Christianity versus Islamism - Essay Example

Christianity versus Islamism Introduction Religion is deemed universal in nature and perspective and encompasses varied peoples with diverse demographic and cultural orientations. Religious characteristics, beliefs, rites and rituals exist in every society. According to Durkheim (47), “a religion may be defined as a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, uniting into a single moral community all who adhere to those beliefs and practices”. The distinctive characteristics of each religion make them unique as their respective traditions are passed from one generation to another. The objective of the essay is to compare and contrast two specific characteristics that are evident in two religions, one eastern religion and one Abrahamic religion, particularly Christianity versus Islamism in terms of belief system and rituals or rites. Likewise, two interviews each from the practitioner of the identified religions from any of the following sources: face to face, over phone, email, an online source, or even from a biography, is proposed to be used to solicit personal insights on the comparative details of the characteristics abovementioned. For the essay, a biography was used for points of views of the Islam faith; while a face-to-face interview with a Catholic practitioner was used for Christian views of the characteristics identified. Comparative Characteristics The tabular illustration of comparative analysis between relevant elements of each religion sourced from Religious Facts (2011) are shown and presented below: Religious Authority Christianity Islam sacred text Bible = Old Testament (Jewish Bible) + New Testament Qur'an (Koran) summaries of doctrine Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed Six Articles of Faith religious law canon law (Catholics) Sharia Beliefs & Doctrine Christianity Islam nature of God Trinity - one substance, three persons unity - one substance, one person other spiritual beings angels and demons angels, demons, jinn identity of Jesus Son of God, God incarnate, savior of the world true prophet of God, whose message has been corrupted birth of Jesus virgin birth virgin birth death of Jesus death by crucifixion did not die, but ascended bodily into heaven (a disciple died in his place) resurrection of Jesus affirmed denied, since he did not die second coming of Jesus affirmed affirmed means of salvation correct belief, faith, good deeds, sacraments (some Protestants emphasize faith alone) correct belief, good deeds, Five Pillars Rituals & Practices Christianity Islam house of worship church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, meeting hall mosque day of worship Sunday Friday religious leaders priest, bishop, archbishop, patriarch, pope, pastor, minister, preacher, deacon imams major sacred rituals baptism, communion (Eucharist) Five Pillars: prayer, pilgrimage, charity, fasting, confession of faith central religious holy days Lent, Holy Week, Easter Eid-al-Fitr, Eid-al-Adha, month of Ramadan other holidays Christmas, saints days Mawlid, Ashura major symbols cross, crucifix, dove, anchor, fish, alpha and omega, chi rho, halo crescent, name of Allah in Arabic Source: Religion Facts, 2011. As seen from the comparative review, distinct differences come in terms of various key elements with similarities only on the following accounts: birth of Jesus and his second coming, salvation sourced from practicing correct beliefs and angels and demons as spiritual beings. The rest of the characteristics manifest contrasting elements. Christians, particularly focusing on the Catholic Church, believe that God is the Supreme Power and Jesus was believed to be the Son of God. In Islam, there is no other God but Allah and Jesus was believed to be the second to the last prophet. Further, Catholics believed Jesus died on the cross and both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus was ascended alive into heaven. The main books differ for both religions: Bible for the Catholics and Quran for the Muslims. Likewise, the name of worship the center for Christians is the Church or cathedral for Catholics; and for Muslims (Islam), their worship center is the Mosque. The main worship schedule of days of obligation for Christians is Sunday and Saturday for some (since in some churches anticipated masses are held during Saturdays in celebration for the Sunday mass); for Muslims, Friday is the official day of worship. In terms of comparing issues of confessing sins, the Catholic practitioners confess their sins to God or Jesus, either directly or through a priest; while others believe in confessing directly God or Jesus. For Muslims they confess their sins only to Allah. The use different terms for their religious leaders and also for celebrating days considered holy within a religious calendar. Regarding the use of statues, in Catholics, the belief is manifested as common for the Catholics regard them as only representations of the true images they believe in. For Muslims, statues are absolutely forbidden. These are considered a very serious form of idolatry. Interviews The origin of Islam was presented by Alwani who averred that Islam which started with the original story of Adam in the Qu’ran. Alwani emphasized in his presentation that the prophets are people as perfect role models with mission for divine revelations, as proclaiming God’s messages, reciting His books and scriptures, for purification and as the perfect examples for mankind. As such, they have been provided by God with miracles and a divine seal to acknowledge their mission and role in life [Alw10]. On the other hand, an interview with Lourdes Chavez, a Catholic practitioner within the local community, emphasized that Catholics all over the world adhere to the same belief systems and traditions, regardless of transferring from one place to another. A native of the Philippines, known to be predominantly Catholic nations from among the Asian cultures, she migrated to the United States 20 years ago and has remained steadfast in the Catholic faith: attending mass regularly, receiving communion and confession and believing that God, as the Supreme Being, governs one’s life towards the path of goodness and salvation. Conclusion The essay achieved its objective of presenting a comparative analysis of two specific characteristics evident in Christianity and Islamism in terms of belief system and rituals or rites. Confirming information were sourced from a biographical discourse written by Alwani, on the introduction to Islam; while an interview with a Catholic devotee acknowledged her strong faith in the beliefs, doctrine, authority and rites of Christianity, regardless of transferring from one’s native country to eventually reside in the U.S. Through information proffered in the essay, one acknowledges that despite differences or even similarities between the Muslim and Christian religion, their ultimate goal is to attain eternal salvation for their respective devotees. Works Cited Alw10: , (Alwani 1), Read More