View of God in Islam & Christianity
All throughout the history of man, people have always been searching for some sort of power, or divinity, which could have created them or who was making their life possible. People have searched to find a sort of peacemaker or peacekeeper that would be the authority and source of peace in this life and the one after. In this short and ripe history of man, many religions have been formed, beginning with lesser gods who were the controllers of natural powers and the forces of nature; to greater gods who were keepers of emotions, such as love, hate, guilt, and so forth. Gods were created by people to let people be able to easily explain the mysteries of this universe and everything within. A common belief in primitive religions was a chain of command within the gods themselves. For instance, ancient Egyptians believed that the god Ra (the sun god) was the primary figure in their belief and most powerful of all their gods, he was basically the chief god. Gods were also created to create a sense of motivation in battle, where the soldiers would faithfully believe that they had a powerful deity on their side. Ancient people thought it was foolish to believe in one god. They thought that gods were just like people, they were capable of getting tired and needed a separation of powers to carry out specific tasks. The fact that ancient Israel held the belief that there was only one God was a very unique and radical concept which led other countries to believe that Israel was weak and inferior to them because they were following the main stream belief which was a belief in many gods. For this reason, Israel was always straying from their belief in one God and was for the most part guilty of disbelief in God, which led to their continuous fall and capture. Israel’s disbelief is described in Judges 2:13-14: “They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies” (NKJV).
Monotheism was such a unique and confusing idea that some even wrongly understood Israel’s belief in one God (when they were faithful). During Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrian king came upon Jerusalem and was eager to capture it. He seen Israel’s situation as hopeless due to the fact that Egypt (Israel’s ally at the time) had grown weak and now Israel had no hope of salvation from the Assyrians. He scoffed at the fact that the Israelites put their hope in God to redeem them from the hand of the Assyrians. He stated: “if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” (2 Kings 18:22). The Assyrian king obviously misunderstood Israel’s monotheism; he could not comprehend it all that well. He thought that Israel’s God was worshipped by the worshipping of other gods, but obviously, God only needed one place of worship—the Temple. With time the old covenant was fulfilled, and the new covenant was instituted—Christianity—by Jesus Christ. Salvation was now possible for both the Jew and the Gentile. With time, another monotheistic belief appeared and began spreading tremendously fast—Islam. These two beliefs, which were then seen as foolish ideas, are now the two most popular and most influential religions in the world.
The word “monotheism” is derived from two Greek words: monos —single and theos--God. Monotheism is basically the belief in one God. Although Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, both have different views on God. They do not believe in the same God, but two that are very different. The primary goal of this composition is to show the differences between the views and prove that Muslims and Christians do not believe in the same God. The history of both faiths shall be discussed, then the views on God will be analyzed, and finally the views on Jesus will be analyzed.
Monotheism was such a unique and confusing idea that some even wrongly understood Israel’s belief in one God (when they were faithful). During Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrian king came upon Jerusalem and was eager to capture it. He seen Israel’s situation as hopeless due to the fact that Egypt (Israel’s ally at the time) had grown weak and now Israel had no hope of salvation from the Assyrians. He scoffed at the fact that the Israelites put their hope in God to redeem them from the hand of the Assyrians. He stated: “if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” (2 Kings 18:22). The Assyrian king obviously misunderstood Israel’s monotheism; he could not comprehend it all that well. He thought that Israel’s God was worshipped by the worshipping of other gods, but obviously, God only needed one place of worship—the Temple. With time the old covenant was fulfilled, and the new covenant was instituted—Christianity—by Jesus Christ. Salvation was now possible for both the Jew and the Gentile. With time, another monotheistic belief appeared and began spreading tremendously fast—Islam. These two beliefs, which were then seen as foolish ideas, are now the two most popular and most influential religions in the world.
The word “monotheism” is derived from two Greek words: monos —single and theos--God. Monotheism is basically the belief in one God. Although Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, both have different views on God. They do not believe in the same God, but two that are very different. The primary goal of this composition is to show the differences between the views and prove that Muslims and Christians do not believe in the same God. The history of both faiths shall be discussed, then the views on God will be analyzed, and finally the views on Jesus will be analyzed.
Before we do the comparative analysis on the views of God, we have to trace the roots of the two faiths, and how the opinions of both religions can be explained based on the history of them both. Christianity, as we know it today, came into existence in the first century AD. Jesus’ birth set the clock for our modern calendar; His coming here on Earth concluded the old covenant (the Old Testament) and instituted the new covenant. Jesus’ death on the cross meant that we had redemption from sin and that our sins were forgiven, He was the ultimate sacrifice—the Lamb of God.
From the time since Jesus ascended back to Heaven, many events occurred during the next two millennia that shaped Christianity as we know it today. Prior to His ascension, he commanded the disciples to go and “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 19-20a) and thus the Great Commission began. The remaining apostles helped shape Christianity in Israel and teach it that the true Messiah had already come. In the same century, the conversion of Saul, who later was named Paul, helped spread Christianity to the Gentiles which was one of the main purposes of the new covenant. Although he was one of the main figures in spreading Christianity to the Gentiles, the destruction of the Temple led to the dispersion of Jewish Christians, who also spread their faith.
As stated previously, the idea of one God had made the surrounding people think that Christians were foolish. Although Romans, who were the dominant power at that time, were quite tolerant toward other religions and were “generally willing to accept new religions” (Hughes), they were hostile toward Christians due to the fact that they rejected Rome’s polytheism and were fervent believers in one God. Christians were seen as “atheists by Romans because they didn’t worship the Roman gods” (Winston) and believed in an invisible God. Persecutions against Christians by tyrannical emperors fueled the spread and influence of Christianity.
Then in the fourth century, a ruler claimed the throne in Rome who was Constantine. He is considered to be the first Christian ruler in Rome. Although his faith was not all that perfect, he issued the Edict of Milan, which granted Christians religious freedom. Persecutions were halted on the official level. History shows us that when Christians lived in time of peace, heresies and cults would always form due to the fact that Christianity was not being cleansed and refined of heretics and apostates. The same occured after Christians received religious freedom under the Edict of Nantes.
One of the most popular heresies that were taking face during that time was Arius’ belief that Jesus was not eternal like the father and therefore was not divine, he was basically throwing away the concept of a triune God. At the same time while Arianism was spreading, faithful Christians began to fire back in defense of Christ. Desiring to prevent conflict within the Church, Constantine summoned Christian leaders (about 300) to solve this problem in which became known as the First Council of Nicaea. The basis for the Christian Trinitarian faith was laid out at this event. A statement was agreed upon by the leaders of the Church: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of the Father, that is, from the substance of the Father, God of God, light of light, true God of True God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the father, through whom all things were made” (Eusebius). With this event, the Church had become more unified and more of a state religion in the Roman Empire. With some time, all Christian divisions were banned and only Catholicism was practiced. Over the next few centuries, the church had strayed from their initial fervent faith in Christ and had become a corrupt institution. The translation of the Bible into the native language of the people was strictly forbidden, due to the fact that the papacy feared that people would uncover the truth of the papacy’s corruption.
Slowly, over time, members of the Catholic Church, who were able to read the language of the church (which was Latin) began to see the problems of the Catholic Church. Some did not dare speak out, fearing for their lives, while others who were bolder at heart spoke out against the corruption of the Catholic Church. Most of these men were met with gruesome ends, but their work lived on. They helped pave the rode for what would later become the Protestant Reformation. Then, in the sixteenth century, a few decades after the deaths of these brave men, a time of great change occurred. The Protestant movement had gained tremendous popularity and influence. The Protestant fought against the corruption of the Catholic Church and tried to reinstitute real Christianity, where salvation was solely achieved by faith alone and where the Bible was the sole authority of man on Earth. And thus these were the great defining moments of the Christianity, which is Protestantism, which will be compared here with Islam.
Islam takes its roots in an Arabian man named Muhammad. Muhammad was born in the seventh century AD in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. His family had a business in caravans. From the time when he was still young, he would work with his family in building and maintaining their business. During this time, he began to see a big problem with the tribes of Arabia, they lacked unity (Arabia was not a unified nation yet). He saw that this was making Arabia weak as compared to the nations surrounding it. Arabia was split up with a multitude of personal or local religions and gods. This split kept the Arabia tribes nomadic and not unified. For these reasons, he began teaching the people of Mecca of Allah, which in Arabic means “God”. With these teachings, he envisioned a strong unified Arabia under one god. The majority of the Arabian tribes, before Muhammad, believed in a multitude of gods and one god in particular was the supreme god—Allah. They believed that he was not interested in the life of humans and thus he was not a subject of their rituals and ceremonies. Monotheistic communities existed in Saudi Arabia at the time, who were Christians and Jews. Thus, it is not a surprise that Muhammad based some ideas in Islam off of Christian and Jewish doctrines. Muhammad also taught people that he was a direct descendent of Abraham through Ishmael. He was teaching people that he was delivering them the monotheistic faith that Abraham believed and the faith that Christians and Jews distorted. Due to the fact that his teachings were so radical, the citizens of Mecca banished him from the city. A few years later, he came back to get his revenge by taking the city of Mecca and making it the capitol of Islam. The capture of Mecca eventually led to the unification of the tribes of Arabia and with that, the spread of Islam. For the next few decades, Arabian caliphs played a tremendously huge role in the spread of Islam through the conquest of new lands.
From the time since Jesus ascended back to Heaven, many events occurred during the next two millennia that shaped Christianity as we know it today. Prior to His ascension, he commanded the disciples to go and “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 19-20a) and thus the Great Commission began. The remaining apostles helped shape Christianity in Israel and teach it that the true Messiah had already come. In the same century, the conversion of Saul, who later was named Paul, helped spread Christianity to the Gentiles which was one of the main purposes of the new covenant. Although he was one of the main figures in spreading Christianity to the Gentiles, the destruction of the Temple led to the dispersion of Jewish Christians, who also spread their faith.
As stated previously, the idea of one God had made the surrounding people think that Christians were foolish. Although Romans, who were the dominant power at that time, were quite tolerant toward other religions and were “generally willing to accept new religions” (Hughes), they were hostile toward Christians due to the fact that they rejected Rome’s polytheism and were fervent believers in one God. Christians were seen as “atheists by Romans because they didn’t worship the Roman gods” (Winston) and believed in an invisible God. Persecutions against Christians by tyrannical emperors fueled the spread and influence of Christianity.
Then in the fourth century, a ruler claimed the throne in Rome who was Constantine. He is considered to be the first Christian ruler in Rome. Although his faith was not all that perfect, he issued the Edict of Milan, which granted Christians religious freedom. Persecutions were halted on the official level. History shows us that when Christians lived in time of peace, heresies and cults would always form due to the fact that Christianity was not being cleansed and refined of heretics and apostates. The same occured after Christians received religious freedom under the Edict of Nantes.
One of the most popular heresies that were taking face during that time was Arius’ belief that Jesus was not eternal like the father and therefore was not divine, he was basically throwing away the concept of a triune God. At the same time while Arianism was spreading, faithful Christians began to fire back in defense of Christ. Desiring to prevent conflict within the Church, Constantine summoned Christian leaders (about 300) to solve this problem in which became known as the First Council of Nicaea. The basis for the Christian Trinitarian faith was laid out at this event. A statement was agreed upon by the leaders of the Church: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of the Father, that is, from the substance of the Father, God of God, light of light, true God of True God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the father, through whom all things were made” (Eusebius). With this event, the Church had become more unified and more of a state religion in the Roman Empire. With some time, all Christian divisions were banned and only Catholicism was practiced. Over the next few centuries, the church had strayed from their initial fervent faith in Christ and had become a corrupt institution. The translation of the Bible into the native language of the people was strictly forbidden, due to the fact that the papacy feared that people would uncover the truth of the papacy’s corruption.
Slowly, over time, members of the Catholic Church, who were able to read the language of the church (which was Latin) began to see the problems of the Catholic Church. Some did not dare speak out, fearing for their lives, while others who were bolder at heart spoke out against the corruption of the Catholic Church. Most of these men were met with gruesome ends, but their work lived on. They helped pave the rode for what would later become the Protestant Reformation. Then, in the sixteenth century, a few decades after the deaths of these brave men, a time of great change occurred. The Protestant movement had gained tremendous popularity and influence. The Protestant fought against the corruption of the Catholic Church and tried to reinstitute real Christianity, where salvation was solely achieved by faith alone and where the Bible was the sole authority of man on Earth. And thus these were the great defining moments of the Christianity, which is Protestantism, which will be compared here with Islam.
Islam takes its roots in an Arabian man named Muhammad. Muhammad was born in the seventh century AD in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. His family had a business in caravans. From the time when he was still young, he would work with his family in building and maintaining their business. During this time, he began to see a big problem with the tribes of Arabia, they lacked unity (Arabia was not a unified nation yet). He saw that this was making Arabia weak as compared to the nations surrounding it. Arabia was split up with a multitude of personal or local religions and gods. This split kept the Arabia tribes nomadic and not unified. For these reasons, he began teaching the people of Mecca of Allah, which in Arabic means “God”. With these teachings, he envisioned a strong unified Arabia under one god. The majority of the Arabian tribes, before Muhammad, believed in a multitude of gods and one god in particular was the supreme god—Allah. They believed that he was not interested in the life of humans and thus he was not a subject of their rituals and ceremonies. Monotheistic communities existed in Saudi Arabia at the time, who were Christians and Jews. Thus, it is not a surprise that Muhammad based some ideas in Islam off of Christian and Jewish doctrines. Muhammad also taught people that he was a direct descendent of Abraham through Ishmael. He was teaching people that he was delivering them the monotheistic faith that Abraham believed and the faith that Christians and Jews distorted. Due to the fact that his teachings were so radical, the citizens of Mecca banished him from the city. A few years later, he came back to get his revenge by taking the city of Mecca and making it the capitol of Islam. The capture of Mecca eventually led to the unification of the tribes of Arabia and with that, the spread of Islam. For the next few decades, Arabian caliphs played a tremendously huge role in the spread of Islam through the conquest of new lands.
Now that an analysis has made of the histories behind the two religions, we can now analyze the differing views on the doctrine of God in both Christianity and Islam. Christians and Jews essentially believe in the same God, with one difference: Jews believe follow the Old Testament, where God is described as being the only God. Thus, in a Christian sense, they believe in God the Father only. Although there are a few instances in the Old Testament where the Son and the Holy Spirit play an active role, but in these texts, they do not get described in a straight-forward way. Christians base their beliefs off of the New Testament. They believe in the Trinity, a concept where God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three persons in one as explained above. The Trinity is shown having an active role in the New Testament in a straight-forward sense. Christians believe that people communicate with God through the power of the Holy Spirit through the Son, who is the mediator between man and God.
There are many attributes given to God as a whole: by nature, God is intangible because he is a spirit, He does not possess humanly features contrary to popular belief. Since God is the Creator of all things, He is not limited within the things that He created, like time, death, space, or matter. God does not age, nor does He die, He is not limited to one specific location but is everywhere anytime all the time, and he is not limited to the laws of nature and the laws of matter like man is. God is infinite, incomparable, and unchanging. God exists everywhere, knows everything, and has all power and authority. There are many characteristics that describe God, of which are: He is just, loving, truthful, holy, compassionate, merciful, graceful, the Judge, and the Forgiver. God’s work here on Earth is as follows: He created the universe and the Earth, He maintains the Earth’s existence, He is carrying out His plan in which the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death is one of the primary focuses, He pulls people towards Christ, He chastens His children, and He will judge the world. These descriptions are but a small amount of descriptions as compared to all His descriptions.
Muslims see Allah quite differently than the God of the Bible. Muslims hold that Allah is the only name of the Islamic deity. Calling something else Allah is forbidden by Muslim law. The concepts that God rested on the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, and that God is incarnate in any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view (sultan.org). Muslims forbid associating any deity or personality with Allah, because they believe that it is a deadly sin that Allah will never forgive, this is an example of an unforgivable sin. Muslims hold that Allah is the creator of all things and that he sustains life on earth. They see him as eternal and all-knowing (concepts mostly likely borrowed from Christian theology). Muslims believe that all of Allah’s attributes are absolute, he never loses any attributes and never gains any either. They believe that Allah does not have a son who is also of his status due to that fact that they believe that there would have been conflict between the gods. They, thus, insist on the idea that Allah is only one god and there are three persons, like in the Christian Trinity. In order for a Muslim to be saved, he must believe in Allah and believe that he is the only god worthy of worship.
There are many attributes given to God as a whole: by nature, God is intangible because he is a spirit, He does not possess humanly features contrary to popular belief. Since God is the Creator of all things, He is not limited within the things that He created, like time, death, space, or matter. God does not age, nor does He die, He is not limited to one specific location but is everywhere anytime all the time, and he is not limited to the laws of nature and the laws of matter like man is. God is infinite, incomparable, and unchanging. God exists everywhere, knows everything, and has all power and authority. There are many characteristics that describe God, of which are: He is just, loving, truthful, holy, compassionate, merciful, graceful, the Judge, and the Forgiver. God’s work here on Earth is as follows: He created the universe and the Earth, He maintains the Earth’s existence, He is carrying out His plan in which the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death is one of the primary focuses, He pulls people towards Christ, He chastens His children, and He will judge the world. These descriptions are but a small amount of descriptions as compared to all His descriptions.
Muslims see Allah quite differently than the God of the Bible. Muslims hold that Allah is the only name of the Islamic deity. Calling something else Allah is forbidden by Muslim law. The concepts that God rested on the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, and that God is incarnate in any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view (sultan.org). Muslims forbid associating any deity or personality with Allah, because they believe that it is a deadly sin that Allah will never forgive, this is an example of an unforgivable sin. Muslims hold that Allah is the creator of all things and that he sustains life on earth. They see him as eternal and all-knowing (concepts mostly likely borrowed from Christian theology). Muslims believe that all of Allah’s attributes are absolute, he never loses any attributes and never gains any either. They believe that Allah does not have a son who is also of his status due to that fact that they believe that there would have been conflict between the gods. They, thus, insist on the idea that Allah is only one god and there are three persons, like in the Christian Trinity. In order for a Muslim to be saved, he must believe in Allah and believe that he is the only god worthy of worship.
With the views on God in both religions analyzed, we shall move unto the views on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in both religions. Since Christianity believes that Jesus is part of the Trinity and thus is divine and the fact that Muslims hold opposite views, this is an equally important subject to analyze. Before observing the Islamic view of Jesus and, we must analyze how Christian doctrine portrays Jesus. We will first learn of who Jesus was and what His teachings were. Since Christians live by what is said in the Bible, it is logical to learn about Jesus from the occurrence of Jesus’ activity in the Bible. The Bible clearly states that Jesus came unto Earth in a lowly humble position to become the ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of man’s sins. He was the only acceptable sacrifice due to the fact that He was entirely God and man simultaneously. He was God in that He could forgive sins, He could control the forces of nature, and He could bypass laws of nature. He was man in that He had man’s limitations, like hunger, thirst, temptation, etc. He was not just godly in power, He was God Himself (He was a person of the Trinity).
His deity is proved in His direct remarks and in His indirect actions. He claimed His preexistence by stating “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58 KJV). The reaction of the Jews was to stone Jesus in what they considered blasphemy. The usage of the term “I am” comes from Exodus 3:14 where God tells Moses “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (KJV) after Moses asked God “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?” (Exodus 3:13 KJV). The term “I am” comes from the Hebrew word hayah which means “to be” or “existence”. The Hebrew word Yahweh, which is the name of God, is derived from the word hayah (Nelson). With Jesus’ statement, He was affirming that He was preexisting and existed far before Abraham was even born. This is just one of some of His direct assertions that He was God.
One of the indirect clues to His deity is the fact that He accepted worship from His followers without rebuking them. For instance in the story where Jesus heals a blind man and afterwards, the blind man starts to testify in front of the Pharisees which ends up in him getting cast out. After this act, “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him” (John 9:35-38). The word worship comes from the Greek word proskyneō which is always used to describe people worshipping God. Jesus does not rebuke this action, Jesus Himself stated in Matthew 4:10b “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.” With this in mind, we know that since Jesus did not forbid people from worshipping Him, He was acknowledging Himself as God. This is also just one of some of His indirect claims to deity.
Muslims see Jesus radically different from Christians. Muslims believe that He was a special man, but they do not believe that He was divine. They believe that He is one of Allah’s special prophets, that He came here on Earth to preach the Gospel and while, according to them, He preached the correct Gospel, Christians distorted what He really meant and said. Jesus was a great prophet sent by Allah, but still lower than and not as significant as the other prophets (who are Moses, David, Muhammad, and others). They believe that He was just an ordinary man with no divine characteristics in Him. He was born of a virgin woman named Mary, the fact that Mary is Jesus’ human mother, Muslims mistakenly believe that the Christian Trinity consists of God, Mary, and Jesus. Jesus healed the sick and performed a multitude of miracles. They believe that Jesus was the Messiah who did not die on the cross, they believe that someone died in His place. They believe that Jesus could not have died for man’s sins due to the fact that humans cannot die for the sins of others.
His deity is proved in His direct remarks and in His indirect actions. He claimed His preexistence by stating “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58 KJV). The reaction of the Jews was to stone Jesus in what they considered blasphemy. The usage of the term “I am” comes from Exodus 3:14 where God tells Moses “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (KJV) after Moses asked God “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?” (Exodus 3:13 KJV). The term “I am” comes from the Hebrew word hayah which means “to be” or “existence”. The Hebrew word Yahweh, which is the name of God, is derived from the word hayah (Nelson). With Jesus’ statement, He was affirming that He was preexisting and existed far before Abraham was even born. This is just one of some of His direct assertions that He was God.
One of the indirect clues to His deity is the fact that He accepted worship from His followers without rebuking them. For instance in the story where Jesus heals a blind man and afterwards, the blind man starts to testify in front of the Pharisees which ends up in him getting cast out. After this act, “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him” (John 9:35-38). The word worship comes from the Greek word proskyneō which is always used to describe people worshipping God. Jesus does not rebuke this action, Jesus Himself stated in Matthew 4:10b “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.” With this in mind, we know that since Jesus did not forbid people from worshipping Him, He was acknowledging Himself as God. This is also just one of some of His indirect claims to deity.
Muslims see Jesus radically different from Christians. Muslims believe that He was a special man, but they do not believe that He was divine. They believe that He is one of Allah’s special prophets, that He came here on Earth to preach the Gospel and while, according to them, He preached the correct Gospel, Christians distorted what He really meant and said. Jesus was a great prophet sent by Allah, but still lower than and not as significant as the other prophets (who are Moses, David, Muhammad, and others). They believe that He was just an ordinary man with no divine characteristics in Him. He was born of a virgin woman named Mary, the fact that Mary is Jesus’ human mother, Muslims mistakenly believe that the Christian Trinity consists of God, Mary, and Jesus. Jesus healed the sick and performed a multitude of miracles. They believe that Jesus was the Messiah who did not die on the cross, they believe that someone died in His place. They believe that Jesus could not have died for man’s sins due to the fact that humans cannot die for the sins of others.
And with that, our comparative analysis of the doctrine of God in Islam and Christianity comes to an end. The goal was to differentiate the two views to prove that Muslims and Christians do not believe in the same God. This was achieved through the analysis of the history of both religions, then with an examination of the two views showed that radically different views on God in both religions, and finally the views on Jesus were examined to prove that both religions have radically different concepts of God.
Bibliography
Eusebius of Caesarea. Epistle to the Caesareans.
Hughes, Joseph J. "Unit 05: Ancient Roman Religion." cicero.missouristate.edu - Joe Hughes's Home Site. Missouri State University, 9 Nov. 2000. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://cicero.missouristate.edu/courses/LLT326/lectures/unit05.htm>.
Nelson, Russell M. "I'll Go, I'll Do, I'll Be: Three Steps Toward a Monumental Life - Russell M. Nelson." Speeches Website. BYU, 19 Aug. 1986. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6998>.
Sultan.org. Concept of God in Islam. WAMY Series: On Islam No.9.
Winston, Jacquelyn E. "Faith Under Fire: Persecution & Christian Martyrs." Why the Romans Distrusted the Christians. Azusa Pacific University. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. <http://home.apu.edu/~jwinston/Persecution.pdf>.
Hughes, Joseph J. "Unit 05: Ancient Roman Religion." cicero.missouristate.edu - Joe Hughes's Home Site. Missouri State University, 9 Nov. 2000. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://cicero.missouristate.edu/courses/LLT326/lectures/unit05.htm>.
Nelson, Russell M. "I'll Go, I'll Do, I'll Be: Three Steps Toward a Monumental Life - Russell M. Nelson." Speeches Website. BYU, 19 Aug. 1986. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6998>.
Sultan.org. Concept of God in Islam. WAMY Series: On Islam No.9.
Winston, Jacquelyn E. "Faith Under Fire: Persecution & Christian Martyrs." Why the Romans Distrusted the Christians. Azusa Pacific University. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. <http://home.apu.edu/~jwinston/Persecution.pdf>.