cultures and their religions. The chapters that were specified to focus on include Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the Primal Religions. Go into detail about each religion. Smith goes into great detail about each religion, concentrating on the teachings and essential elements of each religion, important people that helped form the religion, and traditions. He specifically discusses how these three religions are very similar rather then how different they are, with the main studies on Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad. Finally he discusses the Primal Religions – meaning the traditions that are passed down through oral communication.
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions. 5th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. 320-322. Print.
Goheen, Michael, and Craig Bartholomew. Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Print.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
Smith, Huston. World’s Religions: A Guide to our Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1994.
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
Islam, which states that it not only brings love, care, peace, justice, and respect to the
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print
Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon., and Alan F. Segal. A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Oxtoby, Willard G., and Alan F. Segal. A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Oxford, Canada: Oxford University Press, 2007.
The Much common ground is shared in attempt to provide approaches to finding answers to some of the deepest questions of life. I will discuss these significant similarities focusing on human dignity, identity, difference, and guardianship. “Islam is similar to Christianity in respect to human dignity and identity in that both acknowledge creation and that God is the creator of heaven and earth”. The aspect of both subscribes to the role of prophets who were venerated in both Islam and Christianity. Due to this fact, they both are traced to the times of Abraham (Ipgrave and Marshall 14-77). The goal of each faiths’ ethos is to love God by way of obeying His commandments on guidance from their respective Holy Books. They both do broadly consist of individuals that owe their allegiance to a metaphysical deity. Owing to the fact that the two are considered Abrahamic religions. They do both captures in the strictest sense the aspect of guardianship in respect to both having belief in only one God. A belief is impliedly preaching the existence of heaven and hell. Goes on to affirm the existence of the belief of the second coming of the Savior, which affirms the faiths’ ethos towards the attainment of the religions’ goals. Aimed at promoting and achieving a holistic understanding of religion, as the flexibility to accommodate diverse backgrounds of its adherents that is always prone to abuse. Christianity and Islam’s
Hopfe, L. M., & Woodward, M. R. (2007). Religions of the World (10th ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Renard, John. Islam and Christianity: theological themes in comparative perspective. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. Print.
At the first glance, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common, however; as you go beyond the surface, they appear to have many similarities such as their beliefs of God, their beliefs of life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although are two entirely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true way to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout the course of this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the alikeness between these two growing religions.