What are the Similarities and Differences Between Islam and Christianity?

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Islam and Christianity both are Abhrahamic religions and trace their lineage to Abraham, although they differ in the concept of last prophethood following are  some similarities both religions have:

  1. Both believe that there is only one God and He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
  2. Both believe that  God sent prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Joseph, John the Baptist, Jesus etc to convey God's message to mankind.
  3. Both believe that People should follow the atleast the ten Commandments and the moral teachings of the prophets.
  4. Both believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin; therefore Jesus was born miraculously.
  5. Both believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah (Anointed one) and he performed miracles.
  6. Both believe that The Old testament/Torah and the new testament/Gospel) are holy scriptures.
  7. Both believe that Satan is evil; therefore, people should not follow Satan.
  8. Both believe that An Anti-Christ will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment.
  9. Both believe that  Jesus Christ will return by descending from Heaven and will kill the Anti-Christ.
  10. Both believe that  The Day of Judgment will occur and people will be judged.
  11. Both believe that There is hell and paradise.

Following are the differences:

  1. In Islam Trinity is totally rejected. Jesus is neither God, nor Son of God (in the literal sense). Jesus was a human prophet and not divine.Most modern Christians believe in the theory of Trinity, meaning that God has 3 forms (Father, Son, Holy Ghost/ Spirit).  The theory of trinity was not adopted by Christianity until the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Some of the early Christians rejected trinity and were presecuted on account of it. Even today, there are Christian Unitarian churches that do not accept the Trinity.  Notable Rationalist Unitarians include thinkers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson (American), scientists such as Isaac Newton (British), as well as famous figures such as Florence Nightingale (British) in nursing and humanitarianism, Charles Dickens (British) in literature, and Frank Lloyd Wright (American) in architecture.
  2. Muslims worship only God, the one and only the creator of the universe and that God neither begets nor is begotten and to whom Jesus himself used to pray. Christians worship Jesus himself thinking him to be God, even though there is no explicit mention by Jesus that he is God. Muslims believe that each human being can be called son/daughter of God because he/she was created by God. So there is nothing special or divine about Jesus being called son of God and therefore Jesus should not be worshiped.
  3. The Quran says Jesus did not die on the cross, but God made it appear that way to people. Furthermore, the Quran also says that Jesus was ascended to Heaven by God. Most Christians today insist Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, but two days later was resurrected. Many recent scholarly research by bible research scholars like Bart harman have sided with the Islamic narrative of Jesus.
  4. Christians believe in the concept of "Original Sin" which means that human beings are born as sinners , bearing the burden of the "Original Sin" of Adam and Eve. Muslims do not believe in the " Original Sin" for two main reasons     (a) In the Quran, God forgave Adam for what he has done, and    (b) according to the Quran, no one should be made to bear the burden of someone else's sin or mistake because it is unfair.
  5. Islam rather believes in original forgiveness citing many passages of Quran which unequivocally declare that God is most forgiving and does not require someone to die for other's sins. Christianity
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