EssayClub.com - Free College Essays and Term Papers

Christianity And Islam

Have you ever wondered what are the differences and similarities of Christianity and Islam? Believe it or not, these two beliefs are very similar in many ways, such as: the creation of the earth, how there is only one true God, how God is our master and we are his servants, and many other topics. So what truly separates these two beliefs? Some of the things that distance one from the other are: the belief in the trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), which Christians believe and Muslims do not. Muslims believe that all mankind is born pure and the individual is responsible for his own sins and not someone else’s. Christians accept that Jesus was crucified, which Muslims deny.
The Quranic teachings in this regard may be summed up as follows: Christ was neither crucified nor killed by the Jews, and Jesus was taken up to God. Muslims do not believe in vicarious atonement. They believe that each person is responsible for his or her own actions and that no one else can atone for them. However, you can pray to God for His mercy and forgiveness on behalf of another person. The Prophet Muhammad, and some others (like innocent babies who have passed away), are given the special privilege to intercede on behalf of their parents on the Day of Judgment. This is in accord with the Throne Verse in the Qur'an. So with God's graceful permission, they may have a special privilege of pleading on behalf of others and begging for God's forgiveness for them on the Day of Judgment. This is known as intercession.
Different from Islam, Christian believe in vicarious atonement, that another person can extinguish the guilt incurred by another person’s sins. Jesus is believed to have died so as to atone vicariously for man's sins. He was considered to be the Lamb of God, which means that Jesus was considered to be the perfect sacrifice by which the hold of original sin was broken.
In the Christian Faith, humans have the ability to choose between good and evil,...