The issue of religious affiliation is a fundamental and vital issue for many people. However, often people do not think about how much the main religions differ - Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam. If you start to study them in depth, it turns out that a lot of them have in common. Although, of course, there are differences. Let's compare 2 religions: Islam and Christianity, identify their fundamental differences and find similarities. We also consider how their basic concepts relate to two other faiths - Judaism and Buddhism.
The rise of world religions
The oldest religions, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, are considered world religions. This name was given to them due to the fact that these denominations have no ethnic or territorial affiliation, i.e. they are professed by people of different nationalities and living in different parts of the world.
Buddhism belongs to the so-called Indian religions, and Islam and Christianity to the Abrahamic. This classification indicates the source of religion. Buddhism arose in the first millennium BC. e. in India and became the basis for a number of other regional denominations. And the religions Christianity, Islam and Judaism have a common beginning - this is the Holy Scripture, the authorship of which is attributed to Abraham, the patriarch of the Semitic tribes. If you look at the time of the emergence of faiths, the most ancient is Buddhism.
The next born Christianity - in the first century AD. And the youngest of the world's religions is Islam. It was created in the 7th century.
General characteristics of Christianity
Identification of the most important distinguishing features of religions will allow a comparison of Islam and Christianity. The pros and cons of each religion are determined by the set of their specific characteristics. Christianity is the largest religion in the world. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life story is set forth in the New Testament.
This faith is one of the successors of the Hebrew tradition. The founder of religion, Jesus Christ, was a Jew, he obeyed all the rules of this faith, went to the Jewish church. He developed, supplemented and improved the postulates of Judaism. However, one cannot say that Christianity is a modification of the Hebrew faith. A lot of new, distinctive appears in it, which makes it an independent world religion. The main features of Christianity:
- it is a monotheistic religion;
- God is perceived as an accomplished person, with whom the believer can connect through love;
- man is a likeness of God; the immortality of the soul is recognized;
- the doctrine of the God-man, the spirit embodied in the human body in order to save people from sin, to show them the possible way of salvation;
- Christians await resurrection and eternal bliss.
Like any major religion, Christianity did not escape splits and ramifications. The main trends in this faith are:
- Catholicism;
- Orthodoxy
- Protestantism.
Inside each direction there are a number of its own branches.
General characteristics of Islam
Having arisen later than the main religions and in direct contact with them, Islam could not escape the influence of Christianity and Judaism. A number of dogmas and rites were borrowed from them. However, Muslims also have innovative features that make this faith independent and independent. Comparison of Islam, Christianity and Buddhism is impossible without identifying their specific features and defining basic principles.
Islam is created by the preacher Mohammed, the main book of religion is the Quran. This is a monotheistic religion. Muslims honor Allah as one God. This denomination has no institution of church and dogma. Each Muslim must fulfill the five main pillars:
- Confession of faith, shahada. There are no gods other than Allah.
- Prayer, prayer. A Muslim should perform religious rituals 5 times a day.
- Fasting, uraza. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims should refrain from eating and drinking while the sun is shining.
- Alms, zakat. A Muslim should give part of his income to the needy and to the needs of the community.
- Pilgrimage, Hajj. At least once in a lifetime a Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Islam is a special way of life that consists in keeping the commandments.
Islam also has its own trends. The largest branches are the Sunnis, who make up the majority, and the Shiites are the less numerous branch of Islam. There are also smaller branches.
Common Features of Islam and Christianity
The similarity of the two major religions is that both faiths are monotheistic. Islam says that there is no other God but Allah. And the Muslim must repeat this statement in every prayer. Christianity affirms - God is one. Prayer begins with the words "I believe in the One God." Both faiths deny polytheism. Actually, this was the reason for the appearance of both religions. Their goal is to overcome paganism.
Both religions believe that the world, including man, was created by God, and that there is an invisible world of angels. If we compare Islam and Christianity by the way a divine thought is revealed to a person, then a similarity is again revealed. In both religions, divine revelation comes to man, though in different forms.
In Christianity there is a direct contact between God and man, and in Islam there is a mediator between them - angels. Moreover, in both religions, God requires a person to profess faith.
Both confessions are based on the main books - the Bible and the Qur'an. Even their content overlaps in places, because the ancient Jewish texts served as the basis for them.
Both religions acknowledge that after death, the human soul goes to heaven or hell. From a faithful person, both Islam and Christianity are required to obey the commandments, venerate the prophet, and worship daily. Both faiths have a special place to offer prayers. But the most important similarity of all religions (Christianity, Islam and Buddhism) is that a person must overcome his bodily desires in the name of the triumph of the spirit. The believer must show will, overcome worldly temptations in order to be accepted into the kingdom of God.
The main differences
The main differences between Christianity and Islam are in understanding the essence of God. For Christians, God is one in three guises: God, the Holy Spirit, and the Son. And for Muslims, its essence is hidden.
Religions represent life after death in different ways. Christians hope to get into the kingdom of heaven, where the faithful will enjoy the contemplation of God, which is perceived as the highest bliss. Man is reunited with him, and this is the purpose of a righteous life. Muslims expect paradise with purely material goods and pleasures. There, the faithful will receive everything that was abandoned during their lifetime. There is no question of any merging of Allah and man, but there is its dissolution in God.
Serious differences between Islam and Christianity are associated with the institution of the church. Christians believe that priests are the successors of the apostles, that Christ speaks with believers through the ministers of the church. They also venerate icons, considering them the embodiment of God and attributing miraculous power to them. Muslims categorically reject icons, considering them idolatry. Just as they deny the presence of intermediaries between Allah and the faithful. Priests are not needed, because each person himself communicates with God, obeying his commandments. Muslims acknowledge the existence of commentators on the Qur'an to help people deal with difficult issues.
Another difference between the two religions is the interpretation of human free will. In Christianity, men and women are equal before God. They are endowed with free will. In Islam, a man has spiritual superiority over a woman. Moreover, none of them has free will. Allah through genies himself makes decisions for people. In addition to these fundamental differences between the two religions (Christianity and Islam), there is a huge number of smaller discrepancies between them on almost all basic issues of religion.
Ideas of God
It is most logical to begin a comparison of Islam and Christianity, comparing their ideas about the Almighty. Despite the fact that both religions preach faith in one God, its essence is significantly different.
In Christianity, the nature of God is uncreated, he is all-perfect and unlimited. Man touches this spiritual, uncreated nature through church sacraments: Baptism, Communion. Among Muslims, Allah has created qualities. The concept of spirituality does not apply to him.
According to Christian views, God has a non-material nature. It is the imperishable Spirit that is present in everything. The nature of God can only be judged spiritually. In Islam, he possesses hearing and vision, that is, created characteristics. Spirituality is not an attribute of Allah. The holy spirit in the Qur'an is the archangel Djibril, which can appear to people in different images.
Speaking about the inner nature of God, the religions in question again demonstrate differences. Christianity says that it exists in three forms:
- The father is endowed with the Mind.
- The Son owns the Word.
- Spirit is Spirit.
At the same time, God is interpreted as love in a global spiritual sense. He has humility and holiness.
In Islam, the inner nature of Allah cannot be revealed to man. There can be no talk of any trinity. At the same time, Allah does not embody love, humility and holiness. He cannot be endowed with these properties, since his essence is not revealed to man.
Allah, unlike the Christian God, is endowed with cunning, pride and can generate evil. He is called to be a judge to people, he pays and punishes for their deeds. Allah loves only those who fight for him. The Christian God cannot produce evil and desires the salvation of all people. Allah leaves people with a choice. The one who does not want to meet with him, and Allah does not want to see.
God in Christianity does not wish people evil and torment. He wishes everyone good and salvation. And Allah brings salvation only to the faithful, and some people are created specifically for hell, for torment. Allah intentionally “seals the hearts” of infidels so that they do not hear the truth. Such people are doomed initially to torment.
world creation
Another parameter for comparing Islam and Christianity is their interpretation of the appearance of the world. Both religions believe that it was created by God. Angels are created from intangible entities: light in Islam, subtle materiality in Christianity. The whole earthly world is also a creation of God, including man. The Christian God performed these tasks alone, and Allah took the help of the angels.
In Christianity, there are only two kinds of God's creations: angels and people. In Islam, there are still genies - some human-like entities that can take on different images. They help Allah to solve various problems in the human world. In Christianity, God can stop creating at his own request, while Allah cannot stop this process - he does it forever.
In both religions, the world was created in 6 days. The Christian God is recognized as the root cause of his appearance. The Creator did not need anything, but created the world from excessive love, it was his free choice. In Islam, Allah also worked out of his own motivation. But the world was created for the existence of man; the Lord himself did not need it.
Representations of man
The next parameter for comparing the two religions, Islam and Christianity, is the idea of man and his relationship with God. Both faiths believe that the Almighty gives his revelation to man. Only its shape is different. In Christianity, God can communicate with him directly, as well as through angels and prophets. The initiator of the interaction between God and man is always only the last, and the Holy Spirit can pronounce prophecies at will. In Islam, Allah interacts with people only with the help of angels, never making direct contact. Only for the prophet Moses was an exception made - he communicated with Allah face to face. Even Muhammad did not see him.
The pinnacle of divine revelation in Christianity is the incarnation of the Most High. He embodied in his son and began to broadcast to people. In Islam, again, only through contact with the angels. The Christian religion believes that a person should strive to know God. This is even the purpose of human life. Moreover, he has the opportunity to connect with God. There is a gift of deification for this. A believer can become a temple of the Holy Spirit. God can be revealed to anyone through prayer and church services. In Islam, everything is different. A person should not strive for knowledge of Allah, since he is incomprehensible. The believer's task is to seek his right path, Sharia. Allah cannot exist in the soul of man; he is not revealed to everyone, but only faithful. He does not want to communicate with a person directly, only through angels. Even Muhammad was not able to interact directly with Allah.
For the interaction of man with God in Christianity there are special sacraments: anointing, marriage, etc. But in Islam it is impossible in any way.
The relationship between God and man is also different. In Christianity they are father-sons. All people are considered children of the Lord. In Islam, this is a vassal relationship. Allah is the lord, and people are his weak-willed slaves. In both religions, God requires his followers to obey the commandments and to profess the faith. But the Christian God requires, first of all, love for other people and for himself. And Allah requires submission. There is no talk of love; only humility and obedience are needed. For the Christian God, it is important to love all things, to other people, even another confession. And for Muslims, love is prescribed only in relation to co-religionists.
In both religions, martyrdom for faith is welcomed. In Christianity, a martyr is one who accepted suffering for believing in Christ, right up to death. And for Islam they call him who died in the war with the Gentiles.
For a righteous earthly life, both religions promise a person to go to heaven. But Christians there await spiritual bliss without any earthly pleasures. And for the Muslims in paradise, carnal pleasures are prepared: silk lodges, delicious dishes, sexual gurus.
Basic commandments
To identify the characteristics of religions, it is necessary to compare the commandments of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Since the last two come from the Hebrew religion, they have many intersections. In order to achieve enlightenment and earn paradise, a number of commandments must be observed. They were set forth in the Torah, the main Jewish book. Islam and Christianity borrowed them with minor modifications.
In Christianity, 10 commandments are preserved:
- Believe only in one God.
- Do not make yourself an idol.
- Do not utter God's name in vain.
- To give the seventh day to the service of the Lord.
- Honor father and mother.
- Do not kill other people.
- Do not commit adultery.
- Do not steal.
- Never give false evidence.
- Not to desire that which belongs to another.
Islam also suggests observing the 10 commandments, but they have a more vague wording and are more focused on everyday life.
- The first commandment tells you to always get up to prayer as soon as you hear the call.
- The second advises always to study the Quran.
- The third commandment recommends learning the Arabic language.
- The fourth forbids arguing.
- The fifth does not recommend laughing a lot.
- The sixth and seventh orders not to make noise or raise their voices.
- The eighth prohibits speaking evil of other people.
- Ninth calls to recognize and love people.
- The tenth orders to help other people in their free time.
Unconditional similarity of religions is observed. However, for the Christian, these commandments are the main guide in life. And for a Muslim, the five pillars remain the most important of all of the above, the execution of which makes him Orthodox.
Religion founder
Continuing the comparison of two religions, Islam and Christianity, it is worth paying attention to the frontman of each denomination. Jesus was the God-man, his spirit was embodied in a human body. He lived the life of a mortal, and then, having risen, proved the existence of the Most High. Muhammad was a prophet, but a mere mortal.
Since Jesus was God, that is, eternal and omnipresent, he could not have a birthday. But his human incarnation has it.Actually, just like it has a day of death. And each of these dates is celebrated by Christians. Like the God-man, Christ did not have a family or children.
Muhammad also has a birthday and a day of death. As a simple man, he had wives and concubines. Each founder left behind a galaxy of disciples and followers.
Main books
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The structure of the holy books in both religions is similar. The Bible consists of two parts: the Old Testament, borrowed from Judaism, and the New Testament, already formed during the formation of the Christian religion. The second includes the 4 Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and their epistles, as well as a part about the Apocalypse. Every Christian should not only read these books, but also continue to study them throughout his life, each time finding in them the answers to all his questions.
The Quran is a collection of texts, suras, on a variety of topics. Essentially, studying the Holy Scriptures for a Muslim should be enough to learn all about peace and faith. However, in addition to the Qur'an there are several more holy books:
- Taurat (the holy book of the Jews).
- Zabur (a collection of wise sayings and poems).
- Injil (an analogue of the gospel).
The difference between religions is regarding languages. The Qur'an is written in Arabic, and therefore all prayers should be served only in it. For Christians, the language of turning to God does not matter.
Comparison of World Religions
To identify the specifics of the main faiths, a comparison of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism can be made. In religions, in this case, more similarities than differences will be found between the first two religions. Unlike Buddhism, they have the concept of heaven and hell. The path to salvation in them lies through certain actions. While in Buddhism to a greater extent call for contemplation and reflection.
The main line of comparison between Buddhism, Christianity and Islam is polytheism / monotheism. And in this aspect, the difference between religions becomes apparent. Since Islam and Christianity are monotheistic religions, and Buddhism is polytheistic. A comparison with Buddhism also reveals a single prototype of Islam and the faith of Christ - the Hebrew principle. Thus, the line of comparison between Buddhism, Christianity and Islam allows us to understand that there is quite a lot in common between Islam and Christianity, and there is every reason for mutual understanding.