Similarities Between Islam And Christianity

Similarities and Differences between Islam and Christianity Though they are two separate religions, Islam and Christianity share many ideas and had similar aspects of development. For both religions, there was great development after the death of their most highly worshipped prophet and a religious divide that would prove to be permanent. With these similarities there are also differences in major aspect of both religions like the disputed death of Jesus Christ and differing opinions on human and animal depictions in art. For both religions, major expansion occurred after the death of the most worshipped prophet, Muhammad in Islam and Jesus Christ in Christianity. Though later in time the Roman Empire would become the home of the Roman Catholic Church, for hundreds of years after Jesus' death, Christians were killed by Roman officials who considered Christians a threat. For Islam, Muslims armies did not expand the empire until after Abu Bakr reunited the Muslims who had gone back to their old traditions due to the death of Muhammad. Under the four caliphs, the Muslim empire expanded to an area over 5,000 miles across from Spain and North Africa to the Indus River. Both Christianity and Islam have holy books yet neither was written before the death of the mot worshipped prophet. Decades after Jesus' death, followers
of Jesus and Apostles like Michael, Paul, and Peter contributed to writing the New Testament, telling of Jesus' life and teachings. The Quran, Islam's holy text, was written shortly after Muhammad's death through a collection of testimonies and written down teachings from Muhammad which followers had kept. A schism in the case of Islam and Christianity is a religious split over arguments and religious disputes.
In Christianity a schism occurred between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church after the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church called the Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church a heretic for worshipping Idols. In Islam, a schism occurred between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims who disagreed over choice of a caliph. The Sunnis believed that the caliph should be a political leader chosen by a group of Muslim leaders rather than a descendant of Muhammad's daughter Fatima and son-in-law Ali and a religious as well as political
leader. Though there are similarities, there are also major differences. A major symbol in Christianity is the crucifix that Jesus Christ was crucified on and where he died. The Muslims disagree with the idea of Jesus dying and say that instead he was brought up to heaven by God before his death and will finish his life on Earth again to foretell of the end of time. A second major difference between both religions is the use of humans and animal depictions as well as depictions of God in religious art. In Islam, these depictions are considered to be idol worshipping which Muhammad lived his life disliking and trying to abolish. In Christianity however, many works of art are shown with depictions of people, animals, Jesus Christ, and God as many Biblical stories such as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and Noah's Ark portray people, animals, and God. Most Christians even have statues of Jesus Christ in their house or in necklaces or rosary beads. These many similarities and differences show that Christianity and Islam are not as different from each other as many people think and the distinctions are not so black and white. All that is necessary to know this is simple knowledge of both religions that everyone should have to truly understand how closely connected Christians and Muslims are to each other.