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 | What the religion's holy book says. |
| How the book is interpreted by theologians and clergy |
| The impact of scientific findings. |
| Individuals' personal experience, and above all: |
| The culture in which the religion is embedded |
These factors vary from country to country. This leads to selective reading of the Holy Book to find justification for local practices. To take one example, consider what different faiths in various countries teach about homosexual behavior, and how their legal systems treat lesbians, gays, and bisexuals:
| Same-sex behavior is a capital crime in six Muslim countries. |
| One Christian country in Africa is considering making such behavior a capital crime. |
| Many countries, both Muslim and Christian, assign long term jail sentences to sexually active gays and lesbians. |
| Other countries have no laws on the books regarding same-sex behavior. |
| Same-sex couples in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain and South Africa -- all at least nominally Christian -- can marry. |
Thus, it is quite impossible to compare the Muslim and Christian beliefs and practices concerning same-sex behavior without going into a major explination -- something for which we have no room below.
About the religions themselves:
| Name of the religion: | Christianity | Islam |
| Meaning of the name: | Believer in Christ (a Greek word meaning Messiah). | Submission to the will of God. |
| Name of a believer: | Christian. | Muslim. |
| Date of founding: | circa 30 CE. 1 | 622 CE. 2 |
| Name of founder(s): | Yeshua of Nazareth (aka Jesus Christ, (pbuh) 3 & Paul. | Most religious historians credit Muhammad (pbuh) as the founder. 3 However, Muslims generally regard Islam as dating back to the time of creation |
| % of world's population as followers: | 33%. | 20%. |
| Worldwide growth rate in numbers of members 4 | 2.3%/year. | 2.9%/yr. |
| Growth rate of the religion as a % of the world's population: | About 0.0%. Numbers have been static for decades. | Increase of about 0.6%/yr. |
| Estimated year when Islam will become the most popular world religion: | 2023 CE (if above numbers are valid) to beyond 2200 CE (as estimated by some religious futurists) | |
| % of U.S. population as followers: | 2001 ARIS study estimates 76%, and declining. | 2001 ARIS study estimates 0.5%; some Muslim groups estimate 6 million (2%). |
| Major traditions or denominations: | Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, and others. | Shi'ite, Sunni, Sufi. Sufi is a mystical tradition. |
Beliefs:
| Name of the religion: | Christianity | Islam |
| Concept of deity: | Most believe in the Trinity; three persons in one Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. | God (Allah) is one and indivisible. They believe in a strict monotheism. "Allah" means God in Arabic. |
| Status of Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ): | Generally considered the Son of God, worshiped as God; one person of the Trinity. | Very highly respected as the second-last prophet; next to Muhammad in importance. |
| Birth of Yeshua: | Conservatives: virgin conception. Liberals: conventional birth. |
Virgin conception. |
| Death of Yeshua: | Executed by Roman Army circa 30 CE. | He was not killed, or suffered death. Muslims believe that he ascended alive into heaven. 2 |
| Yeshua's location | Ascended into Heaven | Ascended into Heaven |
| Identity of "another helper" or "comforter" * | Holy Spirit | Muhammad |
| Second coming of Jesus | Conservatives: expect in near future. Liberals: varied. | Anticipate his second coming in the future. |
| Status of Adam: | Disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. | Free from all major sins and faults. Some regard him as a prophet. |
| Main holy book: | Bible 6 | Qur'an 7 |
| Original languages: | Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek. | Arabic. |
| Status of the holy book: | Conservatives: the inerrant Word of God. Liberals: a historical document. | God's word and final revelation, dictated by angel Gabriel. |
| Additional guidance: | Writings of the leaders of the early Church. For Roman Catholics: church tradition. | The Hadith -- sayings of Muhammad (pbuh). |
| Ethic of reciprocity (Golden rule): | "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Matthew 7:12 | "Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi 13 |
| A baby's status at birth | Various views. One is that a baby is born with a sin nature, separated from God. Baptism restores the connection. | All babies are a born in a pure state of submission to Allah. However, as they mature they are often taught other beliefs. |
| Life after death: | Either Heaven or Hell. Catholics believe in Purgatory as a third, temporary, state. | Paradise or Hell. |
| Basis of determining who goes to Heaven or Paradise: | There is no consensus in Christianity. Different faith groups hold Various diverse beliefs: trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior, good works, church sacraments, baptism, avoiding the undefined unforgivable sin. | Once they reach puberty, his/her account of deeds is opened in Paradise. To attain paradise, at death, their good deeds (helping others, testifying to the truth of God, leading a virtuous life)... must outweigh their evil deeds. |
| Confessing sins: | Roman Catholic: to God or Jesus, either directly or through a priest; Others: to God or Jesus | To Allah |
| Probably the most misunderstood term: | Immaculate Conception: Roman Catholics believe that the conception of the Virgin Mary, circa 20 BCE, was without sin. Many incorrectly relate it to Yeshua's' conception. | Jihad: internal, personal struggle towards the attainment of a noble goal. Many incorrectly equate it to "holy war." |
* From John 14:16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."
Practices:
| Name of the religion: | Christianity | Islam |
| Current interpretation of the Holy Book: | Ranges from statements of the Pope in Roman Catholicism to resolutions at conventions among Protestants. | Learned scholars in various countries. There is no single spokesperson or authoritative group. |
| Name of worship center: | Church, cathedral. | Mosque. |
| Main worship: | Sunday; Saturday for some. | Friday. |
| Church and state: | Largely considered separate. Most Christian countries are democracies | Integrated. Most Muslim countries are dictatorships with restricted human rights. |
| Law | Generally restricted to legal matters. | Covers both moral and legal matters. |
| Legislation | Prerogative of the people | Prerogative of God |
| Use of statues of deity, saints, prophets, etc: | Common in some denominations | Absolutely forbidden. Statues and pictures are considered a very serious form of idolatry. |
| Main holy days: | Most Christians celebrate at least Christmas, Easter, and associated holy days. | Ashura; Mawlid; lunar month of Ramadan; Eid al-Fitr; Eid al-Adha. |
| Status of women: | Variable. Conservatives & liberals differ greatly. | Strongly affected by cultural traditions. Severely oppressed in some countries. |
| Marriages forbidden: | Inter-faith marriages, in the Eastern Orthodox church. Marriages between conservative Christians and others, within conservative Christianity. | A Muslim woman may not be married (or remained married) to a non-Muslim man. |
| Racism: | Promoted by the LDS church until 1978. Still supported by Christian Identity, KKK, and other Christian fringe groups. Officially rejected by almost all other denominations. Remains widespread. | Officially rejected by all Islamic movements. 5 |
| Reaction to apostasy (leaving the faith due to religious conversion): | Prior to 1792, the end of the "burning times," execution was possible. | Traditionally, death to the apostate. This is rarely practiced in the 21st century. |
| Historical treatment of Jewish people in Muslim countries (Prior to World War 1): | Prolonged and widespread anti-Judaism, anti-semitism, oppression, and mass murder. | Additional taxation, because Jews were not required to serve in the military, but otherwise general tolerance. |
| Recent treatment of Jewish people: | Lessening of anti-semitism from historical levels, and gradual support of Israel, particularly since World War II. | Massive opposition and physical attacks since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and the occupation of Palestine. |
| Relations with state of Israel since 1948 | Widespread support for Israel among religious conservatives. Criticism among some liberals concerning treatment of Muslims. | Widespread rejection of Israel. Discrimination, suicide bombing, etc. practiced. An exception is Turkey, a Muslim country that is a secular state. |
| Basis of calendar: | Gregorian solar calendar. 1 CE occurred about four to seven years after birth of Jesus. | Many Muslims use Gregaorian calendar. Religious events based on the Islamic lunar calendar. 1 AH occurred in 622 CE, the year of the Hegira when Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina. |
| Most misunderstood practice: | The sacrifice of the Mass, a Roman Catholic ritual. Some Native Americans and others interpreted it as a form of ritual cannibalism. | Female genital mutilation. This is often incorrectly considered to be a religious requirement of Islam. Actually it is cultural tradition common in some countries of Northern Africa. It is unknown in many Muslim countries. |
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Notes:
- The Christian church is normally considered to have begun at Pentecost, 50 days after Christians believe that Jesus was executed. Unfortunately, the year of his death is unknown.
- Most religious
historians view Islam as having been founded in 622 CE. However, many if
not most of the followers of Islam believe that:
Islam existed before Muhammad (pbuh) was born. The origins of Islam date back to the creation of the world. - Muslims traditionally acknowledge respect for Muhammad, Jesus and other prophets (peace be upon them) by adding this phrase or an abbreviation "(pbuh)" after their names.
- Greg H. Parsons, Executive Director, "U.S. Center for World Mission," Pasadena, CA; quoted in Zondervan News Service, 1997-FEB-21.
- One exception is the Nation of Islam which promotes a black supremacist ideology. For example, leader Louis Farrakhan stated that "White people are potential humans'they haven't evolved yet." (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2000-MAR-18). However, most Muslims do not consider the Nation of Islam to be part of Islam, because of its unique beliefs about God, humanity and the rest of the universe.
- The books included in the Bible differ among Christian faith groups. The Roman Catholic Church includes the Apocrypha; most other Christian denominations do not. Members of the approximately 100 faith groups in the LDS Restorationist movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) add other holy books, including the Book of Mormon. Christian Scientists consider Mary Baker Eddy's book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" to be a major resource.
- Muslims generally believe that the Qur'an is the
literal word of God, as dictated to Muhammad over an interval of 23 years. It is
the only book that is considered free of tahrif (error). There
are four additional books:
The Suhuf-i-Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham/Ibrahim) which have been lost. The Tawrat (the Pentateuch from the Hebrew Scriptures) which many Muslims believe were altered by ancient Hebrews. The Zabur which many Muslims believe are the Psalms from the Hebrew Scriptures. The Injil (the Gospels; the words of Jesus). Muslims believe that this consists of the entire Christian Scriptures (New Testament), or perhaps only the four canonical Gospels. They also have been distorted and corrupted over time. Other Muslims believe that the Injil is not a book, but a group of teachings.
Related menus on this web site:
| Religions of the world |
| Can a person be both a Christian and a Muslim? |
| Christianity |
| Islam |
Related essays on this web site:
| Growth rates of Christianity and Islam |
| Religious calendars |
Useful sources of information:
| "The Wisdom Fund" views their purpose as promoting the truth about Islam. See: http://www.twf.org |
| "Death of Jesus in Quran 'reasonable and valid," Light & Islamic Review, Vol. 70 #3, 1993-MAY/JUN, Pages 9 & 10. See: http://www.muslim.org/light/93-3.htm |
| Arif Shamim Khan, "Muslim woman and non-Muslim man," at: http://www.nikahsearch.com/marriage/ |
Copyright © 2001 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2001-AUG-4
Latest update: 2009-OCT-22
Author: B.A. Robinson
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