Relationship Between Islam and Protestant Reformation Essay

Initially, Protestantism emerged as a genuine movement to reform. It was a move closer to the Islamic view of Scriptural authority (Berger, 2017). The adherents of Protestantism wanted to bring the practice of the church into line with its teachings. However, it soon developed into something radical bringing in doctrines entirely new to Christianity and practical solutions to new problems. Islam also follows the same pattern of Christianity's Protestant Reformation. According to Islam, improving the society may include purging it of infidels and their corrupt ways. Protestant and Islam Reformation was a revolt against tradition in the name of scripture; the Bible. The Bible and the Koran were the only guide to faith. This view was too optimistic and all Bible-believing Protestants required a huge substructure not to acknowledge beliefs and assumptions highlighted in the Bible.

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Both Islam and the Protestant Reformation prioritized the scripture over tradition and legal debate. They believed that there is the need to change some practices which were not in line with specific practices that define a complete society (Berger, 2017).The main objective of Islam is to show that the divergence in the interpretation of the Bible is far greater than that concerning the Koran. The Koran describes Jews as 'people of the book,' which to some people, is misleading. The Reformation was also a move to address the question of the sacrament and related ideas about the priesthood. In Christianity, the sacrament is a way by which grace is given to people. It is the responsibility of the priest to ordain, anoint, and hear confessions.

In Islam, there is no priesthood, no sacrament, or no alter. On the other hand, most Protestants believe in 'believer's baptism' which is an infusion of grace and faith (Eisenstadt, 2017). This is in line with the Islam belief of acknowledging one's faith in front of witnesses. The teaching on sacrament and baptism was conventional Christianity. In this regard, one can argue that both Muslims and Protestants are not stuck in a transactional relationship with Jesus. The Reformation was an attack on the Catholic Church (Herbert, 2017). Initially, Protestantism and Islam favored the separation of the church so long as the church in question was a Catholic one.

The relationship between Islam and the Protestant Reformation is based on their understanding of marriage and the position of women in the society. In both, marriage is a contract with the possibility of divorce. Polygamy is also allowed. A man may also, in certain cases, keep concubines (Herbert, 2017). The ethics of Islam and Protestants are very similar. In Christianity, outside the domestic circle, the main channel for education for women was the Church. They could find constant visual aids and role models in churches and books. In Islam and Protestantism, there is a distrust of women in any position of power and they are taken as 'second-class citizens.'

Conclusion

In summary, the relationship between Islam and the Protestant Reformation is based on their belief systems to varying extents which also involves developing practical and doctrinal solutions to new problems in Christian faith and morals. The Protestant Reformation gave monarchs justification to unite the church and the state under the authority. This also helped to facilitate modern secularism and it serves as a reminder that politics can shape religion and its application in the society.

References

Berger, P. L. (2017). Pluralism, Protestantization, and the Voluntary Principle. In The New Sociology of Knowledge (pp. 33-46). Routledge.

Eisenstadt, S. N. (2017). Multiple Modernities. In Multiple Modernities (pp. 1-30). Routledge.

Herbert, D. (2017). Religion and Civil Society: Rethinking Public Religion in the Contemporary World. Routledge.