Christianity and Islam: Beyond the Looking Glass Essay

Christianity and Islam are two of the world’s major religions that are often perceived as largely distinct in doctrines and practices. These two, are being regarded to have contradictory principles. But is the disparity of their beliefs truly that big? To have a deeper understanding of both religions, it would be best to consider their followers in the picture. Sad to say, some people equate the Muslims with terrorists. I have personally talked to friends who are afraid to ride a plane with Muslim co-passengers in it. Are these purely misconceptions because we have already established certain schema against the Muslims? Or are there truths in it on which such beliefs originated? If we are to read Suras 2:190-193, 2:216, 4:76, 5:32-36, 7:96-99, 8:12-14, 8:59, 8:65, 9:5, 9:14, 9:23-29, 9:38-41, 9:123, 47:4, 47:35, 61:4 and 66:9, many passages in the Quran exhort Muslims to kill infidels (non-Muslims), wherever they find them (Faithfacts, 2004). Some Arabic terms are only even softened sometimes by English translators who use â€Å"fight† instead of â€Å"kill†. In fact, Osama bin Laden was quoted as saying â€Å"I was ordered to fight the people until they say there is no god but Allah, and his prophet is Muhammad† in the famous videotape discovered in Afghanistan in the late 2001 (cited in â€Å"Fundamentalism, 2004). These words echo the language in the Quran itself and such calls to violence are not merely distortions of the Quran by extreme radicals who try to twist it for their violent ends because violence is an integral part of Islam. Even Muhammad himself laid the foundation for violence as seen in his deeds and commands, which are traceable in the hadiths. Furthermore, 11 percent of the pages of the Bukhari Hadiths mention the Holy War (jihad), which is a means to use violence in order to spread faith. However, it must be realized as well that violence is not unique to Islam for even the Bible has its share of violence, particularly in the Old Testament. In fact God instructs the Israelites coming out of Egypt to take over the land Christianity and Islam 2 of Canaan and kill all the inhabitants. There is a difference though between this and the Quranic violence because the Bible makes it clear that the Canaanite society deserved it as it was completely polluted by their wretchedly evil practices, including the horrible practice of child sacrifice as found in Deuteronomy 9:1-6, 12:29-31, 18:9-14, 1 Kings 14:24, Chronicles 33: 1-9, Ezra 9:11 (Faithfacts, 2004). Cases like these are particularly limited for a particular purpose established by God unlike the Quran, where we encounter general commands to kill and destroy the enemies of Islam that are applicable for all times, places and groups. Even then the fact remains that none of these religions are spared from committing violence, which proves that their disparity is not that big at all (cited in â€Å"Fundamentalism†, 2004). Another thing to consider is the difference in the practices and teachings of the subject religions’ prophets – Jesus of Christianity and Muhammad of Islam. If the latter has led at least 27 bloody invasions, assassinated many of his opponents during his lifetime and executed hundreds of captured men in his battle against the Quraiza Jews, Jesus’ teachings have remained consistent in maintaining its tone of peace, service, love and humility as found in the biblical passages that could be cited in Mathew 5:1-12, 5:43-44, 9:36, 19:30, 26:50-52, Mark 9:35, Luke 6:27-36, 9:54-55, 10:30-37, 22: 49-51, 23:32-34, John 10:7-18, 13:1-17, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 2:6-8, 1 Thessalonian 5:15, and 1 Peter 3:8-9 (The New Testament, 2008). There is nothing like the Christian concept of â€Å"love your enemies† or â€Å"turn your other cheek† (Luke 6:27-37) that can be found in Islam. While Christianity teaches its believers to love their neighbors as themselves (Matthew 19:19), the Quran instructs its followers not to even take Christians or Jews as friends (Suras 3:118, 5:51, 60:1-3). Jesus was even aware of this when he warned, â€Å"the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God† as cited in John 16:2-4 (The New Testament, 2008). Another notable point is the difference in both religions’ concept of charity. their followers to give alms to the poor but unlike the biblical concept where charity is not limited to any group (cited in â€Å"Luke† 10:30-37), the Muslims are taught to give alms to the Muslim poor only (cited in â€Å"Islam†, 2008). The two religions also have differences in their concept of justice and forgiveness. In the teachings of the New Testament as cited in Matthew 6:12, 14-15, the act of forgiveness is being given exceptional emphasis, â€Å"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses†. In the teachings of Islam as cited in Sura 5:38 â€Å"As for the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut of their hands as a punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah; and Allah is Mighty, Wise†. Muslims do this even to their children if they steal out of hunger. They would not show compassion and feed the child but would instead sever their hands and wrists to drive home the lessons of Allah. Likewise, in the Old Testament as cited in Leviticus 19:11, â€Å"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie to one another. If we analyze the above teachings, it is evident that both religions consider stealing as evil however, the Christians are more compassionate and subtle in dealing with it since the teachings of Jesus’ wants his followers to be forgiving. Another interesting difference is on how the two religions treat women and marriage. In Islam, a man can have up to four wives at the same time (Sura 4:3) and has the right to beat his disobedient wife until she obeys (Sura 4:34, Bukhari 8:68). Even Muhammad himself had thirteen wives, two concubines, and four women of uncertain relationships. (cited in â€Å"Fundamentalism†, 2004). In the teachings of Christianity, Jesus insisted on the sanctity of marriage (Mark 10:5-12), thus, in the Christian’s current practice, a couple has to undergo the process of divorce before they are allowed to remarry legally. Christianity also condones the abuse of women. The Christian teachings consider the fairness of men and women Christianity and Islam 4 (Matthew 5:32, 1 Corinthians 11:11-12, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 5:25-33) unlike that of Islam, which does not give the wife the right to divorce her husband (Sura 2: 228). Islam even teaches that majority of the people in hell are women (Bukhari 1:28, 1:301, and 2:161). Christianity and Islam also differ in the way they consider the nature of God. While the former teaches that God is a Trinity – one God revealed in three persons or manifestations, Islam denies vehemently the doctrine and even considers it as blasphemy (Suras 4:171, 5:17, 5:72-75). However, it is interesting to note that Islam has a high regard of Jesus. What it denies is his divinity, and that he is the Son of God (Suras 9:30, 10:68, 19:35, 43:81-83). Another difference is that the God of the Bible is holy – perfect in all respects: moral, just, faithful, loving, all-knowing etc. (Hebrews 7:26), while the God of Quran does not always come as holy. He changes his mind, promises and does not offer assurance of salvation (Suras 4:116, 5:18, 9:15). In other words, he is arbitrary (cited in â€Å"Faitfacts†, 2004). Both religions also vary in their concept of salvation and heaven. Christianity teaches us that man cannot earn salvation. We need a savior to save us from sin thus, he sent Jesus, his only begotten son. As it says in the Bible â€Å"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. † (Isaiah 64: 5-7) â€Å"But God demonstrated his love for us in this: while we were still sinners,Christ died for us. † (Romans 5:8). This belief is totally denied by Islam, even Jesus’ crucifixion (Sura 4:157). On the concept of heaven, the Muslim considers the paradise as a carnal and sensual place, where gorgeous palaces are found and wine are abundant. Christians, on the other hand see it as a place of bliss, where pain, and tears will be gone and men, women, and children will be treated equally. In the previous discussions, we have already noted several differences on the two religions, which in some instances also meet each other. However, we must also note that they are not just different. If we are to take a look at the beliefs of Christians and Muslims, we can see Christianity and Islam 5 that they have some commonalities. Both religions agree in some aspects: that there is one God who created the universe and is sovereign in the lives of men; God is the source of justice and morality; that his ultimate justice is dispensed via life after death in heaven and hell, and that things like pornography and unchaste living are pollutants to the society (cited in â€Å"faithfacts†, 2008). In other words, both religions believed in a supreme being, whether God or Allah. There is also an agreement that he is the creator of all things. Their teachings both acknowledge that there is good and evil, where the former is rewarded and the latter is punished. The forms of reward though, and punishment vary in both religions. Both also emphasizes that following the teachings would let the person experience heaven when he dies. It is clear that Christianity and Islam are not that different at all, neither is Islam an evil belief. The latter may have emphasized the role of violence in its teachings, but it still depends on how such is being interpreted and carried out. They might differ in many ways: nature of God; concept of justice; forgiveness and more, but we still could not discount the fact that both are religions with followers that are humans, Christians and Muslims, no matter what doctrines they follow, also need respect. They may not necessarily agree with each other but there is still a point of agreement as exemplified by their similarities. The issue is therefore, not a question of which belief is right a wrong, nor is it about superiority or inferiority. What matters most is that we are guided by our beliefs and in doing this, we do not do actions that would harm the other. References Daniel, Abu Yusuf. , Isma’il Kaka, Abu Maryam. , & Squires Robert, Abu Iman. (n. d). Misconceptions about Islam. Retrieved February 17, 2008, from http://www.geocities.com/window2islam/miscon.html