Buddhism & Christianity

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Since about 75% of American adults identify themselves as Christian and only 0.5% view themselves as Buddhist, it may be useful to compare Buddhism with the U.S.'s dominant religion. We define as "Christian" any person or group who thoughtfully, sincerely, prayerfully regard themselves as Christian. This is the definition that pollsters and the census offices of many countries use. It includes as Christians the full range of faith groups who consider themselves to be Christians, including Assemblies of God members, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Southern Baptists, United Church members, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, etc. Many Christians have a much less inclusive definition of the term "Christian."

Beliefs not shared: Buddhists do not share most of the core beliefs of historical Christianity and many of the less critical beliefs accepted by some Christians. Buddhism does not teach: An original golden era in the Garden of Eden, and a subsequent fall of humanity. Original sin shared by all present-day humans, derived from Adam and Eve. A world-wide flood in the time of Noah, causing the greatest human genocide in history. The need for a sinless personal savior whose execution enabled individual salvation through atonement. A god-man savior who was born of a virgin, executed, resurrected and ascended to heaven. Salvation achieved: --Through good works (a common liberal Christian belief) or --Specific beliefs (as in repenting of one's sin and trusting Jesus as Lord and savior as taught by   many conservative Protestant faith groups) or --Sacraments (as baptism within the Roman Catholic Church, followed by confession later in life). Eternal life spent in either a heaven or hell after death. Return of a savior to earth at some time in the future. An end of the world as we know it in the near future.

Islam and Judaism

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The historical interaction of Judaism and Islam  started in the 7th century AD with the origin and spread of Islam in the Arabian peninsula. Because Islam has its foundation in Judaism and share a common origin in the Middle East through Abraham, both are considered Abrahamic religions. There are many shared aspects between Judaism and Islam: Islam is similar to Judaism in its fundamental religious outlook, structure, jurisprudence and practice. Because of this, as well as through the influence of Muslim culture and philosophy on practitioners of Judaism within the Islamic world, there has been considerable and continued physical, theological, and political overlap between the two faiths in the subsequent 1,400 years.

                 Islam and Judaism both consider the Christian doctrine of the trinity and the belief of Jesus being God as explicitly against the tenets of monotheism. Idolatry, worshiping graven images, is likewise forbidden in both religions. Both believe in angels and demons.

                There are many common aspects between Islam and Judaism. As Islam developed it gradually became the major religion closest to Judaism, both of them being strictly Monotheist religious traditions originating in a Semitic Middle Eastern culture. As opposed to Christianity, which originated from interaction between ancient Greek and Hebrew cultures, Islam is similar to Judaism in its fundamental religious outlook, structure, jurisprudence and practice. There are many traditions within Islam originating from traditions within the Hebrew Bible or from postbiblical Jewish traditions. These practices are known collectively as the Isra'iliyat.

Holy scripture

Further information: People of the Book and Biblical narratives and the Qur'an

Islam and Judaism share the idea of a revealed Scripture. Even though they differ over the precise text and its interpretations, the Hebrew Torah and the Muslim Qur'an share a lot of narrative as well as injunctions. From this, they share many other fundamental religious concepts such as the belief in a day of Divine Judgment. Reflecting the vintage of the religions, the Torah is traditionally in the form of a scroll and the Qur'an in the form of a codex.

Muslims commonly refer to Jews (and Christians) as fellow "People of the Book": people who follow the same general teachings in relation to the worship of the one God worshipped by [[Abraham],Allah. The Qur'an distinguishes between "People of the Book" (Jews and Christians), who should be tolerated even if they hold to their faiths, and idolaters (polytheists) who are not given that same degree of tolerance (See Al-Baqara, 256). Some restrictions for Muslims are relaxed, such as Muslim males being allowed to marry a woman from the "People of the Book" (Qur'an, 5:5), or Muslims being allowed to eat Kosher meat.

Christianity and Islam

Comparing the world's two largest religions:

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. (The Baha'i Faith is sometimes also included in this grouping.)

However, their many points of similarity are no guarantee that their followers can get along. Most of the serious religiously motivated conflicts, mass crimes against humanity and genocides in the 20th century have been between Muslims and Christians. This has included genocides in Bosnia Herzegovina, East Timor, and the Sudan, as well as serious conflicts in Cyprus,  Kosovo, Macedonia, and the Philippines. As of late 2009, two of these conflicts (Sudan and Philippines) are still active, and three others are inert only because of peacekeepers on the ground.

It is difficult to compare Christianity to any other religion, because there is such a wide range of beliefs and practices among various wings of Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican communion and the tens of thousands of Protestant faith groups. Some commentators have suggested that Christianity consists of a number of different religions which share little more than the Bible and the name of their religion. Protestant Christianity is obviously divided into a least liberal and conservative wings -- divisions which hold few beliefs in common. Some of the descriptions below will thus necessarily be somewhat simplistic and lacking in precision.

                what different faiths in various countries teach about homosexual behavior, and how their legal systems treat lesbians, gays, and bisexuals:

 

	--Same-sex behavior is a capital crime in six Muslim countries.
	--One Christian country in Africa is considering making such behavior a capital crime.
	--Many countries, both Muslim and Christian, assign long term jail sentences to sexually active gays and lesbians.
	--Other countries have no laws on the books regarding same-sex behavior.
	--Same-sex couples in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain and South Africa -- all at least nominally Christian -- can marry.

Thus, it is quite impossible to compare the Muslim and Christian beliefs and practices concerning same-sex behavior without going into a major explination -- something for which we have no room below.

Practices:

Name of the religion:	Christianity	Islam
Current interpretation of the Holy Book:	Ranges from statements of the Pope in Roman Catholicism to resolutions at conventions among Protestants.	Learned scholars in various countries. There is no single spokesperson or authoritative group.
Name of worship center:	Church, cathedral.	Mosque.
Main worship:	Sunday; Saturday for some.	Friday.
Church and state:	Largely considered separate. Most Christian countries are democracies	Integrated. Most Muslim countries are dictatorships.
Law	Generally restricted to legal matters.	Covers both moral and legal matters.
Legislation	Prerogative of the people	Prerogative of God
Use of statues of deity, saints, prophets, etc:	Common in some denominations	Absolutely forbidden. Statues and pictures are considered a very serious form of idolatry.
Main holy days:	Most Christians celebrate at least Christmas, Easter, and associated holy days.	Ashura; Mawlid; lunar month of Ramadan; Eid al-Fitr; Eid al-Adha.
Status of women:	Variable. Conservatives & liberals differ greatly.	Strongly affected by cultural traditions. Severely oppressed in some countries.
Status of sexual minorities:	Variable; ranges from limitations on the right to marry and other rights to acceptance of same-sex marriage	Variable; ranges from being driven underground into hiding to execution.
Marriages forbidden:	Inter-faith marriages, in the Eastern Orthodox church. Marriages between conservative Christians and others, within conservative Christianity.	A Muslim woman may not be married (or remained married) to a non-Muslim man.
Racism:	Promoted by the LDS church until 1978. Still supported by Christian Identity, KKK, and other Christian fringe groups. Officially rejected by almost all other denominations. Remains widespread.	Officially rejected by all Islamic movements. 5
Reaction to apostasy (leaving the faith due to religious conversion):	Prior to 1792, the end of the "burning times," execution was possible.	Traditionally, death to the apostate. This is rarely practiced in the 21st century.
Historical treatment of Jewish people in Muslim countries (Prior to World War 1):	Prolonged and widespread anti-Judaism, anti-semitism, oppression, and mass murder.	Additional taxation, because Jews were not required to serve in the military, but otherwise general tolerance.
Recent treatment of Jewish people:	Lessening of anti-semitism from historical levels, and gradual support of Israel, particularly since World War II.	Massive opposition and physical attacks since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and the occupation of Palestine.
Relations with state of Israel since 1948	Widespread support for Israel among religious conservatives. Criticism among some liberals concerning treatment of Muslims.	Widespread rejection of Israel. Discrimination, suicide bombing, etc. practiced. An exception is Turkey, a Muslim country that is a secular state.
Basis of calendar:	Gregorian solar calendar.  1 CE occurred about four to seven years after birth of Jesus.	Many Muslims use Gregaorian calendar. Religious events based on the Islamic lunar calendar. 1 AH occurred in 622 CE, the year of the Hegira when Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina.
Most misunderstood practice:	The sacrifice of the Mass, a Roman Catholic ritual. Some Native Americans and others interpreted it as a form of ritual cannibalism.	Female genital mutilation. This is often incorrectly considered to be a religious requirement of Islam. Actually it is cultural tradition common in some countries of Northern Africa. It is unknown in many Muslim countries.

 

1. The Christian church is normally considered to have begun at Pentecost, 50 days after Christians believe that Jesus was executed. Unfortunately, the year of his death is unknown.
2. Most religious historians view Islam as having been founded in 622 CE. However, many if not most of the followers of Islam believe that:

   	Islam existed before Muhammad (pbuh) was born.
   	The origins of Islam date back to the creation of the world.

3. Muslims traditionally acknowledge respect for Muhammad, Jesus and other prophets (peace be upon them) by adding this phrase or an abbreviation "(pbuh)" after their names.
4. Greg H. Parsons, Executive Director, "U.S. Center for World Mission," Pasadena, CA; quoted in Zondervan News Service, 1997-FEB-21.
5. One exception is the Nation of Islam which promotes a black supremacist ideology. For example, leader Louis Farrakhan stated that "White people are potential humans'they haven't evolved yet." (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2000-MAR-18). However, most Muslims do not consider the Nation of Islam to be part of Islam, because of its unique beliefs about God, humanity and the rest of the universe.
6. The books included in the Bible differ among Christian faith groups. The Roman Catholic Church includes the Apocrypha; most other Christian denominations do not. Members of the approximately 100 faith groups in the LDS Restorationist movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) add other holy books, including the Book of Mormon. Christian Scientists consider Mary Baker Eddy's book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" to be a major resource.
7. Muslims generally believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God, as dictated to Muhammad over an interval of 23 years. It is the only book that is considered free of tahrif (error). There are four additional books:

   The Suhuf-i-Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham/Ibrahim) which have been lost. The Tawrat (the Pentateuch from the Hebrew Scriptures) which many Muslims believe were altered by ancient Hebrews. The Zabur which many Muslims believe are the Psalms from the Hebrew Scriptures. The Injil (the Gospels; the words of Jesus). Muslims believe that this consists of the entire Christian Scriptures (New Testament), or perhaps only the four canonical Gospels. They also have been distorted and corrupted over time. Other Muslims believe that the Injil is not a book, but a group of teachings.

Islam and Judaism

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Islam and Judaism have a complex relationship. Traditionally Jews living in Muslim lands, known as dhimmis, were allowed to practice their religion and to administer their internal affairs, but subject to certain conditions. They had to pay the jizya (a per capita tax imposed on free adult non-Muslim males) to the Muslim government. Dhimmis had an inferior status under Islamic rule. They had several social and legal disabilities such as prohibitions against bearing arms or giving testimony in courts in cases involving Muslims. Many of the disabilities were highly symbolic. The most degrading one was the requirement of distinctive clothing, not found in the Qur'an or hadith but invented in early medieval Baghdad; its enforcement was highly erratic.Jews rarely faced martyrdom or exile, or forced compulsion to change their religion, and they were mostly free in their choice of residence and profession. Indeed, the period 712-1066 under the Ummayads and the Abbasids has been called the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. The notable examples of massacre of Jews include the killing or forcibly conversion of them by the rulers of the Almohad dynasty in Al-Andalus in the 12th century. Notable examples of the cases where the choice of residence was taken away from them includes confining Jews to walled quarters (mellahs) in Morocco beginning from the 15th century and especially since the early 19th century. There were some forced conversions in the 12th century under the Almohad dynasty of North Africa and al-Andalus as well as in Persia.

Standard antisemitic themes have become commonplace in the propaganda of Arab Islamic movements such as Hizbullah and Hamas, in the pronouncements of various agencies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and even in the newspapers and other publications of Refah Partisi.

Christianity and Judaism

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Traditionally, both Judaism and Christianity believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for Jews the God of the Tanakh, for Christians the God of the Old Testament, the creator of the universe. Judaism and major sects of Christianity reject the view that God is entirely immanent (although some see this as the concept of the Holy Ghost) and within the world as a physical presence, (although trinitarian Christians believe in the incarnation of God). Both religions reject the view that God is entirely transcendent, and thus separate from the world, as the pre-Christian Greek Unknown God. Both religions reject atheism on one hand and polytheism on the other.

Both religions agree that God shares both transcendent and immanent qualities. How these religions resolve this issue is where the religions differ. Christianity posits that God exists as a Trinity; in this view God exists as three distinct persons who share a single divine essence, or substance. In those three there is one, and in that one there are three; the one God is indivisible, while the three persons are distinct and unconfused, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It teaches that God became especially immanent in physical form through the Incarnation of God the Son who was born as Jesus of Nazareth, who is believed to be at once fully God and fully human. There are "Christian" sects that question one or more of these doctrines, however, see also Nontrinitarianism. By contrast, Judaism sees God as a single entity, and views trinitarianism as both incomprehensible and a violation of the Bible's teaching that God is one. It rejects the notion that Jesus or any other object or living being could be 'God', that God could have a literal 'son' in physical form or is divisible in any way, or that God could be made to be joined to the material world in such fashion. Although Judaism provides Jews with a word to label God's transcendence (Ein Sof, without end) and immanence (Shekhinah, in-dwelling), these are merely human words to describe two ways of experiencing God; God is one and indivisible.

Some Jewish and Christian philosophers hold that due to these differences; based on these differences, Christianity and Judaism do not believe in the same God at all.