The Split Between the “Abrahamic” Religions
Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world today and despite the massive theological differences between the two, truth is that they both share not just a spiritual but also a historical and geographical connection, with the two faiths sharing a common place of origin in the Middle East. For Christians and Muslims, Ishmael is considered the “Father of the Arabs” and Isaac the “Father of the Hebrews.” As we already mentioned, Christianity developed out of Judaism in the first century AD. It is grounded in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and those who follow him are called Christians.
The followers of Jesus believed him as the Messiah and after his crucifixion they came to view him as God incarnate, who was resurrected and will return at the end of time to judge the living and the dead and create an eternal Kingdom of God. After centuries of alternating persecution, Christianity became the state church of the Roman Empire in 380 AD, even though it has been divided into various churches from its early days. An attempt was made by the Byzantine Empire to unify Christendom, but this formally failed with the East-West Schism of 1054.
Regarding the origin of Islam, despite the debate about the credibility of its early sources, most historians agree that Islam originated in Mecca and Medina at the start of the seventh century, nearly six centuries years after the founding of Christianity. Muslims, however, insist that their religion did not launch with Muhammad, but that it was the original faith of others whom they regard as Prophets, such as Jesus, David, Moses, Abraham, Noah and Adam. Regardless, Islam (which means surrender or submission to God) was founded on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as an expression of surrender to the will of Allah.
Similarities and Differences Between Christianity and Islam
The scriptures of these religions mention many of the same figures, historical moments, and places, although they often present them from different perspectives, offering alternative meanings of them. In each of these religions there is the strong belief that God, though he is called by different names, is the ONE who creates, rules, reveals, loves, judges, punishes, and forgives. Every believer seeks salvation or transcendence not through meditation, contemplating the natural world, or via philosophical speculation, but by seeking to please God and by surrendering to the truth of divine revelation as beyond the self, nature, and secular customs.
The Christian views on Islam are diverse and range from considering it a related religion whose adherents worship the same God, to it being heretical or an unrelated cult. Christianity and Islam both consider Jesus to have been sent by God. Christianity, however, veers from Jewish and Muslim monotheism in that though it does not profess to believe in three gods, it does believe in three hypostases, united in one substance (the doctrine of the Trinity), a belief that is fundamental to the faith of the vast majority of Christians in their various denominations.
In Islam the Holy Spirit is generally believed to be the angel Gabriel, and the reference to the Paraclete is a prophecy of the coming of Muhammad. Furthermore, Islam suggests that Christianity is variously polytheistic or idolatrous, as the concept of the Trinity is not relatable to tawhid, the Islamic doctrine of the unity of God. Tawhid, which means “oneness” or “union,” has a strictly unitary conception of Allah.