Christianity & Islam

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three closely related religions. Because they all revere Abraham and certain other patriarchs mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Christian Scriptures and Qur'an as their spiritual ancestors, they are sometimes called Abrahamic religions.

About the religions themselves:

Name of the religion:	Christianity	Islam
Meaning of the name:	Believer in Christ (a Greek word meaning Messiah).	Submission to the will of God.
Name of a believer:	Christian.	Muslim.
Date of founding:	circa 30 CE. 1	622 CE. 2
Name of founder(s):	Yeshua of Nazareth (aka Jesus Christ, (pbuh) 3 & Paul.	Most religious historians credit Muhammad (pbuh) as the founder. 3 However, Muslims generally regard Islam as dating back to the time of creation
% of world's population as followers:	33%.	20%.
Worldwide growth rate in numbers of members 4	2.3%/year.	2.9%/yr.
Growth rate of the religion as a % of the world's population:	About 0.0%. Numbers have been static for decades.	Increase of about 0.6%/yr.
Estimated year when Islam will become the most popular world religion:	2023 CE (if above numbers are valid) to beyond 2200 CE (as estimated by some religious futurists)
% of U.S. population as followers:	2001 ARIS study estimates 76%, and declining.	2001 ARIS study estimates 0.5%; some Muslim groups estimate 6 million (2%).
Major traditions or denominations:	Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, and others.	Shi'ite, Sunni, Sufi. Sufi is a mystical tradition.

Beliefs:

Name of the religion:	Christianity	Islam
Concept of deity:	Most believe in the Trinity; three persons in one Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.	God (Allah) is one and indivisible. They believe in a strict monotheism. "Allah" means God in Arabic.
Status of Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ):	Generally considered the Son of God, worshiped as God; one person of the Trinity.	Very highly respected as the second-last prophet; next to Muhammad in importance.
Birth of Yeshua:	Conservatives: virgin conception. Liberals: conventional birth.	Virgin conception.
Death of Yeshua:	Executed by Roman Army circa 30 CE.	He was not killed, or suffered death. Muslims believe that he ascended alive into heaven. 2
Yeshua's location	Ascended into Heaven	Ascended into Heaven
Identity of "another helper" or "comforter" *	Holy Spirit	Muhammad
Second coming of Jesus	Conservatives: expect in near future. Liberals: varied.	Anticipate his second coming in the future.
Status of Adam:	Disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.	Free from all major sins and faults. Some regard him as a prophet.
Main holy book:	Bible 6	Qur'an 7
Original languages:	Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek.	Arabic.
Status of the holy book:	Conservatives: the inerrant Word of God. Liberals: a historical document.	God's word and final revelation, dictated by angel Gabriel.
Additional guidance:	Writings of the leaders of the early Church. For Roman Catholics: church tradition.	The Hadith -- sayings of Muhammad (pbuh).
Ethic of reciprocity (Golden rule):	"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Matthew 7:12	"Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi 13
A baby's status at birth	Various views. One is that a baby is born with a sin nature, separated from God. Baptism restores the connection.	All babies are a born in a pure state of submission to Allah. However, as they mature they are often taught other beliefs.
Life after death:	Either Heaven or Hell. Catholics believe in Purgatory as a third, temporary, state.	Paradise or Hell.
Basis of determining who goes to Heaven or Paradise:	There is no consensus in Christianity. Different faith groups hold Various diverse beliefs: trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior, good works, church sacraments, baptism, avoiding the undefined unforgivable sin.	Once they reach puberty, his/her account of deeds is opened in Paradise. To attain paradise, at death, their good deeds (helping others, testifying to the truth of God, leading a virtuous life)... must outweigh their evil deeds.
Confessing sins:	Roman Catholic: to God or Jesus, either directly or through a priest; Others: to God or Jesus	To Allah
Probably the most misunderstood term:	Immaculate Conception: Roman Catholics believe that the conception of the Virgin Mary, circa 20 BCE, was without sin. Many incorrectly relate it to Yeshua's' conception.	Jihad: internal, personal struggle towards the attainment of a noble goal. Many incorrectly equate it to "holy war."

* From John 14:16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."