Interfaith Relationships: Differences

In the last entry, I discussed some of the basic facts and beliefs found in Islam. So this entry will be focused on its difference from Christianity (Orthodox Christianity). Side Note: the beliefs of Orthodox Christianity do not differ greatly from other denominations; its more or less ritualistic practices of how we go about worshipping the Lord. 

In this entry, I will very likely revisit some of the key points from my previous entry, so forgive me for my reiteration. I will talk about the Islamic views first and then follow with the Christian ones (just in case there are some who are a bit rusty)

DIFFERENCES

Jesus Christ: (I completely butchered this in my first entry...I went back and edited it.)

Islamic: Believe that Jesus was born from a virgin, Mary, and is a prophet of God. It is also believed that he is the Messiah (Isa is how they refer to him) to the Israelites and will come again. However, Muslims don't believe that Jesus is equal to God.

"[And mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allah ]."

3: 45 ('Āli `Imrān - Family of Imran)

Christian: So the difference is that Christians believe in the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). That Jesus is the flesh form of God. In case you don't remember: the Holy Trinity was of great debate at the First Council of Nicea where Arius, a respected priest, was reprimanded for his heretic teachings.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

Muhammad:

Islamic: Is believed to be the Messenger and is the last prophet sent to earth by God.

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of ALLAH, and the seal of the Prophets and ALLAH has full knowledge of all things."

33: 40 (Al-'Aĥzāb - The Combined Forces)

Christian: Don't believe in Muhammad at all. It stops at Jesus and him dying for our sins on the cross. He is the flesh form of God. 

Prayer:

Islamic: It is expected that a Muslim prays 5 times a day. Anyone praying less than 5 times is considered a non believer. Even amongst the Muslim community there is much debate of where it states that 5 times is necessary some believe its 4. But that aside the passage is as follows:

"So exalted is Allah when you reach the evening and when you reach the morning. And to Him is [due all] praise throughout the heavens and the earth. And [exalted is He] at night and when you are at noon."

30: 17-18 ( Ar-rūm - The Romans)

Christian: The Bible does not necessarily tells us when we must pray but rather the approach at which we must come into prayer. Aka: where our hearts and intentions may be at the time. It places an emphasis much like Islam to thank God. 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Phillippians 4:6

Baptism/ Conversion:

Islamic: Conversion is simple in terms of logistics. One proclaims: 

I testify “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasoolu Allah.”

Which translated means: "There is no true god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God"
Basically, this is an internal proclamation, however, it is advised that one seeks religious guidance before making such a proclamation. 

Christian: Baptism is crucial in Christianity. It is a long process in the Orthodox faith and is one that is watched and guided throughout. ( I can't get into it because I'm getting baptized in a few weeks and I want to discuss it more then. So hang on, okay?)

"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

Mark 16: 15-16

NOTE: There's a bigger topic that should be discussed under this section but its too much for me to decipher the arguments on both sides. It is the idea of Original Sin. 

Sacred Text:

Islamic: Qur'an - Already talked about this previously. It is broken up into 114 chapters. It is written in first person. 

"[This is] a Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that you might bring mankind out of darknesses into the light by permission of their Lord - to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy"

14: 1 ('Ibrāhīm - Abrahim)

Christian: Bible - Consists of 66 books and is broken into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The New Testament has many authors but the main author is Paul. He is 1 of the 12 original apostles just FYI.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

John 3 : 16

Place of Worship:

Islamic: Mosque - There are many rules in which a person abides to when attending or visiting a Mosque. There's an emphasis on cleanliness and modesty. Before prayer, Muslims must cleanse themselves in a process called 'wudu' (abultion). Here's a children chart below of how one performs Wudu. 

Lastly, modesty means that women be covered up when entering a mosque in respect of this sacred place of worship.

Christian: Church - In the Orthodox faith, there are some similarities to Muslim customs. BUT the main difference would be no specific rules on attire. However, there is a verse in the Bible about how women should dress when attending church.

"Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire."

1 Timothy 2:9 

Side Note: Does this mean that I'm going to stop getting dressed up for Church??? NO! I'm not perfect. Sue me. lol.

Day of Worship:

Islamic: Friday - It is the day of obligated public worship at noon.

"O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew."

62: 9 ( Al-Jumu`ah - The Congregation, Friday)

Christian: Sunday - Is a day devoted to God and no work is to be performed. If I understand scripture correctly, women weren't even allowed to cook on Sunday. All must work/ labor must be done on the other 6 days. 

"And in the first day [there shall be] an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save [that] which every man must eat, that only may be done of you."

Exodus 12:16

Sacred Practices:

Islamic: The Five Pillars. Look at the previous entry. 

Christians: Baptism and Communion (Eucharist). It is said that during communion, the Holy Spirit communicates Jesus Christ to us and his presence in Heaven. (And I'm leaving this here because I'll go into it on a later date just know that these two things are VERY important to Orthodox Christians.)

Marriage: Super loaded questions, but I'm ONLY covering BASICS.

Islamic: Muslims are allowed to marry outside of their religion just as long as the person is apart of scripture. IE: Jewish or Christian. The argument for this is the idea that children will take on their father's religion, so it does not matter if the mother is Muslim. Much heated debate in that statement alone. The ceremony itself is heavily weighed on the cultural background of the marrying couple.

Christian: Specifically, Orthodox Christians are allowed to marry other people of religious backgrounds/ outside the Coptic church, but they are not permitted to partake in Eucharist once they do. The idea is that these marriages are not recognized by the church gets rather legalistic but it is more of a historical practice according to my Abouna. Back in Egypt when the religion first began there wasn't different denominations of Christianity; you were either Coptic or Muslim. But with the cultural changes, these interfaith marriages may be recognized by the church once the non-Coptic individual converts and a blessing is placed over the marriage. (We will have to wait until I get married for me to discuss the ceremony...so I hope you have time...like years and maybe once you have grandchildren, I'll find someone.)

In closing, there are many things that are differences between the two religions. Honestly, there are probably many more differences to be found between the denominations of Christianity, but that is not the point of my blog. I just want to talk about the One Greater than I and my understanding of things as I chug along. (I'm not always right. Sometimes I'm completely off base.) 

Next, the similarities between the two religion along with me tying this crazy tangent together.

Many Blessings.

Linda

P.S. Its 1 AM. Banana Balls!