Assignment Example on Christianity and Islam

1. What do Muslims and Christians believe about God, creation, and the afterlife? How are these beliefs similar? How are they different?

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Individuals who are believers of either Christianity of Islam believe that these religions come from God, and this is one of the unifying factors between this two major world religions. The Christians believe in the existence of God as a trinity; god the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. The son, who is Jesus Christ, is disputed by the Islamic religion, as not God's son, but rather a prophet, just like Mohamed is a prophet of Allah. The creation believes also possess some form of similarity, with God creating Adam and Eve, and the forbidden fruit being the cause of sin. However, unlike the seven days creation account of the Christians, Muslims believe that God created the world in six days and that all life emerged from the water. While Christians believe the seventh day of creation as a resting day and a day to dedicate their time to God, Islam eliminates this idea by stating that after creation, Allah "settled Himself upon the Throne" (57:4) to oversee his creation. Both faiths believe in the afterlife, commencing with the judgment day. To Christianity, Christians will be met by Jesus mid-air, and go to heaven with him, while the others will suffer an eternity in hell (Slick). Muslims believe in going to paradise, for those faithful to the religion, while the unfaithful will go hell. The selection will be alongside a narrow bridge, and the judgment will be based on their deeds.

2. The origin of Christianity and Islam

Before the coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ), the Jews still believed in God but had stringent religious authorities. Once the Messiah was finally there, his teachings and the belief that he was the son of god offered the poor a consolation, while getting on the necks of the authorities as they viewed his as a blasphemous. After an arrest, judgment, crucifixion, and death, Jesus rose from the dead, a proof that he really was the son of god (Jenkins). After that, Christianity spread and continued developing in Antioch and other Israel cities. The Christians, starting off as a rebellious group, faced prosecutions, and murder through stoning. Islam, on the other hand, can be traced back to the 7th century originating from Saudi Arabia. Is was started by Muhammad, a prophet who claimed to have had a divine visitation, and later dictated the Quran and the Islam doctrine (Religion Library ). However, the Quran by itself attributed the emergence of Islam way before the existence of Muhammad. After the death of his uncle, Muhammad fled the city of Mecca, and he traveled through others cities, so did this religion spread. The criticism against idol worship, and Muhammad's claim as the messenger of God. He also criticized the tribal and kinship societal systems and aimed at persuading the rich to share their fortunes with the poor. This, to many Arabs, was a threat to social order, and they resented and rejected him and his message. The converts to this new religion were persecuted, tortured and killed.

3. Michael Hart on the ranking of Jesus and Mohammad

Michael Hart ranked Jesus as the third most influential person due to the following reasons:

1. He stated that Jesus' teaching on turning the other cheek when slapped on one, the loving of enemies and praying for prosecutors an impractical and added that they are not adhered to by many Christians.
2. Insofar as Christianity is traced back to Jesus Christ, Hart argues that the religion was actually spread by Paul and not Jesus. It was Paul who "was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the new testament" (hart 18).
3. Very little is known about Jesus, as it is not even sure that this was his real name. His year of birth and death are also not documented, and he did not leave any writing behind (hart 19). This implies that his legitimacy cannot be proven.

The ranking of Muhammad as the first most influential person in the world:

• Starting off from an economically and politically inferior background, and orphaned at the age of six, the gradual yet success influence that Muhammad had on the Arabs, causing massive numbers of conversions and conquering mecca in a war made him top the list
• "Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam that Jesus did in the development of Christianity" (hart 9). Apart from being the founder of Islam, Muhammad came up with the theology of the Islam religion, as well as its ethical and moral principles.
• As a secular, as well as a religious leader, the influence of Muhammad to the world, politically and religious proved more influential.

The influence an individual has on the lives of others does not lie in their legitimacy but rather the forms of change they introduce in them. Jesus Christ might not have a clearly documented past, but his values and the hope he instilled in his followers surpasses any rankings.

4. Why did Islam spread so quickly, and become the center of technology and learning, whereas Christianity struggled for many years in Dark Ages Europe?

Christianity dates back to the times of Jesus, and Islam is one of the youngest world religions as it emerged in the seventh century. However, the Islam civilization has seen dramatic progress with technological advancements and learning, while Christianity dragged on its development. This can be attributed to the fact that the Islam doctrine and the Quran were profoundly grounded in the value of education (Bassiouni ). Values and cultures were passed down through widespread hung pieces of writings, art, and poems, and this put them on the right side of development. Soon after, schools emerged and thereby literacy and innovation. Christianity, on the other hand, faced massive challenges and was in the dark. The fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the barbarian Odoacer, and the political economic and social lives of the people were distorted. The Christianity that was supposed to unite people also faced conflicts within itself, with the Orthodox and the Catholics fighting over power and reforms (Newman). The Muslim invasions worsened the situation, and this stagnated the spread and civilization of Christianity.

Works Cited

Bassiouni M. C. Islam civilization. Middle East institute. 2018http://www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/the-dark-ages.htmlCrosby Alfred. The Columbian exchange. The glider Lehrman institute of American history. 2012p.1

Hart M. M. (1993). The 100: a ranking of the most influential persons in history. A citadel press book. Pp. 1- 30

Jenkins P. , When the Jesus Movement Became the Christian Church.2018http://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2018/03/end-beginning-jesus-movement-became-christian-church/

Newman Simon. The dark ages. The finer times. http://www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/the-dark-ages.htmlSlick matt. Comparison grid between Christianity and Islam doctrine. Christian apologetics and research ministries. 2008https://carm.org/comparison-grid-between-christianity-and-islamic-doctrine

Zinn Howard. History is a weapon. 2010