Compare and Contrast Judaism and Christianty

Christianity and Islam are two of the most significant religions since their creation. Islam means "submission" in Arabic, and a Muslim is one who submits to the will of God (Islam page 223). Christians were called so because of Jesus' title Christos, which is Greek for Messiah (Christianity page 198). Both religions are very similar with only some of the beliefs and teachings being different. They also give separate messages to outsiders as to what their religions stand for. Both religions are monotheistic with a holy text and they both strive to conquer evil. Islam has a set of rules (5 Pillars of Islam) set forth to reach enlightenment while Christians basically just sin, repent, and then are forgiven for their sins. Christianity is a much easier religion to belong to because it is a lot more lenient to what you can and cannot do as well as when and where you can do it. Islam is also more closed doors because the do not really send out missionaries looking for people to convert to Islam. For Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah (the anointed one) - God's deliverer, whose coming the prophets had foretold (Christianity page 198). Jesus taught the good Word of the Lord, as was his duty as the Son of God. He is also said to have performed miracles such as curing leprosy and blindness as well walking on water. Roman and Jewish authorities were disquieted by the threat to the establishment that Jesus and his followers seemed to offer, and they conspired successfully to execute him by crucifixion (Christianity page 198). After Jesus was crucified for the sins of all men, he was believed by Christians to have risen from the dead and then ascended to Heaven. After the death of Jesus, his life and teachings were written with many "tall tales" (as I like to call them) about the great battles and accomplishments of Christians as well as success stories about the followers of Gods' Word. All of these stories and some historical facts are written in the Bible, which is the holy text of the Christians. It explains how God created the Earth the creation of the Earth and man and it teaches how to be righteous. The founder of Islam was the Prophet Mohammed who was an orphan from the city of Mecca. Mohammed claimed to be visited by the Angel Gabriel who gave him the basis for this new religion. The Five Pillars of Islam are the basic laws to be a good Muslim. Declaring that there is no God but Allah, praying five times a day facing Mecca, fasting during set times, tithing for needy, and a journey to Mecca at least once in your lifetime. Some Muslims have a sixth pillar, jihad, which is translated into "holy war" (Variety page 234). Mohammed's teachings were not written until his death because there was no compelling reason to set his words down in some definite form. After the sudden death of Mohammed in 632, Caliph Abu Bakr ordered one of the prophets companions to collect, from oral and written sources, all of Mohammed's utterances (Qur'an page 225). They were written in the Qur'an which is basically the "Muslim Bible". The Qur'an is the written version of the teachings that Mohammed preached while he was alive. A second source of guidance for most Muslims is al-Hadith (Tradition), a vast body of transmitted stories of what the Prophet said or did or what was said or done in his presence and therefore approved by him (Foundations page 225). Christianity is a very appealing religion because it seems to be so easy to understand and become a Christian where as Islam is very difficult. There are five set times a day in Islam where you have to stop everything and pray facing Mecca and Muslims go to church on Fridays. Christians are free to pray any way they want at any time they want and go to church on Sundays. The Bible is different in that it contains the teachings of Jesus, the direct Word of God, and many religious stories. The Qur'an contains only the teachings of Mohammed which is said to be the Word of God spoken through man. The religious stories of Islam are in separate sources such as the al-Hadith, The Six Authentic Compilations, and Gardens of the Righteous (Tales page 230). The Bible and the Qur'an are similar in the simple fact that they were not written until the prophets of their religion were dead (although Jesus was resurrected and went to Heaven). While Jesus and Mohammed were on Earth, their stories and teachings were passed on orally, so the need to write them down was not necessary. Christianity is a religion where they welcome outsiders in to convert them and love everyone, Christian or not, for they are all the children of God. Islam teaches to: "Be mindful of you duty to Allah and try to promote accord between yourselves (8.2). All believers are brothers; so make peace between your brothers (49.11). Fight the idolators all together, as they fight you all together, and know that Allah is with the righteous (9.36)..."(Nawawi page 232). "Make peace between your brothers", means to make peace with other Muslims. If you are not Muslim, you are not one of their brothers. They also say to "fight the idolators", which means to fight against those who are not Muslim. This message to hate he who is not of the same religion is the complete opposite from that of Christianity's message. I believe that is why Muslims feel compelled to bomb other peoples and fight holy wars. This is another reason why Christianity is more appealing. Both Islam and Christianity offer a rewarding "eternal dwelling" if you live a righteous life here on earth and do the duty of Allah or God. Christians believe that their reward for a righteous life is to go