Christianity and Islam was very surprised by many aspects of this movie. First, it had a far more balanced approach to the subject matter than I had expected. Knowing that Dr. Timothy George was a Christian theologian, I was expecting something slanted in favor of Christianity and maybe even suspicious or downright hostile towards Islam. Instead, the film had a very fair perspective. I like that he interviewed Muslim scholars and put their own words in the film, making sure to give the story not just in a balanced way, but from multiple perspectives. It was more about pointing out the similarities between the two religions than marking the differences, and that was the second truly surprising thing.
A never realized before watching this film how much Christianity and Islam were alike. The film does an excellent job setting up the Muslim attitude towards Jesus and salvation, and how Christina teachings apply to Muslims. It is a calm and accessible synthesis of two very complex structures that are fraught with conflict and confusion both within themselves and between each other, now more than any other time since the Crusades. The way in which Dr. George and the film's makers are able to step back from the epic conflict currently waging in some parts of the world and many people's minds and present an accurate and fair picture of these two world religions in union with each other is truly remarkable, and evidence of how much he cares not just about the people of his own religion -- who believe exactly the things he believes -- but for all of humanity.
In a world full of the news of the horrors of religion, from Muslim suicide bombers to bigotry and hatred being spouted from Christian fundamentalists, this film points out the good that religion is capable of and ultimately consists of. That is the greatest similarity between Christianity and Islam, and in almost any religion or spiritual belief system: love for other humans is paramount, and that love comes from understanding. This film helps us to understand the people we share this world with, and the benefits of that can only be good.
Sixth, Muslim morality is very similar to both Christianity and Judaism, due to marriage and family being of the utmost importance. Lastly, Muslims adhere to the concept of Jihad which basically means "the continual, inner spiritual struggle for submission to Allah in which all Muslims must engage in on a daily basis." This concept is very similar to what Christians practice, being a daily struggle to become closer to
In the Qur'an, music is presented as something that can bring pleasure to Muslims. Numerous prominent religious individuals in Islam have apparently claimed that music should not be present in Muslim houses. Even with that, Muslims are aware that Allah cannot possibly prohibit something that does not harm the individual or society in general. It is divisive whether or not Islam allows its followers to enjoy music, considering that the
The first five books were separated from the whole about 400 B.C. As the Pentateuch. Jean Astruc in the eighteenth century noted that the Pentateuch is based on even earlier sources. The two chief sources have since been identified in Genesis on the basis of their respective uses of Yahweh or Elohim in referring to the deity. They are called J. For the Jehovistic or Yahwistic source and E.
Answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/ch15_islam_and_the_goal.htm>. Barron, Robert. n.d. The Evangelical Task within the Context of the Contemporary Culture. USCCB. 6 May 2009 . Bnaiyer Website. n.d. Goals of Christianity. 6 May 2009 . Christianity Oasis. 2009. Creation Story. 6 May 2009 El-Hadi, Nehal. 2005. Islam and the Nature of the Universe. Islam Online. 6 May 2009 . Fenton, John. n.d. Mark's Gospel. Trinity URC Plymouth. 6 May 2009 . Kim, Bockja. n.d. Transcendental Knowledge -- The Goal (Telos) of Human Activities -- East
Initially, there was no separation between religious and civil law within Islamic countries, however Turkey became a secular state during the twentieth century (Introduction). Both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus' birth was miraculous, that he was the Messiah, that he performed miraculous healings, and resurrected the dead (Introduction). However Muslims do not believe in original sin, that Jesus was killed during a crucifixion (but rather escaped and reappeared to
370). The most egregious sins that can be committed by a Muslim include to deny the unity of God by ascribing divine status to any person or object. This sin is called shirk. Emphasizing the importance of shirk to Muslim morality, all iconography is strictly forbidden in Islam. Iconography in a mosque, the Muslim place of worship, would be akin to idol worship. The second major sin of Islam is
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