Compare and contrast christianity and islam Essay

Compare and contrast christianity and islam - Essay Example This, perhaps, is as a result of the fact that Islam follows Christianity the chronology of world religions. Some – and they would not be completely wrong to suggest it – suggest that Islam is built from the writings and teachings of Christianity. This essay will examine the similarities and the differences between these two dominant world faiths through a discussion focused on two distinctly different yet related stories contained their respective scriptures, the Bible and the Qu’ran; the stories of Ascension and Armageddon. If we look for commonalties between Islam and Christianity, one of the most poignant commonalities is the ascension of Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad. In Christianity, the ascension of Christ is discussed without ambiguity in Acts 1:9-11, and is referenced with less specificity in Luke 24:51 (Filson, Floyd, 1956, p. 49). While it tends to be the practice of many Christians to focus on the Resurrection as the most important event in the life and death of Jesus Christ, the event which should be the most significant is the Ascension, because it is the fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus during his testimony before the masses. â€Å"For the first Christians, the Resurrection was not the end of the story; it was the climax which leads to momentous developments. Jesus was exalted at the right hand of God (Acts: 2:33) (Filson, 1956, p. 49).† The language that is used to discuss the Ascension of Christ is one of mankind, in order that Christians be able to visualize Jesus in heave; because, as Floyd Filson points out in his book, Jesus Christ: The Risen Lord, it serves the Christian understanding to be able to visualize Christ sitting in heaven at the right hand of God (1956, p. 50). This visualization facilitates the more meaningful idea of the Exaltation of Christ in heaven with God (1956, p. 50). â€Å". . . indeed, eleven New Testament books, by at least seven different writers, refer clearly to this