Christians View Jesus As A God example essay topic

Christianity vs. Islam Christianity and Islam are two of the world's most populous religions. Both are different in today's beliefs but similar in origin. Like every other religion or philosophy, Islam also claims to be the one and only true way to God. The religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to God or "Allah" and live according to His Divinely revealed Law. Being a Muslim requires willful submission and active obedience to God and living in accordance with His message.

Muslims believe all of God's prophets, who include Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad brought the same message of Pure Monotheism. For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad was not the founder of a new religion, as many mistakenly think, but he was the Final Prophet of Islam. (Masters 1-4) The Muslim Bible, the Qur " an, is believed to be the last book of God sent to mankind. This is believed to have been given the destination of being personally guarded by God from human tampering and shall remain safe from the tampering of mankind until the Day of Judgment as guidance for all Humanity. (Sabr Foundation 1-3) Christianity teaches that man is sinful and can never inherit eternal life in the presence of God as a result of the sins of our first parents, Adam and Eve, as well as our own personal sin. Therefore it became necessary for God to become man in the person of Jesus Christ, who as the Son of God was sinless and unblemished.

His purpose was to suffer and die in atonement for the sins of all whom accept his sacrifice for sin. (The Geography of Christianity 1-3) Christianity is traditionally understood to be founded by Jesus of Nazareth as a religion for both the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles of the Diaspora. Christians view God as Lord and Savior over all and accept the Bible as his faultless word. Traditionally, it is seen as if Christianity and Islam have nothing in common. On the contrary, these two religions have more in common than most people, both Christians and Muslims, are aware of. When Muhammad revolted against the worship of idols in Mecca and told the people they should worship the God who created the heaven and the earth, he and his followers were persecuted, and about eighty of his followers were forced to go to a Christian nation.

The Christian king of Ethiopia gave these persecuted Muslims a safe haven and also took care of them until their country was safe enough to return. Both sacred Books of these two religions, the Holy Bible and the Qur " an, have things that compliment each other. For example, both books testify that Jesus is 'The Word sent by God', was born from the Virgin Mary, and is sinless. The Qur " an also acknowledges the Torah (the Law of Moses), Psalms of David, the writings of the Old Testament prophets, and the In jil (The Gospel of Jesus Christ) as inspired Holy Scriptures from God in which we should follow as does the Bible. Like Christianity, an essential part of the Islamic teaching is to adore Jesus and believe in his holiness. The Qur " an attributes to Jesus many of the miracles which are mentioned in the Gospel.

According to the Holy Qur " an, Jesus was empowered by God to cure the sick, revive the dead, and make the blind see. The areas of disagreement between Islam and Christianity are quite clear. Although Islam accepts the holiness of Jesus, it denies his divinity. According to the teaching of Islam, Jesus is no deity. He is not God, nor is he united with God. On the other hand, Christians view Jesus as a God and live their lives in accordance of him.

Islam teaches Jesus is not the Son of God. God does not have any children because He is above that. Christians know Jesus as the son of God, a Savior and Lord who died on the cross to take away all of our sins. Islam denies the crucifixion of Jesus.

Muslims believe Jesus did not die on the cross, he only made people think he was and God saved him. Finally Islam disagrees with Christianity on the Doctrine of Redemption. The Doctrine of Redemption is based on the Doctrine of the Original Sin: God had condemned mankind because of the sin of Adam and Eve, which was consequently inherited by their children. Islam denies the whole Doctrine of the Original Sin, believing God did not condemn mankind because a sin was committed by a couple at the beginning of time. While both of these religions may have their similarities and differences, the major factor is both believe in God in some form or another and expect for him to return for all of his children.

Bibliography

Islam and Christianity. 1994.
Global Good News. 5 Oct. 2001.
web Masters, Abu Yusuf Daniel, Kaka, Abu Maryam Is mal " il, and Squires, Abu Iman Robert. A Quick Introduction to Islam. 5 Oct. 2001.
web Sabr Foundation. Home Page. 1998-2001.
web The Geography of Christianity. Morehead State University. 15 Jan. 1998.
web Where Islam and Christianity Agree and Differ on Jesus. 1997-2001.