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Christianity and Islam
Both Christianity and Islam are so much a part of human civilization that it is hard to imagine a world without them. However, both these major world religions began as humble sects with a small group of followers. That small group grew and grew, until it became large enough to amass significant political, financial, and cultural capital. Via a series of religious crusades, both Christianity and Islam used violence, force, and multiple types of warfare to impose their dogmatic belief systems on the indigenous peoples in conquered regions. Therefore, these two religions highlight the role of religion as a means of social control. The religions continue to serve as means of social control, but currently conversions are more common than crusades.
Moreover, the history and evolution of Christianity and Islam show how religion can become a unifying force. Christianity and Islam both united disparate people and diverse cultures under a common umbrella. Islam...
Although Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world, it is Islam that remains the fastest growing (The University of Calgary, 1998).
Psychological and sociological methods of growing their base of followers include the use of fear as a powerful motivation. A fear of God and of the Day of Judgment, common to both religions, has always been a powerful impetus to follow a religion and its fundamental tenets. In addition to fear, Christianity and Islam also capitalized on the sense of security that belonging to a group can bring. Christianity was especially adept at adapting the teachings of Jesus, upon which the religion was based, to the local customs and traditions. For example, Christianity grew rapidly in Europe because it was able to forge its myths from the folklore and customs of Germanic and Scandinavian pagan…
References
"Explore Byzantium," (2003). Retrieved online: http://byzantium.seashell.net.nz/articlemain.php?artid=intro
The University of Calgary (1998). Introduction. Retrieved online: http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/beginnings/
Sixth, Muslim morality is very similar to both Christianity and Judaism, due to marriage and family being of the utmost importance. Lastly, Muslims adhere to the concept of Jihad which basically means "the continual, inner spiritual struggle for submission to Allah in which all Muslims must engage in on a daily basis." This concept is very similar to what Christians practice, being a daily struggle to become closer to
In the Qur'an, music is presented as something that can bring pleasure to Muslims. Numerous prominent religious individuals in Islam have apparently claimed that music should not be present in Muslim houses. Even with that, Muslims are aware that Allah cannot possibly prohibit something that does not harm the individual or society in general. It is divisive whether or not Islam allows its followers to enjoy music, considering that the
The first five books were separated from the whole about 400 B.C. As the Pentateuch. Jean Astruc in the eighteenth century noted that the Pentateuch is based on even earlier sources. The two chief sources have since been identified in Genesis on the basis of their respective uses of Yahweh or Elohim in referring to the deity. They are called J. For the Jehovistic or Yahwistic source and E.
Answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/ch15_islam_and_the_goal.htm>. Barron, Robert. n.d. The Evangelical Task within the Context of the Contemporary Culture. USCCB. 6 May 2009 . Bnaiyer Website. n.d. Goals of Christianity. 6 May 2009 . Christianity Oasis. 2009. Creation Story. 6 May 2009 El-Hadi, Nehal. 2005. Islam and the Nature of the Universe. Islam Online. 6 May 2009 . Fenton, John. n.d. Mark's Gospel. Trinity URC Plymouth. 6 May 2009 . Kim, Bockja. n.d. Transcendental Knowledge -- The Goal (Telos) of Human Activities -- East
Initially, there was no separation between religious and civil law within Islamic countries, however Turkey became a secular state during the twentieth century (Introduction). Both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus' birth was miraculous, that he was the Messiah, that he performed miraculous healings, and resurrected the dead (Introduction). However Muslims do not believe in original sin, that Jesus was killed during a crucifixion (but rather escaped and reappeared to
370). The most egregious sins that can be committed by a Muslim include to deny the unity of God by ascribing divine status to any person or object. This sin is called shirk. Emphasizing the importance of shirk to Muslim morality, all iconography is strictly forbidden in Islam. Iconography in a mosque, the Muslim place of worship, would be akin to idol worship. The second major sin of Islam is