The two religions, Christianity and Islam, are the biggest and in bulk practiced in present times (Kibrabaev,2020). Islam and Christianity believe in the existence of a supernatural being Allah and God, respectively. Christianity refers to a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, while Islam considers Jesus Christ to be a prophet, a messenger, and a messiah. Islam was founded by the prophet Muhammad who is believed to have been born clean and circumcised and had fallen to the ground, snatched up a handful of earth, and looked towards heaven. On the other hand, Christianity is a major religion stemming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth, the anointed one of God. These religions have different beliefs that define how they view or take things and conduct themselves. These concepts, Christianity and Islam, are expounded in the rest of this work by citing their development, divisions, and how they influence politics and society.
Islam spread through the army conquest of Arab Muslims that happened sometime after Islam had begun, and a small portion of the people converted to Muslims at that time. As Islam ideas moved along many trades and pilgrimage routes, they blended with the local cultures and changed into new kinds and interpretations of Islam. Christianity was spread first by Jesus’ disciples, who spread to Jewish communities across the empire through His word of teachings. They were sent after Jesus’ crucifixion to spread the word of the new faith. They were influential in spreading the teachings of Jesus and the Christian religion after his death. Apostle Paul also travelled across the Roman Empire, preaching in some of the cities in the empire, and moving into homes and synagogues. Christianity is the widest spread of all faith and has many believers, including the Roman Catholic, Protestants Churches, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, who preached the gospel. Those who believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ are called Christians. Islam was brought up on the teachings of Muhammed as a way of uttering or giving yourself to the will of God. Those who followed the teachings of Muhammad were Muslims, meaning submitters to God. Muslims outlooked Christians as unbelievers because of the Trinity. They viewed them as religious taxpayers and Christians. On the other hand, Christians saw Islam as a false religion because they did not accept the trinity, the holiness of Jesus, the transfiguration of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christians believed that the Son of God was holy and sinless, while Islam instructs that the Son of God was one of the significant prophets of Yahweh. And that the son of Yahweh is not holy and does not make part of the threesome, but they were convinced that the Son of God was created like Adam. True believers instruct that the Son of God was rebuked to demise, transfigured, and in three days, he rose from the dead. Islam teaches that the Son of God was like any other prophet that brought his children to worship Yahweh. Muslims believed that the Son of God was rebuked for the transfiguration, then superhumanly rescued out of the performance, together with being upraised to paradise. Alternatively, the Son of God was transfigured in Islam, His exact likeness done in his place.
True believers do not express when the Son of God does come back, but he will return like a thief; no one knows the hour when Jesus will come. Islam states that Jesus will return at a white tower the east of Damascus. Christians believe that when Jesus comes back, he will rule for one thousand years, while Muslims believe that when he comes, he shall regulate and stay for forty years, have children, and be buried. Many true believers believe that the Comforter is Yahweh and is the third member of the threesome, while in Islam, the Comforter is believed to be an Angel.
Christianity and Islam have predominantly affected modern cultures and societies. As Christianity began from the followers of Jesus Christ, the doctrinal teachings of Christ, which were based on Love towards God and one another, were primarily emphasized. Thus, Christians used to live together as communities who gave everything to support one another. As it spread through the Roman empire, it received heavy pushback from the governing authorities. This did not, however, hinder them from increasing in numbers. The adage coined as if you can’t beat them, join them was applied. The roman empire came to incorporate Christianity into its system of government. Some political leaders came to be religious leaders. Religion came to bear heavier weight than the politics of the day. Even after the fall of the roman empire, the Roman Catholic system had gained its roots in the society.
Many Muslim countries like Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt had their laws and believed that they should strictly follow the Quran, while pluralities in Turkey said that their laws should cling to the values and truth of Islam. On the other hand, Christianity had spread in Europe through tough disciplines, and reformation was needed. Through this, Martin Luther and John Calvin came up to challenge the doctrines that had emerged, such as atonement for sins based on paying homage to the religious leaders and specific understandings of purgatory, which caused a split in Christianity and the rise of Protestants. Due to different interpretations of the bible, Christianity broke further. It emerged in different churches, such as the Anglican Church in England, which has had an enormous impact on the monarch to the present day. But in this, Christianity still spread West to America. In America, many institutions and political systems were founded on Christian doctrines. Quotes such as; God Bless America, and In God, We Trust is still in use today. Nevertheless, we cannot contradict the touch of Christianity is being lost by the day.
Islam began from the teachings of the prophet Mohammed, and this made them gain popularity and interest in Arabia and parts of Asia. Submission to God was high on the list in the doctrines of peace, unity, and equality. As found in the Quran, the Sharia laws strictly came after(Habiburrahim et al.,2020). They had disciplines that were a must, as Muslims like praying five times a day, fasting, and dressing codes strictly noted. Prophet Muhammad was summoned to Medina to rule over it as a neutral leader, and this made the territory expand to Mecca; this was due to the impact caused by army conquest.
In this paper, we have defined Christianity and Islam and given clear details on the development of Christianity and Islam. Christianity was born from the Jewish tradition founded by Jesus of Nazareth and Islam was founded by Prophet Muhammad. The divisions between Christianity and Islam; for example, Christians believe in the Trinity, which means three in one, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while Islam does not believe in the Trinity. And lastly, the influence of Christianity and Islam on politic
Habiburrahim, H., Rahmiati, Z., Muluk, S., Akmal, S., & Aziz, Z. A. (2020). Language, identity, and ideology: Analysing discourse in Aceh sharia law implementation. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(3), 599-607.
Kirabaev, N., & Chistyakova, O. (2020). Knowing God in Eastern Christianity and Islamic Tradition: A Comparative Study. Religions, 11(12), 675.