CRITICAL THINKING (PART TWO)
APOL 104
10/26/2013
Critical Thinking Assignment (Part Two)
Part Two: Compare/Contrast Islam/Christianity
Origin: Christianity clearly dates back considerably further than Islam. Christianity is said to have first emerged in the mid-1st century C.E. and the origins of Islam as stated in part one of this assignment date back to A.D. 595.
Identity: When comparing Islam to Christianity one could, at first glance, say that the two faiths have a lot in common. And at a glance this assumption would be correct. Both are monotheistic religion that claims there is only one true God. However, to a Christian, and in contrast to Islam, that God is not named Allah, His name is rather YHVH/YHWH, often times transliterated as "Yahweh" as learned from our reading of the Old Testament last week. Another similarity is that both religions use books and stories that are found in the Bible. However, in the case of Islam, the content of these books have been altered by Muhammad to better suite his personal goals for the messages. Another place where Islam and Christianity seem similar is that in both there are human examples of what the followers of either religion should to strive to emulate in their own daily lives. In Islam that person would be the Prophet Muhammad whom was described in the Qur’an as “the most excellent example for all of humanity”. And many historians have recognized Muhammad to be one of the most successful personalities in history. But for a Christian, that person is Jesus Christ, who wasn’t just a successful personality, but rather the living son of God. So like I stated earlier, there are similarities between the two religions “at first glance”. However, make no mistake, given even the slightest examination of their content one can clearly see that they are in fact very different in their messages and goals for the followers.
Meaning/Purpose: Like Islam Christians too have some fundamental beliefs that help guide and shape their daily actions and
10/26/2013
Critical Thinking Assignment (Part Two)
Part Two: Compare/Contrast Islam/Christianity
Origin: Christianity clearly dates back considerably further than Islam. Christianity is said to have first emerged in the mid-1st century C.E. and the origins of Islam as stated in part one of this assignment date back to A.D. 595.
Identity: When comparing Islam to Christianity one could, at first glance, say that the two faiths have a lot in common. And at a glance this assumption would be correct. Both are monotheistic religion that claims there is only one true God. However, to a Christian, and in contrast to Islam, that God is not named Allah, His name is rather YHVH/YHWH, often times transliterated as "Yahweh" as learned from our reading of the Old Testament last week. Another similarity is that both religions use books and stories that are found in the Bible. However, in the case of Islam, the content of these books have been altered by Muhammad to better suite his personal goals for the messages. Another place where Islam and Christianity seem similar is that in both there are human examples of what the followers of either religion should to strive to emulate in their own daily lives. In Islam that person would be the Prophet Muhammad whom was described in the Qur’an as “the most excellent example for all of humanity”. And many historians have recognized Muhammad to be one of the most successful personalities in history. But for a Christian, that person is Jesus Christ, who wasn’t just a successful personality, but rather the living son of God. So like I stated earlier, there are similarities between the two religions “at first glance”. However, make no mistake, given even the slightest examination of their content one can clearly see that they are in fact very different in their messages and goals for the followers.
Meaning/Purpose: Like Islam Christians too have some fundamental beliefs that help guide and shape their daily actions and