Essay on History of the Relationship Between Islam and Christianity

Islam and Christianity are the world's largest religions, and they have a traditional and historical connection in common. Most significantly, both faiths have differences in theological beliefs. The geographical relationship between Christianity and Islam is that they share the same place of origin in the middle east and they are both monotheistic. Christianity was founded from the Second Judaism Temple during the 1st century, and it was based on teachings, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Islam is considered as a monotheistic religion which was formed in the 7th century to mean submission or surrender to God. Islam was founded on the prophet Muhammad's teachings as an expression of obeying Allah. Muslims have considerably many views about Christianity. They consider Christians as fellow holders of the monotheistic scriptures and also view them as heretics. Christians consider Islam as diverse, fellow member of the Abraham religion and serving the same God. Both Christianity and Islam regard Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Christianity started as a subdivision of Judaism in the 1st century, and early Christians were prosecuted until emperor Constantine turned Christian in 324 C.E. Christianity groups developed from minor and significant splits. Islam began during the seventh century in Mecca, and it was formed from the nomadic Bedouin's cultural values and Judeo-Christian traditions. Their relationship seems to be manifested in their sacred texts. In Islam, there is the Quran and hadith which teach and demonstrate values, beliefs, and practices of Islam and tell of their origin. In Christianity, there is the sacred book called the bible which has the values, ideas, and methods of Christians and says of their birth. In light of the perceptions of both religions, this paper seeks to provide a clear argument for the comparison of Islam and Christianity (Watt, 2013).

Arguments

The Worship of One God for Muslims and Christians

For Muslims, the belief that they share the same God has been settled in the Quran which states that the Christiana and Muslim God is one in Al Ankabut, 29:46. The Quran also indicates that Christians "join gods" through the consideration of the divinity of the holy spirit and Jesus Christ. This means that Muslims do not agree to the convictions held by some Christians concerning God, mostly on the Holy Trinity. For example, the 15th century Cusa cardinal called Nicholas held the belief that the rejection of the Trinity by the Muslims was because of the misunderstanding in the oneness of God. The differences in opinions can be explained by the fact that the bible was completed around 100 A.D before the birth of Islam five centuries later. The first step in establishing the relationship between these two religions considers the Quran and the manner in which early Christians related to the worship of the Jews. Early Christians did have scripture in common with Jews, and an argument can be placed that Muslims and Christians have the same scripture. These parallels overlap among bible and Quran sections. It turns out that many Muslims lack belief in the sharing of standard scriptures with people professing the Christian faith (Ellis, 2018).

Muslims understand that the bible is corrupted and call for the comparisons of beliefs of both religions concerning God. It also calls for the determination of God's descriptions which could be enough in claiming speaking of the same object in referring to God. There is no similarity in the story of God in the Quran, and the bible and the same definition cannot be achieved until the same object is being referred to. Australian theologian Mark Durie indicates that the description of God in the Quran and the Bible are those similarities which cannot be avoided. For instance, they are both referred to as the creator, merciful, all-powerful and humanity judge. However, mark Durie still does not believe that this amounts to Muslims and Christians serving the same God. Without a complete match, identity cannot be achieved which means that the scriptures are not related. Whether Muslims and Christians serve the same God still calls for the understanding of the relationship between these two religions on a global scale.

There are notable differences between Islam and Christianity. The verses on violence in the bible are restricted to a given time and place while the verses on violence in Quran do not have restrictions. Currently, these verses cannot be indiscriminately applied according to some interpreters of Quran who point to jihadi manuals. Muhammad established a death penalty for leaving the faith, one which was never witnessed during Jesus's time. When comparing the gospel of Jesus and the hadith of Muhammad, it becomes apparent that Jesus does not advocate for violence while the latter does. It is authentic that both of these denominations seek to spread their messages through the dissemination of information and they point to their founders' messages. Apparently, Jesus' message is that of liberation while that of Muhammad is for subjugation.

Current Relationship Between Islam and Christianity

The current situation is that the relations between Christians and Muslims have improved. However, it is difficult for people to notice because Christianity is confused with the West. Globalization has ensured that religions having overlapping interests and ethics interact which in turn helps in providing there is religious tolerance. The improvement in relationships is also difficult to notice because of the role played by the media. Journalists promote images, choose events and give much credit to opinions which influence perceptions. At times they manage to get it right, but sometimes they do not. The progress is not a smooth sailing because there have been violent attacks on Christians in Muslim nations such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria, and Iraq. There have also been destructions of churches and massive killings of Christians. The Muslim population in the United States of America have the freedom of religion, but they have faced hostility from communities which are fearful. The beliefs of the Muslims still clash with those of Christians, especially on the value of life. Muslims believe in the jihad (holy war), through which they are guaranteed a direct en route to heaven if they kill fellow humans. Christians, however, still believe that life is of value and this explains why they do not advocate for abortion practices.

References

Ellis, K. C. (2018). Introduction. In Secular Nationalism and Citizenship in Muslim Countries (pp. 1-26). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Watt, W. M. (2013). Muslim-christian Encounters (routledge Revivals): Perceptions and Misperceptions. Routledge.