In Christianity it is believed that Jesus Christ was the savior to all humanity and was sent to Earth by his father (God) to pay for the sins of all mankind. In Judaism on the other hand, Jesus was merely a prophet. Both Christianity and Judaism were established in Israel. Christianity was founded around 30 AD in contrast to Judaism which started around 1000 BC. Although a few sacred readings and the form that followers pray are similar in both religions they are also slightly different.
There is evidence to suggest that all three Abrahamic religions have been influenced by the paganism as well as other religions, especially Zoroastrianism, that preceded them. Judaism begun as a polytheistic religion, but after contact with Zoroastrian monotheism, they too chose to worship only one God. Christian idea of metaphorical light and darkness representing good and evil may have also been derived from Zoroastrianism, as it is both mentioned in the Bible and the Avestan (Esposito). The idea of a messiah, that is shared by all three Abrahamic religions, is a concept that preceded them, and was evident in Zoroastrianism before the beginning of the 6th century BC. Islam also exemplifies the non-Islamic religious and pagan influences that have been intertwined with the religion.
In Christian Europe there was a fuedelism government which means that the king is on top and then the other officials underneath him. In the Arabian Lands their government was based more upon caliphs and religious leaders. The factor that their governments have in common., although seemingly there are none, is that both of their governments are based on religion. During the time period 400-1200 religion influenced everything including government. Religious beliefs during the 400’s till the 1200’s in different regions were extremely different, but some of the views when looked into come from the same belief.
With all of the differences in the dogmas between Christianity and Mormonism, there is strong evidence that these two faiths cannot be linked together solely on the fact that they both believe in Jesus Christ being the savior of mankind. Many Christians believe that Mormonism is not a true Christian religion, although Mormons make the claim that they are based on their faith in the Christ Jesus as the sole savior of the world. Can Mormonism, a polytheistic religion, truly be considered Christian, when Christianity
Explain the main ethical principles of religion you have studied (25 marks) Christianity is a religion of many different branches and because of this there is no universal set of ethics. This lack of absolute ethics amongst Christians is due to the diversity of Christianity as there are many denominations for example Roman Catholic Christianity and Protestantism. Roman Catholic Christianity bases its ethics on the Holy Bible and the magisterium which consists of the Pope and the cardinals; in contrast to Protestantism that sees the Holy Bible as the only source of authority. Though both denominations follow the bible they interpret and accept the different parts of the bible. In general, there are similar ethical beliefs amongst Christians due to Judaism being the only root of Christian ethics.
The main disagreement being that Christians believe that all men are created equal and Muslims believe that they are the chosen ones and all others are considered infidels. The First Crusades were a result of this. Palestine and Syria were dominated by Christians due to a counter attack after Muslims began trying to spread the Muslim Religion. About two hundred years later, these two states were then destroyed by Muslims. The ways of the world have changed, and things are not quite so barbaric.
Similarities and Differences between Christianity and Islam This section on Christianity and Islam has been very interesting for me. As a devout Christian, I’ve always had an interest in learning about Islam. We were given good information for this unit, but I had to do a little more research because Sura 2 and 4 in the Qur’an did not give me basic concepts for Muslims. What astounded me were the similarities between the Fateha (Sura 1:1-7) and the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). They both focus on adoration, submission, and Supplication.
Both religions founded from the Judaism belief in one God. Both Christianity and Islam agree that humans are the ruling species upon the earth. Both believers of Islam and Christianity believe that they are the children of Abraham. Whereas similarities in foundational beliefs and origin exist, many differences divide the two nations of believers. In the 1,300 years after the life of Muhammad, the relationships between Christianity and Islam have remained less than harmonious.
THE CRUSADERS AND THE CHURCH The crusades represent a part of church history that many have attempted to forget and leave hidden within the history books. Some claim the crusades to be a courageous time for the Christian church as they attempted to trample out false doctrine and protect the Holy Land from the cult of Islam. Others will quickly identify the crusades as the darkest and most regretful period of time in the history of the church. Either way, there is much detail surrounding the history of the crusades and how they developed. It is not quite as easy as a black and white assumption because many of the men involved had mixed intentions and sentiments regarding what the crusades were actually about.
The quality of individuality so important in western values, best expressed in classical liberals and even more so in radical liberals, can also be expressed in the religious traditions of Islam and Protestant Christianity. Both religious traditions place an individual’s personal relationship with the creator as the foundations of the faith. This individuality is extremely important in many postmodern political cultures. Tory corporatists however are the dominate cultural group for both Protestants and Muslims. Peace, however, as a tradition can be a quality more difficult to find.