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Angel Balcazar

Professor Anthony Cruz

Writing and Research Lecture

13 April 2017

Christianity and Islam

Since the creation of the world, the Middle East has been considered a birthplace for

many civilizations, cultures and religions like Christianity and Islam. These two religions are the

most important around the world because they have a growing influence with their followers in

every aspect of their lives. Both religions are considered monotheist and believe in one god.

Christianity is one of the largest religions in the world with an estimated two billion followers;

Islam has 1.3 billion disciple. Christians and Muslims both have an individual in which they

believe and these religions have some important similarities. Both Jesus Christ and Mohammed

were messengers from God and Christians and Muslims believe in Judgement Day. Despite

these similarities there are great differences such as, what happens after death.

Both religions have different leaders. Christians believe that Jesus Christ to be the

Messiah sent by God to teach and perform miracles in order to guide people on how to live their

lives according to God principles. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ came, fully God and yet

fully man, according to the Holy Bible (Philippians 2:6-11) and died on the cross for our sins.

After his death, he was buried; he rose on the third day and now lives at the right hand of the

Father, making intercession for believers and sinners. According to the Quran, Muslims believe

that Mohammad is the last messenger send by God Allah to guide people to follow living the
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right way. Prophet Mohammad was the founder of Islam. The Quran, the Holy Book of Islam

(3:132, 48:29) chiefly refers to Muhammad as a Messenger and a Messenger of God and

asks people to follow him so as to become successful in this life and the afterlife. God revealed

his message to the prophet Mohammad through the Archangel Gabriel.

Christians and Muslims believe in the Judgement Day. The present life is a preparation

for the real life. For example, a day will come and the whole existence of all life will be

destroyed and all dead people will be resurrected to be judged by God. This is going to be the

beginning of a new life with happiness and joy for both Christians and Muslims. There will be

and no more suffering for those who die while believing and will have eternal life. Either the

Prophet Mohammad or Jesus are the real messengers of God. A Christian believes it is the final

end that people from every nation will be judged by God, and people who did good will go to

paradise as a result of the glorification of God, and there will be punishment and hell for sinners.

This will take place after the resurrection of the dead people and the second time coming of Jesus

Christ, to judge people and souls from every nation and race. People will be brought to the

throne of the Lord; some will be rewarded with the eternal life while the sinners will be send to

the eternal fire. This can be a time of hope. Muslims believes that this life is a test for each

individual for their life after death. A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed

by the hand of God, and the dead will be resurrected for the beginning of judgement day by God.

All people will be rewarded by God according to their good or bad actions. Muslims who did

good actions to others, will enter into paradise and reside in beautiful mansions, and there will be

no more suffering from disease and old age God will remove these. Those who did not fulfilled

their purposes in this life will go to Hellfire. There is only one God, and Mohammad is the real

messenger. All people who convert to Islam will be saved and who ever seeks a religion other
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than Islam and the teaching from Prophet Mohammad will not enter to paradise and will be

punished.

Both religions have a fasting day. What is Lent for Christians? Is a time for fasting and

the preparation for Easter. For example, Christians celebrate the Lenten festivities in every

church for about forty days. These are days to glorify our Lord and repent of all our sins by

confessing every one of them and inviting Jesus to lead our life. Christians remember that Jesus

died on the cross for our sins and rose in the third day, giving us a gift of mercy. It is a time of

forgiveness, and when Christians enter into a fasting, they have to forgive all their enemies.

Christians praise the Lord and love him unconditionally by surrounding our life and thank Him

for all he has done for us. At different times, Jesus and Moses fasted for forty days in the desert,

but people do not have to fast for so long, Christians always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how

long people should fast. Muslims celebrate fasting days, and they call it Ramadan, which start

the ninth month of the Islamic year. Fasting for Muslims means to abstain completely for a

month from food, drinks, sexual relationship, and smoking until the sun go down. For example,

believers can eat and drink before sun rise. It is a month of intense prayer and brings a better

relationship to Allah, and most of the Muslims donate money to charities and feed the hungry.

During this time Muslims spend their time at the mosque, and men and women dress more

conservatively, and fast as a way of control exercise in self-restraint. Fasting for Muslims is a

good time to celebrate and visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the first mosque where Mohammad, the

founder of Islam, is buried.

Despite similarities there are differences between Christians and Islam religions. For

example, one of the differences, Jesus never married. According to the Holy Bible Jesus Christ

never was married; he have close relationship with Mary Magdalena, and his mother the Virgin
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Mary. If Jesus were married, the Holy Bible would mention it and create an interesting

discussion. The Holy Bible mentions The Virgin Mary, his mother and his half-brothers and

sisters, and his adoptive father. Other religions such as Islam mention Jesus Christ as a married

man and are doing so in order to make Jesus Christ more ordinary. According to the Quran, the

Holy Book of Islam, says that Mohammad the leader of the Muslims got his first marriage when

he was 25 to the 40 year-old Khadijah. He was married to this woman until he turned 50. After

this marriage, it is believed that he had multiple wives, and he liked to marry widows and

divorced women.

Another difference between Christians and Muslims is Jesus Christ performed miracles to

show that he was the son of God. For example, when Jesus, his mother The Virgin Mary and his

disciples were invited to a wedding at Canaan and they ran out of wine. Jesus showed the glory

of his Father by turning water into wine. Another example, the resurrection of Lazarus, is a

miracle by Jesus to show the divine power he has. Jesus brings Lazarus of Bethany back to life

by calling to him, Lazarus wake up after four days of his death. The Prophet Mohammad

never performed a miracle. Prophet Mohammad denied repeatedly to perform miracles, and he

admitted that others prophets like Jesus were the only ones before him who were given this

power.

Christianity and Islam are the most popular religions around the world. They share some

common values such as God is almighty, and Christ and Mohammad were messengers from God.

A person is Judgement is based on personal actions and beliefs. The holy Bible and Quran are

considered God's words. Both religions do not get along because of their differences that each

one believes in.