Comparative Analysis of Christianity and Islam - Essay Example

Comparative Analysis of Christianity and Islam based on the Worldviews Spirituality influences the perception of people concerning illness, health, healing, and death. It can also be asserted that spirituality affects the worldviews held by different people. According to James Sire, “a worldview is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presumptions (assumptions which may be true, partially true, or entirely false) about the basic constitution of reality and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being” (Sire, 2004). This paper aims to develop a comparative analysis on the Christian (Roman Catholic) and Muslim belief system or philosophies as pertains to the concept of spiritualism, and how the philosophies manifest themselves in the individual perceptions on healthcare. The key questions suggested by James Sire in understanding the concept of worldview will be adopted to aid this analysis. A focus on the aspect of prime reality is important to start with. God is the prime reality for Christians while for the Muslims, it is Allah. God and Allah are perceived as the supernatural being that determines all conditions or situations that humans experience. Muslims have their prayer, referred to as Du’a, which seeks to ask Allah to heal the sick people (Kliewer & Saultz, 2006). The prayer of Du’a can be traced from the Quran 21:83-84; prayer of Prophet Ayyub. The verses state: “Truly distress has seized me, but You are Most Merciful of those that are merciful”. It is inscribed that the early Muslims would seek advice of Prophet Muhammad whenever they were sick. The prophet would thus recite one of these Du’as for them while touching the area of pain: “Oh Allah! The Sustainer of Mankind! Remove the illness, cure the disease. You are the One Who cures. There is no cure except Your cure. Grant us a cure that leaves no illness”. Christians also pray to their God to heal the sick. During the days of Jesus, he healed many people through prayer. Psalms 41:3 has the recognition of God as a healer. The verse notes: “The LORD sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness”. The focus then shifts to the worldview aspect of the nature of the world around us. God and Allah are both regarded as the sole creators of all things in the world, for which they also sustain. The environment within which humans live in including the vegetation, the physical features, and other animal species are thus an essential part of the world that should be conserved by humans. People will likely be rewarded by their effort to maintain good relations with their environment by getting among other things, food and security. With this is in mind, most conservative believers from both faiths have been known to be very reluctant to adopt the modern medicine. On the other hand, they show more trust towards the naturally available medicine from their environments, particularly the herbal medicines. With the sprung of many diseases among the U.S. children that could be prevented through vaccination, it was largely feared that the Christian worldview against such medical courses would lead them to object vaccination process (James, 2015). The Islam religion is also known to perceive some animals as unclean and thus make exceptions for the medical treatments extracted from such animals. Countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan have also witnessed Muslim opposition to immunization programs against the polio virus (The Algemeiner, 2015). James Sire also suggests the analysis of worldview based on the perception of what happens to a person at death. Science proclaims that death means a state in which the vital organs of a person’s body are unable to function, meaning the dead person has ceased to live (Shelly & Miller, 2006). The Christian and Islam religions both hold highly the idea of life after death or eternal life. Many Prophets of God and Allah emphasized these teachings while preaching to the people. The Islam belief dictates that the current life is a trial while preparing for the next real of existence. After the death of a Muslim, the corpse is washed and wrapped in a white piece of cloth and buried the same day. This would signify his brief existence in the present life. Christians, on the other hand, would pray and organize the burial ceremonies to commemorate the end of the deceased journey in the present life. It is anticipated that the deceased would go to either hell or heaven depending on his deeds while in the present life. For example, the Quran advanced rational and logical arguments in support of life after death when the Makkah idolaters refused the possibilities of life after death. The holy document exposed the weaknesses of their stance stating, “…And he (i.e. man) presents for Us an example (i.e. attempting to establish the finality of death) and forgets his [own] creation. He says, “Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?” Say, “He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.” He who made for you from the green tree, fire, and then from it you ignite. Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes; and He is the Knowing Creator” (Quran: 36: 78-81). The Biblical chapter of John 11:25 also advances the concept of eternal life stating that, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he was dead, yet shall he live”. Considering the worldview of the possibility of knowing anything at all, evolutionist scientists would claim that humans through time have been subjected to massive experiences in the world which enables them to know much concerning themselves, things around them and other events in their world (Kliewer & Saultz, 2006). However, the same is not shared by the Christianity beliefs. To the Christians, it is possible to know anything at all due to the biblically proclaimed concept of humans being made in the image of an all-knowing God. Genesis 1:27 acknowledges the fact that men were created in the image of God. This same explanation works in answering how Christians know what is right and wrong. This fact is, however, not welcomed in Islam, which conceives it as comparing the spiritual God to the physically existing man. Islam perceives the know it all and right and wrong worldviews as resulting from the pressures of physical and cultural survival. The worldview on the meaning of human history is however shared by both Christianity and Islam. Both religions hold that humans were destined to live on earth by God in preparation for their eternal life either in heal or heaven. The third worldview aspect emphasizes the human being. God and Allah are both perceived to be the creators of human beings. The Biblical Chapter of genesis describes how God created humans and made them in charge of the world. The Noble Quran 51:56 also quotes Allah saying, “And I did not create the jinn and humans except they should worship me”. The Bible lays strong emphasis on the value of an individual person who is not to be lost within a group. The biblical teaching on human life having its source from God, humans being made in the likeness of God, and humans having the capacity to relate to God in a personal way all serve to promote the respect humans have for one another (Kliewer & Saultz, 2006). The Biblical sixth and ninth commandments of ‘Though shall not kill’ and ‘though shall not bear false witness against your neighbor’ (Exodus 20:1-17) serve to reinforce the value for human life. As such, the health professionals who are Christians are very much likely to handle patients with much care to enable them to recover. It can be noted that generally most Christian teachings and Christians themselves advocate for the value and respect for the human life. The same tone may not be maintained for the Islam teaching. The Quran has been quoted from different perspectives as having no or little respect for human life. It is seen as a document that only serves its faith and has no respect for other people. The various verses of the Quran that advocates for the killing of the non-believers have always been the topic of criticism. One such verse, Quran 2:191-193, states: “And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief or unrest] is worse than killing... but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone.  But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)". Putting this into context of this paper may suggest that a staunched Muslim believer may regret less seeing his or her ‘non-believer’ fellow ailing or perish. In conclusion, it is important for health practitioners to acknowledge various religious worldviews as they usually dictate the individual beliefs that influence the tenets of illness, health, healing, and death. Christianity and Islam are some of the major religions of the world today. It is, therefore, very likely that a health practitioner will meet people from such religious backgrounds. In studying the two religions, it is revealed that there are some worldviews shared between them while they also collide in some. Both Islam and Christianity share the concepts of prime reality, having God and Allah as their supreme deities. They both perceive the environment and things around them as orderly and in line with God’s/ Allah’s own ideas. They, however, seems to differ a little based on the concept of human being and the respect for human life. Christians also emphasize humans’ creation in God’s own likeness as a key determinant in why they know much and how they determine right and wrong. References Primary Sources: The Quran The Holy Bible Secondary Sources: James, S. (2015). Vaccination and the Christian worldview. Retrieved from http://www.canonandculture.com/vaccination-and-the-christian-worldview/ Top of Form Kliewer, S. P., & Saultz, J. W. (2006). Healthcare and spirituality. Oxford: Radcliffe. Bottom of Form Top of Form Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic/InterVarsity Press. Sire, J. W. (2004). Naming the elephant: Worldview as concept. Downers Grove, III: Intervarsity Press. Bottom of Form The Algemeiner. (2015). Examining the anti-vaccine movement and religious laws. Retrieved from http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/02/08/examining-the-anti-vaccine-movement-and-religious-laws/# Read More