"THE RELIGION OF ISLAM": A Comparison Of Islam And Christianity

Article Title: "THE RELIGION OF ISLAM": A Comparison Of Islam And Christianity
Submitted by: Craig Lock
Category (key words/tags): Islam, The Koran, religion, faith, beliefs, religious tolerance, spiritual unity, unity of religions
Web site: http://executableoutlines.com/islam/islam_05.htm
The submitter’s blog (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) is at buildbridgesofunity.wordpress.com and http://craiglock.wordpress.com
Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565 and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981
(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, ‘spiritual writings’ (how ‘airey-fairey’), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig )

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"THE RELIGION OF ISLAM"

A Comparison Of Islam And Christianity

Sourced from: http://executableoutlines.com/islam/islam_05.htm

INTRODUCTION

1. In previous studies, we have directed our focus on Islam...

a. The beginnings and early history of Islam

b. The origin, importance and content of the Qur'an

c. The faith and practices of Islam

d. The issue as to whether Islam is a religion of peace

2. It may be beneficial to look at Islam in comparison with

Christianity...

a. What might they have in common?

b. How do they differ on fundamental issues?

[In this study, we shall consider what the two religions believe on

various issues as we seek to gain a better understanding of Islam. We

begin with...]

I. GOD

A. ISLAM...

1. Teaches there is one God - Qur'an 3:64

2. Rejects the concept of the Trinity

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Teaches there is one God - 1Co 8:6

2. Reveals that the Godhead is composed of three distinct

personalities - Father, Son, Holy Spirit; one in essence and

substance - cf. Jn 1:1-5; Php 2:5-8; 2Jn 9; Mt 28:19

[Closely related to any concept of God is one's view regarding...]

II. JESUS

A. ISLAM...

1. Considers Jesus a prophet, like Noah, Abraham, Moses (and

Muhammad)

2. Rejects the divinity of Jesus, denies his preexistence - Qur'an

4:171

3. Believes in the virgin birth, however

4. Does not believe Jesus died on the cross nor was raised from

the dead - Qur'an 4:157

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God - Mt 16:13-18

2. Teaches the pre-existence of Christ - Jn 1:1-5; Col 1:16-17

3. Proclaims that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and was

raised from the dead

[What one believes regarding Jesus certainly has a bearing on one's

understanding of...]

III. SALVATION

A. ISLAM...

1. Salvation comes by works

2. Personal righteousness is weighed against personal sin, which

ever is greater determines salvation - Qur'an 23:101-103

3. A Muslim can be forgiven by repenting of sin - Qur'an 39:53-54

4. Paradise is assured for one who dies as a martyr for Islam

5. One becomes a Muslim by confessing "There is no other god but

God; and Muhammad is the Prophet of God" (la ilaha ill'Allah,

Muhammad rasul Allah) from the heart

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Salvation is by grace through an obedient faith - Ep 2:8-9; Ti

3:4-7

2. Jesus died on the cross as atonement for our sins - Ro 3:21-26

3. He is the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him - He 5:9

4. Those whose names are in the Lamb's book of life will be spared

condemnation - Re 20:11-15

5. One becomes a Christian by:

a. Believing that Christ died for your sins - Jn 8:24; Ro 10:

9-10

b. Repenting of your sins - Ac 2:38; 17:30-31

c. Confessing your faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God

- Mt 10:32,33; Ro 10:9-10

d. Being baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins

- Mt 28:19; Mk 16:16; Ac 2:38; 22:16; Ro 6:3-6; Ga 3:27;

Col 2:11-13; Tit 3:5; 1Pe 3:21

[Doctrines pertaining to salvation are naturally related to views

pertaining to...]

IV. ETERNAL JUDGMENT

A. ISLAM...

1. Believes in a resurrection of the dead and judgment at the Last

Day

2. Paradise for the faithful, served by beautiful virgins - Qur'an

56:1-38

3. Hell for unbelievers, with eternal torment - Qur'an 56:39-56

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Believes in a resurrection of the dead and judgment at the Last

Day

2. The eternal City, New Jerusalem, in the new heavens and new

earth for those whose name is in the Lamb's book of life

- Re 21:1-7,9-27; 22:1-5

3. The lake of fire for the unbelieving and wicked - Re 20:15;

21:8

[What one believes about God, Jesus, salvation and the judgment depends

heavily upon what one considers to be...]

V. THE WORD OF GOD

A. ISLAM...

1. Believes in 4 inspired books - the Torah (5 books of Moses),

Zabur (the Psalms), lnjil (the Gospel), and Qur'an

2. The first three have been corrupted; the Qur'an provides the

final revelation of God's Word

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Believes Old and New Testaments contains the revelation of

God's Word - 2Ti 3:16-17

2. Believes that God's Word cannot be corrupted, but is preserved

- 1Pe 1:23-25; Mt 24:35; Isa 40:8

3. Believes that revelation of God's Word is fully and finally

revealed - 2Pe 1:3; Jude 3

[It is of interest to note some of the differences in the two religion

regarding...]

VI. PRAYER, FASTING, AND WORSHIP

A. ISLAM...

1. Has set times to offer prayers (five times per day)

2. Has set periods and procedures in which to fast (the month of

Ramadan)

3. Places emphasis on ceremonial rituals such as washings, posture

in prayer

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Calls for fervent and steadfast prayer, with no set times

proscribed - 1Th 5:17; Col 4:2

2. Has a place for fasting, but left up to the individual - Mt 6:

16-18; Ac 13:2-3; 14:23

3. Places emphasis upon the spiritual aspect of worship - Jn 4:

23-24; Ep 5:19; Col 3:16

[A major difference between Islam and Christianity in spreading their

faiths involve the issues of...]

VII. WAR AND VENGEANCE

A. ISLAM...

1. Allows war and vengeance for self-defense against persecution

2. Allows use of war in promoting the faith against unbelievers

and idolaters

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Forbids war and vengeance when persecuted for righteousness'

sake - Mt 5:10-12,38-48

2. Forbids use of war to promote the cause of Christ and the

gospel - 2Co 10:3-5

[Some other differences between the two faiths relate to...]

VIII. MORALS

A. ISLAM...

1. Forbids alcohol, gambling - Qur'an 5:93-94

2. Forbids eating pork

3. Allows up to four wives, may divorce and remarry them twice

- Qur'an 2:229

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Forbids drunkenness, covetousness, and other "works of the

flesh" - Ga 5:19-21

2. Allows all foods, if received with thanksgiving and prayer

- 1Ti 4:4-5 (with the exception of drinking blood and eating

animals that were strangled, Ac 15:20,29; 21:25)

3. Teaches monogamy, divorce only for fornication - Mt 19:9; 1Co 7:2

[Both religions distinguish between the role of men and women, though

with important differences...]

IX. TREATMENT OF WOMEN

A. ISLAM...

1. Men have more rights than women - Qur'an 2:228

2. Women do not attend public prayers at the Mosque

3. A husband may punish a wife by withholding what is due, and

then beat her if necessary - Qur'an 4:34

B. CHRISTIANITY...

1. Men and women are fellow heirs of the grace of life - 1Pe 3:7;

Ga 3:28-29

2. Women do not have leadership roles in the church - 1Co 11:3;

14:34-37; 2Ti 2:11-12

3. Forbids withholding what is due, and requires treating the wife

with tenderness and understanding - 1Co 7:3-5; 1Pe 3:7

CONCLUSION

1. This has not been an exhaustive comparison between Islam and

Christianity...

a. It has been a simple examination at some of the more notable

features of comparison

b. Undoubtedly, many other similarities and differences could be

noted

2. In considering such comparisons, one should note the following

caveat...

a. Islam contains many different sects; not all professing Muslims

might agree with some of the representations of Islamic beliefs

made in this comparison

b. In a similar vein, not all professing Christians may agree with

what has been offered as that which Christianity teaches

But perhaps this comparison can serve as a starting point in identifying

key issues for discussions between Muslims and Christians who seek to

better understand one another's faiths....

Sourced from http://executableoutlines.com/islam/islam_05.htm

#

To end off... I love these inspiring words, so will share with you...

"It is time for people of good will from every faith and nation to recognise that a terrible danger threatens humanity. We must set aside our international and partisan bickering and join to confront the danger that lies before us. Our goal must be to illuminate the hearts and minds of humanity, and offer a compelling alternate vision for the world: a bright future that banishes the fanatical ideology of intolerance and hatred to the darkness from which it emerged."

- Abdurrahman Wahid, former President of Indonesia, in the 'Wall Street Journal'

Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "We have come to a time in the history of the world, where we need to rediscover the path to peace, and the path to peace can never be war. This pathway is lined with the concept of co-existence and co-inhabitance of the world."

"A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long supressed, finds utterance."

- Jahrulal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India (1947)

I hope that this information may be of interest to you (as it is to me)...
Those of us who long for (and are passionate about) the ideals of moderation and religious tolerance will continue to hope for a better understanding of complex issues between people of different cultures and faiths through reasoned and 'informed' dialogue in a spirit of mutual tolerance and respect. God's greatest gift to us is to find, then follow our own truths. We can ALL nurture the real values common to ALL humanity: those highest ideals of tolerance, righteousness, justice, mercy and respect for all of life must surely triumph.

"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others."

- John F. Kennedy

With UNDERSTANDING comes TOLERANCE and with TOLERANCE comes MORE UNDERSTANDING.

So Let each one of us in our own 'little ways' attempt to build bridges rather than barriers, openness rather than walls. Let us look at distant horizons together in a spirit of openness, acceptance of our differences, helpfulness, co-operation, mutual tolerance, respect, trust, peace and especially in a spirit of love, the most powerful force in existence. Let our leaders and each ONE of us look at the future with a vision - to see things not as they are, but what they could one day become. What divides us as fellow citizens on planet earth is not nearly as powerful as the force, the divine spirit that UNITES us: The Spirit of God, the Ultimate Source that let's us accept and even celebrate our differences ... and let's the Love of humanity within EACH one of us to conquer anything at all.

Shared by craig ("Information and Inspiration Distributer, Incorrigible Encourager and People-builder... and a ‘passionate moderate’ for religious tolerance")

"People fight and die for religion but they seldom LIVE for religion".

- Jahrulal Nehru, former Prime Minister of India"

“God's greatest gift to us is allowing us to find, then choose to follow our own truths.”

"The greatest good we can do for others is reveal the rich treasure inside themselves; so shine your own bright light on an often darkened world... with the highest level of humanity ...and have great fun along the journey of life."

“Peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
- author unknown

"There is neither east nor west, tribe nor ethnicity, male or female, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist. Christian nor Jew. There is only a God-filled humanity."

"Let each one of us build bridges rather than barriers, openness rather than walls. Let us look at distant horizons together in a spirit of acceptance, helpfulness, co-operation and peace. Let our leaders look at the future with a vision - to see things not as they are, but what they could one day become."

"When people's hearts are filled with love, the world is full of hope" - craig

"Instead of the limits of borders (of countries and of our minds) let us and our leaders expand our sense of possibility... and together let's look at building bridges to distant horizons, far and great. Lord, help us all lift our eyes a little higher."

Together, one mind, one heart, one life at a time, let's plant the seeds, the hope of a better and brighter future.

THESE THOUGHTS MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED, electronically or in print

"God is leading us to the light. What we learn in the darkness, we are to share in the eternal light

May the Grace of our loving Creator care for and watch over you all... always