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Christianity vs. Islam: Interpreting the Bible and Koran
Abraham's Sacrifice
Christianity and Islam interpret this event very similarly; both the Koran and the Bible acknowledge that Abraham was willing to make a "tremendous sacrifice" in this particular event (Shamoun, 2003). The difference however, between the Koran and the Bible rests in the name of Abraham's son. For example the bible says as follows:
By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son..." (Hebrews, 11:17; Shamoun, 2003).
The bible then, affirms that Isaac was offered up to God. The Koran however claims that Ishmael however, was offered up by Abraham as his only son. Muslims support this claim by affirming the notion that the Bible states that Abraham offered his "only son" who had to be Ishmael (Shamoun, 2003). Christians argue however that Isaac was the true promised child of Abraham, the only one that was Promised...
The Koran does acknowledge that Isaac was the only "promised child" of Abraham (Surah 11:69-73, 37:112-113; Shamoun, 2003).
The Koran does not actually state the name of the child that is sacrificed; rather it states "And we ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice..." (Surah 37:99-106; Shamoun, 2003).
The Virgin Birth/the Nature of Jesus
The Koran does support the virgin birth of Christ, but does not support the notion that Christ was resurrected (Dew, 2001). The Koran suggests rather that the Virgin Mary gave birth to a prophet, who was free from innate sin because he was virgin born (Brother Mike, n.d.).
The Bible however, supports the notion that the virgin birth existed, and the Virgin Mary gave birth to the son of God: "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9; Dew, 2001). Islam…
References
Brother Mike. (n.d.) "Islam in the Balance." {Online addition}. Available: http://www.muhammadanism.org/islam/islam_in_the_balance.pdf
Dew, Diane. (2001). "Islam and Christianity." {Online} Available: http://dianedew.com/islam.htm
Kreeft, Peter. (1987). "Comparing Christianity & Islam." National Catholic Register. (May, 1987).
Shamoun, Sam. 2003. "Answering Islam." {Online} Available: http://answering-islam.org.uk/Shamoun/sacrivice.htm
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