Caydn Campbell
12/11/16
G Block
History Research paper
Christianity and Islam are the two biggest religions in the entire world. They both have similarities, but also distinct differences that set each other apart. Both of these religions have shaped history and the people of the world today. But, I’m going to talk about the differences between the two religions, and what impact it had on society.
Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions, so this means that only one God is to be worshiped. A difference between the two though is that they both have different sets of Rules one has to follow. If you’re a Christian, you are to follow the ten commandments. If you practice Islam you are to follow the five pillars of Islam. Both of these are like guidelines on how to live your life spiritually. For example, in the five pillars of Islam, the second pillar states that all faithful Muslims obey the call to prayer. You are required to pray five times a day(Tom Sizgorich). The 10 commandments provide rules to abide by to help a person love and care for God and their neighbors. This is kinda the same with Islam as well because the third pillars states that all Muslims that are capable of giving money to the poor must give at least 2.5 percent of what they own.
Both religions have a specific person or a prophet that people followed to learn the way of their teachings. Jesus was the person for the Christians, and Mohammed was the person for the Muslims. Jesus was raised in the village of Nazareth of northern Judea. At the age of 30 he began to teach his public ministry. Many of his teachings were from Jewish traditions such as monotheism and loving others. In his teachings he emphasized love and the importance of loving others. He also taught that God would establish an eternal Kingdom for all who repented their sins(Holt McDougal pg 186). Mohammed is considered the highest prophet of Islam. He was believed to have received a message from God and he formed a religious community around that message. He claimed that around the age of 40 years old the angel Gabriel came to him and gave him a message in the form of poetry which he then memorized. At first Muhammad only told his close family, but then he started informing other tribes in Mecca. This started his following(ABC- Clio Muhammed). Unlike Jesus Mohammed kept gaining followers and didn’t just have a set number.
Something that both religions experienced was a split in the churches. The christian church split into two. The eastern orthodox church and the Roman Catholic church, and the Islamic religion split into two main groups, the Shias and the Sunnis. The split between the church was caused by dogmatic and ritual differences between the church of Constantinople and the Roman Catholic Church(Byzantine Empire pg2) The two main branches of Islam are the Sunni and the Shias. The branch of the Sunni makes up the majority of the Islamic religion. The difference between these two is that the Sunnis believed that the first four caliphs are Muhammad's rightful successors. The Shias believe that Muslims leadership belongs to Muhammad's son in law and all the successors after him(Brittanica Encyclopedia)
In conclusion both of the religions have similarities but also differences. They’ve been passed down through countless generations and practiced for centuries. They’ve shaped reality for many of the people today, and will continue to influence people and how they behave for many more centuries.
Works Cited
"Islam." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2016. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/105852. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
Beverley, James A. "Islam." World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy, ABC-CLIO, 2016, religion.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1591715. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
Leaman, Oliver. "Mecca." World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy, ABC-CLIO, 2016, religion.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1584762. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
"Christianity." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 3 Oct. 2016.
"Muhammad." World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy, ABC-CLIO, 2016, religion.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1580814. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
Holt McDougal
1) I liked how much information you added about each religion and told the differences and similarities.
ReplyDelete2) I learned some more about the split of both religions and the group that came out of that.
3) I would like to know more about the beliefs of each religion. You mention the ten commandments and the five pillars, but I'd like if you talked about that some more.
1. I like how your say exactly what your going to talk about.
ReplyDelete2. I learned Islam and Christianity had a split.
3. Your paper is very good, I would like to know more about the the differences between both religions.
1. I liked how there was lots of facts
ReplyDelete2. I learned more about to origin and the start of the religions.
3. I want to learn more about why the split between the churches split and what caused it.
1. I liked learning more about the split between the churches.
ReplyDelete2. I also enjoyed learning about how Islam and Christianity are the two largest religions in the world.
3. I would like to learn more about the split in the Christian church.