Sacred Scripture and Cosmogony of Islam and Christianity

Nearly every religion and culture around the world has transcribed sacred scriptures or depictions of how the universe and mankind came to exist. As many well know, Christianity (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Evangical Denominations) and Islam are certainly no different in those aspects; however, what many individuals do not know is that Christianity and Islam have quite a few similarities concerning the creation of the universe and mankind. Although each religion has their own extravagant and unique beliefs they share significant beliefs within their sacred scriptures. I believe it's important to understand the views and beliefs concerning these two religions, mainly because Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world, with approximately 1.9 billion people being Christian and 1.1 billion people being Muslim. Although Christianity is the largest religion in the world, Islam is the fastest growing and unfortunately extremist on both sides are imposing their spiritual ideologies on one another. People in the future will have to learn to not have the typical stereotype of a Muslim or that of a Christian. Leaps and gains in a peaceful global society will be based on each of us respecting and perhaps even knowing each others religious or spiritual beliefs.

Historically, the roots of Islam and Christianity grow from similar philosophical, theological, cultural, and geographical underpinnings. Both Christianity and Islamic sacred scriptures (Holy Bible and Quran or Alcoran) note that creation of mankind and the origin of the universe was the action of one God. Whatever Christianity and Islamic faith differences are, these two major world religions have sacred documents that in essence recapitulate on a number of different subjects. However, Islam and Christianity are always used to describe very diverse groups of people and certainly very diverse theologies.

Of course there are many different spiritual groups within each religion; sadly however there are some spiritual groups that often disagree on fundamental issues especially when one . The debates within Christianity and Islam can be heated, often hostile. By extension, the debates between the two religions often erupt into full-blown bloody battles.

hope to better understand a religion other than my own, I observed much in common between Christianity and Islam. My research points to important historical, theological, philosophical, metaphysical, and cultural similarities. Attending the services of both traditions, I realized too that the ritualistic clothing each religion wears cloaks these fundamental facts in common. However, this is not to detract from the very real differences that exist between Christianity and Islam. On these very same issues: theology, philosophy, and culture, the two religions often appear to be from two different worlds. Unfortunately, it is mostly the differences between Christianity and Islam that preoccupy people, rather than what these two magnificent traditions have in common.

Since I was raised in a religious household but also with a liberal Christian mindset my upbringing differs from many other people who consider themselves to be Christian. Furthermore, my belief system probably differs greatly from other people who consider themselves also to be liberal Christians as well. Like most people, I inherited my religious beliefs from my parents. Their direct and unspoken teachings helped me to formulate my own beliefs as well as my biases. Luckily, though, my parents were not overtly prejudiced against other religious groups and I therefore hold few strongly held biases. Nevertheless, I was taught that the Christian faith was fundamentally a good one and could very well be the best one. This belief in the supremacy of Christianity remains with me now on a subconscious level, even though I consciously deny it.

Contrary to conservative or fundamentalist sects of Christianity, liberal Christians do not take the Bible literally. Jesus is viewed as the ultimate role model. The miracles he worked may or may not have actually occurred; the fact that they appear in the Bible does not necessarily make them historical fact but rather these teachings have allegorical value. Furthermore, God is not personified. Although usually referred to as "He," God is a genderless power. Herein rests one of the fundamental and most significant similarities between Liberal Christianity and Islam: the nature of God. To the Muslim worshipper, Allah is an omniscient spiritual power that has no human form. Islam is actually even stricter than Christianity in this regard, forbidding any and all religious iconography. Mosques are noticeably devoid of any human portraits or statues, unlike most Christian churches which are replete with a depiction of Jesus somewhere. In Islam, there is no "Son of God," or any anthropomorphizing of deity. The closest human intercessor to Allah is Mohammad the Prophet; he is saint-like in status but is not revered as a God or Lord as Jesus is. Furthermore, Christianity and Islam are both strictly monotheistic and forbid the worship of more than one God.

These fundamental theological similarities between the two religions can be traced to the Old Testament, on which Islam is based. Mohammad is perceived as the last prophet in the esteemed Old Testament line which includes Moses and Jesus. Therefore, the two most significant spiritual notions shared by these two religions are a belief in one and only one God, and the belief that God has no human form. Again, the latter is only a belief of Liberal Christians and in fact is not shared by the majority of the Christian community which sees Jesus as Lord. A third similarity between Liberal Christianity and Islam is actually the belief in Jesus Christ as a Prophet of God. Although Christians rarely refer to Jesus in this manner, Liberal Christians would accept this interpretation of His role. Just as Christians believe that Jesus either embodies or teaches the Word of God, Muslims believe that Mohammad delivered the Word of God to the people. The only difference is that Muslims feel that Mohammad is a more relevant teacher.

Most Christians, especially Catholics, believe in angels to a degree. Liberal Christians are less apt to place credence in such supernatural entities but still might interpret such things as significant sources of spiritual power. Muslims, like the majority of conservative Christians, do believe in the presence of angels and believe that they can intervene in human affairs and carry out the will of God.

Conservative Christians and Muslims both believe in a Judgment Day and in the reality of Heaven and Hell. Liberal Christians like me do not necessarily believe that Heaven or Hell exist as actual physical locations