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Both faiths ascribe to a heaven and a hell, belief in angels and the devil. Moreover, Islam and Christianity teach against crimes against humanity to include violence, gambling, adultery, lying, theft and murder. Both teach that children are to respect their parents and husbands and wives are to be respected. Both Islam and Christianity teach against same sex marriage, homosexuality, fornication, and vulgarism. Both teach of modesty in presentation to the rest of the world. Observation of societal laws is also important to believers in Islam and Christianity (Asad 60).
Traditions
Islam and Christianity both believe in zakat or charity; extending one's self to those less fortunate. Both traditions teach fasting as a way of getting closer to God as well as enhancing each individual's God like qualities. Despite recent extremist practices by some Muslims, both Islam and Christianity are faiths based on a tradition of peace (Asad 103). Although some may argue that place of origin is not a tradition, it can be clearly argued that both Christianity and Islam originated in the Middle East and as such, many of the traditions practiced historically as well as those today are influenced by that fact.
Both Islam and Christianity have a tradition of the recognition of sin (shirk)( Asad 121). Although many have debated this fact, Muslims do acknowledge Jesus as a very important person to the believing body. Although Muslims regard Jesus as a very important prophet, similarly to Muhammad (peace be upon him), there is respect for his contribution to the world. There is also recognition of the special circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth and the important place Mary holds as Jesus' earthly mother (Lowenthal 79).
Another tradition that...
Although exercised on different days, both believe in weekly assembly; Muslims on Friday for Juma prayer and Christians on Sundays. Another tradition, as it relates to fasting is a dedicated timeframe for fasting of the believing body to take place. For Muslims, the month of Ramaddan is dedicated to fasting and getting closer to God. For Christians, many practice a specified time for fasting near Easter; recognized as the time of the death and resurrection of Jesus (Lowenthal 44).
Conclusion
Particularly in today's society, and subsequent to the events of September 11th, 2001, the differences between Christians and Muslims have been the foundation of many scholarly, religious, and layperson debate. This differences and the magnification of these differences have been hotly contested for many generations. However, there are many similarities between Christianity and Islam that many individuals either do not recognize or choose to ignore. These similarities have been clearly articulated and the focus on these similarities can serve to bridge the great divide many people of faith can choose to accept and then respect each other's choice of religious expression.
References
Asad, Talal. Formations of the secular: Christianity, Islam, Modernity.2003. Web.
Games, Alex & Victoria Coren. Balderdash and Piffie. One Sandwich short of a dog's dinner. (2007): 143-144.
Goddard, Hugh. Christian-Muslim Relations: Yesterday, today and tomorrow. International Journal for the study of the Christian church, 3.2 (2003): 1-14.
Lowenthal, Kate. The psychology of religion: a short introduction. 2000. Web
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