Comparative Religion - Comparing two of the world’s largest beliefs
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes interpretive differences of common themes and ideas among the world’s religions. Comparative religion study relies heavily upon the examination of myth and spirituality, deriving essential themes from religious metaphor, and tracing in various ways a possible direct cultural connection between them. Comparative religion study also makes comparisons between the rituals and other aspects of various faiths besides just the myths.
Comparative religion studies could be conducted on just two different religions or several at one time and in many different combinations. An example or a comparative religion study would be Christianity and Islam.
Comparative religion studies using Christianity compared to other world religions is common as Christianity shares elements with many other world religions.
It is interesting to do a comparative religion study on Christianity and Islam as there are a number of beliefs within both that are alike. They share similar views on monotheism (the belief that there is one God), judgment, heaven, hell, spirits, angels, and a future resurrection. Jesus Christ is acknowledged and respected by Muslims as a great and sinless prophet who was given other holy names such as “Messiah.” However, while Islam relegates Jesus Christ to a lesser status than God in the Koran, Christianity believes quite firmly and without question that Jesus Christ is God, one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity. Jesus Christ is equally God as well as the Holy Spirit. Christianity and Islam share a belief in Christ’s virgin birth, his miracles and healings, and that he ascended into heaven. However, Jesus Christ is not accepted as the Son within the Trinity by Muslims, except in the sense of being someone loved by God. They believe only in God as a single entity, not as the Trinity accepted by the vast majority of Christians. Neither do Muslims accept Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. Since Muslims believe only in the worship of a strictly monotheistic God who never became human, they see Jesus as an idol. For the same reason, they do not worship or pray to Muhammad, Jesus or any other prophets; only to God. No Christian would worship a prophet either since worship is to be reserved for God
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Believers of Islam have historically referred to themselves, Jews, and Christians as “People of the Book” since they all base their religion on books that are considered to have a divine origin. Christians, however, do not recognize the Koran as a genuine book of divine revelation, nor agree with its assessment of Jesus as a mere prophet. Christians also do not accept that Muhammad was a prophet or was of the same level so to speak as Jesus. Muslims, for their part, believe that parts of the Gospels, Torah and Jewish prophetic books have been forgotten, misinterpreted, or distorted by their followers. Based on that perspective, Muslims view the Koran as correcting the errors of Christianity. Comparative religion studies show that the two faiths have often experienced controversy and conflict throughout the centuries (i.e. the Crusades).
You can do a further comparative religion study on Christianity and Islam or any other religious beliefs or philosophies. Do some research online or in your local library regarding comparative religion studies.