Animism, Christianity and Islam
Running head: ANIMISM, CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM
"Islam is a combination of Judeo/Christian tradition that culminates in Islamic law."
Lunat, Iman of Elizabethtown Mosque.(1)
“Animism comes from the Latin word anima, which means “soul” or “breath.” It refers to that which empowers or gives life to something. In this paper I will endeavor to look at answering life’s greatest questions through, Animism, Islam and the Christian worldviews; summarizing these three opposing worldviews; (or are they opposing?) with seven questions: What is Ultimate Reality? Where is Ultimate truth found? What are we? What is the key problem? What is the key solution? How do we know right from wrong? And lastly, what happens to us after we die? So let’s begin with the Christian worldview on ultimate reality, simply this term is easily identified in the Christians view, ultimate reality is God. In the Bible, God states, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6). The God of Christianity is triune, God is three in one, (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) a unity who is three persons in one (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 3:16, 28:18, John 10:30). The God of Christianity is truly merciful and personal and calls us his children, and friend, the creator of the universe has desire to fellowship with man (John 15:15). Islam founded by the prophet Muhammad (around 570 A. D.) calls the god of Islam, Allah. Allah is an eternal being, considered magnificent and almighty. In the Qur’an, it says, “Say, He is God, the One! God, the eternally besought of all! He neither begets nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.” (Surah 112) Islam’s Allah has similar characteristics as the God from the Bible. It is likely the Qur’an was influenced by the Old Testament which predates the Qur’an, but to say Allah is the same God of Christianity would be incorrect since believing in the trinity is a sin. According to the Qur’an,
"Islam is a combination of Judeo/Christian tradition that culminates in Islamic law."
Lunat, Iman of Elizabethtown Mosque.(1)
“Animism comes from the Latin word anima, which means “soul” or “breath.” It refers to that which empowers or gives life to something. In this paper I will endeavor to look at answering life’s greatest questions through, Animism, Islam and the Christian worldviews; summarizing these three opposing worldviews; (or are they opposing?) with seven questions: What is Ultimate Reality? Where is Ultimate truth found? What are we? What is the key problem? What is the key solution? How do we know right from wrong? And lastly, what happens to us after we die? So let’s begin with the Christian worldview on ultimate reality, simply this term is easily identified in the Christians view, ultimate reality is God. In the Bible, God states, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6). The God of Christianity is triune, God is three in one, (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) a unity who is three persons in one (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 3:16, 28:18, John 10:30). The God of Christianity is truly merciful and personal and calls us his children, and friend, the creator of the universe has desire to fellowship with man (John 15:15). Islam founded by the prophet Muhammad (around 570 A. D.) calls the god of Islam, Allah. Allah is an eternal being, considered magnificent and almighty. In the Qur’an, it says, “Say, He is God, the One! God, the eternally besought of all! He neither begets nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.” (Surah 112) Islam’s Allah has similar characteristics as the God from the Bible. It is likely the Qur’an was influenced by the Old Testament which predates the Qur’an, but to say Allah is the same God of Christianity would be incorrect since believing in the trinity is a sin. According to the Qur’an,
References: (1) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1454141/posts The News-Enterprise ^ | July 31, 2005 | BRIAN T. KEHL (2) http://www.thewaytotruth.org/islam-humanity/truth.html Holy Bible Qur’an Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek (2004) I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist Dean Halverson (1996) The Compact Guide to World Religions