Christianity and islam - Coursework Example

The Rise and Spread of Christianity and Islam Due to Divine Providence Divine providence signifies that God is the master of all things which means God has the complete control of the universe as a whole, the physical world, the affairs of nations, human birth and destiny, human successes and failures, and also the protection of His people in accordance to His unalterable counsel of His own will.The religions Christianity and Islam are born from the spiritual tradition of Abraham who believes in monotheistic faith.

When the One True God revealed himself to Abraham, entitled the Father of All Believers and bounded him in covenant, the history of monotheism had begun. The dramatic increase in knowledge about other cultures and religions, and the establishment of economic and social histories of progress urged people to abandon their pagan and polytheistic beliefs, the worship of multiple deities for Divine Providence.Christianity, as a monotheistic religion, is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Christians believe that Jesus, also called Christ or Messiah (The Anointed One), is the son of God and the savior of humanity. They believe that Jesus Christ suffered, died on the cross, buried and resurrected from the dead to open heaven to those who believe in him and trust him for the salvation of their sins. The Bible is referred to as the word of God in which Christianity is based.Islam, on the other hand, is also a monotheistic religion in which its teachings are based on the Qu’ran, a verbatim word of Allah, the single incomparable God, and the prophet Muhammad’s demonstrations and real-life examples.

The word Islam means “peace acquired by submission to the will of God” while Muslim means “one who submits to God.”Christianity and Islam are related because of a family likeness and certain similarities in theology. Aside from the fact that they are both born in the spiritual traditions of Abraham, their narratives feature many of the same figures, histories, places, beliefs and traditions.Christianity and Islam originated from one significant place: Jerusalem, the city of David and Christ.

It became a very holy place for Muslims such as Mecca and Medina. As for the Christians, there is a continuous presence in Jerusalem since Jesus Christ was born.Christianity and Islam are both dominated by the concept of monotheism or the belief that only one God exists, though they are known in different names: God and Allah. The Islam’s theological belief that there is only one God is called the tawhīd. Both religions believe that God is one, rules, reveals, loves, judges and forgives.The Christian and Islam doctrines are personal and moral rather than abstract and amoral.

They have an ethical orientation that shows the choice of good between evil or obedience or disobedience to a God based on the Divine Law or the will of God.Christianity and Islam have prophetic traditions. Both religions believe that God sends prophetic and angelic messengers such as Abraham and Jesus Christ for the Christians and prophets such as Muhammad and Jesus Christ for the Muslims. Both religions also reveal God’s divine will through Scriptures, the Qu’ran and the Bible. Obedience to God is to be lived out traditionally until the Day of Judgment comes when humanity’s eternal destinies of heaven or paradise and hell will be determined based upon their beliefs and actions.

Christianity and Islam have a religious community, even from the beginning. The Christians’ religious community is the church while umma it is for Muslims. Both religions believe in the accountability to a community of faith for it is not enough to believe in isolation but they must link their lives to brothers and sisters in the faith.Although there are many other similarities between the two religions, there are also differences regarding their beliefs and practices. Christianity’s complex Trinitarian Doctrine is in conflict with Islam’s concept of monotheism.

Christians believe in the three distinct and co-existing persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This Christian Doctrine means that God is not divided but the three persons combined are considered to be the Godhead, or simply God. Muslims believe the opposite for they consider a strict monotheism and they reject the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. Muslims see that God is far above having a son while Christians see of it as a testimony of His divine love for the people which is so intense that He humbly made himself part of his creation through the incarnation of His son Jesus Christ.

Islam considers Jesus as another prophet sent by God to teach mankind like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the last final and superior messenger, Muhammad.Muslims do not believe that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. They believe that God spared His messenger from a dreadful death and later took Him up to Himself. The focal point of Christianity is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross because they believe Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins by shedding His blood. Without the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Christians remain sinful and useless and only through salvation will all people be saved.

Muslims, on the other hand, disagree on the assurance of salvation and they believe that every man must bear and pay for his or her own sins for Jesus being punished for their sins is unjust to their eyes.The development of Christianity and Islam are different. During Jesus Christ’ ministry, He delivered a message of peace and love and performed miracles to convince the people to follow God. In contrast, Muhammad did not form any miracles and the Muslims spread their religion by force, war and violence due to major political, economic and military effects such as the Islamic Civil War where Islamic dynasties, the Ottomans and Mughals were surpassed by the European imperial powers.

In conclusion, Christianity and Islam have been proselytizing each other from the time when they have risen and spread. Each religion both have the feeling that they are closest to the essential truths of God and the world, and that the other have failed to recognize this. Islam accuses Christianity of idolatry in asserting that God has a son named Jesus who was a form of Himself and who walked on earth as a human. Christianity claims that Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid for our sins but Islam disagrees and declares that Jesus Christ is like any other prophet, did not die and had ascended to heaven through God.

Christianity, on the other hand, argues that Muhammad was not given a special final revelation by God. But Islam highly sees Muhammad as the final and most important prophet of God.Despite Christianity and Islam’s existing fundamental heresies, they also have deep commonalities. The facts that they came from Abraham’s faith and they believe in only one God means that they might have spread due to Divine Providence. Both religions’ beliefs and traditions seem to end up in one goal. Their narratives, holy books, ways of worship, and prophetic traditions may be different but they are all directed to a lifetime submission to the will of God and to God alone.I. IntroductionA.

Definition of Divine ProvidenceB. When and How it came aboutII. ReligionsA. ChristianityB. IslamIII. Comparison Between Christianity and IslamA. Similarities1. Origin2. Monotheism3. Divine Law4. Prophetic5. Religious CommunityB. Differences1. Nature of God2. Death of Jesus3. GrowthIV. Conclusion