Catholicism and Islam: A Comparison/Contrast

Catholicism and Islam:

A Comparison/contrast

As a major branch of Christianity, Roman Catholicism dates back to around 312 A.D. when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and gave up all of his Roman pagan beliefs based on polytheism or the belief in more than one god. Constantine's so-called miraculous conversion to Christianity and the teachings of Jesus Christ heavily influenced other Romans to convert to this new religion and by the time of the edicts of Theodosius I in 380 A.D., Christianity had become the official state religion of the Roman Empire, thus paving the way for the formation of the Holy Roman Empire.

Between 312 and 337 A.D., Constantine ordered the building of numerous Christian churches and began to hand over the power of the church to the Bishop of Rome, a title which later became the Pontifex Maximus or the great pagan priesthood. It is because of this title that today's head of the Catholic church, being the pope, is known as the Pontiff, "the appointed civil head of the church," also called the Vicar of Christ and the Bishop of Bishops ("Roman Catholicism," 1997, Internet). Of course, after the formation of the Holy Roman Empire, Catholicism spread to all parts of Europe and the Roman Catholic Church, headed by the pope and based in the city of Rome, became the most powerful and influential religious entity in the known world.

By the 7th century A.D., the Catholic Church adopted a summary of essential Christian beliefs which allegedly dates back to the days of the apostles as found in the New Testament.

Known as the Apostle's Creed, this refers to the one and only holy Catholic Church with a belief system based on the divine teachings and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, the body of modern-day Catholicism is firmly based on the church as a community of man and is meant to be a universal belief, extending beyond reality and time itself. In the United States, Catholicism dates back to the 1600's when Europeans first set foot on the shores of America, thus bringing with them their religious beliefs and principles. In essence, the Spanish and French explorers that came to the New World during this time brought with them Roman Catholicism with two major goals in mind -- first, to conquer as much territory as possible, and second, to convert the native Indian peoples to Catholicism, something which turned out to be a very long, bloody and violent event.

In today's modern world, Catholicism is centered around the seven sacraments which are part of Catholic worship known as the mass. These sacraments include baptism, confirmation, the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of reconciliation or confession, anointing the sick, marriage and the ordination to the priesthood. Catholicism also incorporates a belief and devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and to all of the saints associated with the Catholic Church. In addition, as a hierarchical organization, the Catholic Church views the pope as its worldwide leader and is revered as the Vicar of Christ on earth and as the Bishop of Rome, assisted by the College of Cardinals and by the Roman Curia, an administrative branch of the church.

Thus, as one of the most important Christian-based religions, Catholicism today with the Vatican in Rome as the seat of power claims almost one billion members worldwide with 60

million in the U.S. And Canada, according to figures released in 2005 ("Roman Catholicism,"

1997, Internet). However, these numbers have recently dropped, especially in Europe, where the Catholic Church and its tenets are often viewed as outdated and redundant.

Much like Catholicism, the religious system known as Islam whose believers are called Muslim dates back to around 610 A.D. when the prophet Muhammad allegedly was visited by the angel Gabriel who spoke to him and conveyed the actual words of Allah Himself (i.e., Allah as God). Muhammad was also told that he had been chosen by Allah as a prophet and that he must write down everything he had been told. Shortly before his death in 632 A.D., these writings became the Holy Quran, the sacred scriptures of Islam.

One of the most important similarities between Islam and Catholicism is that both are founded on monotheism or the belief in one God, a God who is believed to be "personal, righteous and holy" (Corbett, 2001, p. 233). Of course, one of the most contrasting differences between Islam and Catholicism is that Islam was founded in the Middle East as a Semitic monotheistic religion, comparable to the faith of Judaism, while Catholicism is a strictly Western-based religion.

In addition, Islam, much like Catholicism, has what is known as the Five Pillars of Islam, comparable to the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith. These pillars include faith as shown in the repetition of the creed called shahadah, being "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah;" prayer five times daily, either at home or in a mosque, an Islamic church; the giving of alms to the poor, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, and the hajj or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, a journey that all faithful Muslims are required to take at least once in their lifetimes if they are physically and financially able to do so.