Popular World Religions: Islam Vs. Hinduism

Islam and Hinduism are both very large, popular world religions. Although the two religions have some common ground, there are many distinct differences between the two religions. Many of the differences are centered around two major beliefs. The two major beliefs are the means of salvation and the number of Gods the followers of the religions worship and believe in. Religions often answer questions about spiritual life. One question that is often asked is where do I go after I die? Many people seek the answer to this question through religion. Islam and Hinduism both believe in an afterlife. Although the two religions believe that salvation is possible, the means by which they believe salvation occurs is very different. The Islamic religion
Although Islam and Hinduism both believe in a higher power, they do not agree on how many gods there are. Islam teaches that there is only one God named Allah (Squires). Since Islam believes there is only one God, they worship the same God as Christians do (Squires). However, Islam rejects the Christian belief system (Squires). On the other hand, Hinduism believes in 33 million Gods (Dasa). They believe that the Krishna, the Supreme One, created demigods to run and rule over certain aspects of the universe (Dasa). For example, there is a demigod that is in charge of the sun (Dasa). They believe that their gods eventually die and are replaced by new gods
Islam serves one god that they believe will live forever, but Hindus serve 33 million Gods that they believe eventually die and are replaced. The number of gods a religion serves has a significant effect on the lives of the believers. The Islamic belief in one God can create stability in the lives of believers. They would be able to have one God to pray to about everything. This would cause the believer to have a much stronger relationship with their God. The Hinduism belief in 33 million gods would create diversity in the lives of believers. Believers would have the opportunity to form relationships with many gods and recognize them in many things such as animals and plants. Believers could become very confused as far as which god to pray to for certain requests. The believers also would not form as strong of a relationship with each individual god as they would if there was only one god to serve. The number of gods a religion believes is the center of the religious faith. The insight I found valuable about the Islamic faith is the fact that they serve one God, which is the same God that I have always served in my Christian faith. If I was to participate in dialogue with a Muslim, I would ask them why they do not believe in the Christian beliefs even though they worship the same God. Specifically, I would ask why they do not believe in Jesus Christ as their personal