Meanwhile another factor which highlights
the similarities and differences of Christianity and Islam is their place of
worship. Christians worship in churches, whereas a Muslim’s place of worship is
called a mosque. Even though they use different houses, they both see it as
Houses of God, thus, their place of worship is a sacred place where worshippers
observe values and traditions. Both
place hold reverences in prayer whether daily or scheduled congregation on
Sundays. Religious practices are performed at both places which includes
wedding and funeral rites. Furthermore, worship houses are used for observing seasonal
festivals. For instance, Muslim perform prayers nightly during the season of
Ramadhan and likewise, Christians conduct services for Lent, Advent and
Pentecost. In both places, the teachings of God are taught, communal worship is
conducted and the worshippers are encouraged to build their faith with God. It
is evident that these places of worship signifies the teachings of values,
fellowship, praying and learning. Another similarity between these two places
is that they are considered holy places and free from any form of idol worship.
One can find holy objects representing the religion in both places. At a
church, one can find statues of Jesus and there must objects of the Cross
present. Also, depictions of Muhammad are found at mosques. Aside from the
Houses of God, both religions considered places on Earth as holy land based on
the history of their religion. Jerusalem is the holy place for Christians as it
is the place where Jesus lived. Meanwhile, Muslims see Mecca as the Holy place
where worshippers visit the Hajj.
Even though these two religions share
common beliefs in terms of places of worship, their perception of a place of
worship is different. A Muslim’s place must be a structured building but since Christians
view places of worship as a congregation, they do not need a building to house
a prayer, ceremony or ritual. This is why baptisms can be performed at rivers
or prayers in fields or stadiums. Another difference is that Christianity is broken
into denominations which have different types of churches like cathedrals and
basilica. However, a mosque is the only standardized
house for Islam. Meanwhile, Islam practice stricter rules at their place of worship
than Christianity. For example, Muslims segregate men from women at a mosque,
whereas families can sit together in a Christian church. A Muslim must wear
looser clothing than Christians so as not to reveal their shape, remove their shoes
when attending the mosque and cleanse themselves in an absolution process.
Meanwhile, another case for to consider is
the practice of prayer. This is an integral part for both religions as it
develops a closer relationship to God. Through prayer, God is praised and both
parties can ask for blessings, forgiveness and mercy. Furthermore, both
religions take prayer at a higher level by visiting their respective holy
lands. Muslims perform Hajj at Mecca which is a pilgrimage undertaken once in
their lifetime. Likewise, Christians takes a journey to Jerusalem as reverence
to walking on the grounds that Jesus walked on earth or visit the Vatican City to
see the Pope which is closest mortal link to God.
Just like the other factors, practice of
prayer has opposite beliefs as well. Islam practices Salaat which stresses on
scheduled times for prayers where it is done five times daily while facing the
direction of Mecca. A Christian’s prayer is more voluntary with the comfort of
any place at any time. They focuses on attitude only where humility and strong
belief is considered. Meanwhile, achieving purity is different for both.
Impurity in Islam means exposure to body fluids and consumptions of pork and
alcohol and to attain purity s through washing with water. Women cannot be pure
during menstruation as well. On the contrary, Christians become pure through
water and bloodshed based on sacrifices.
In conclusion, it is evident that Christianity
and Islam are almost the same religion as they hold similarities but there are
some differences. They have common, beliefs, origins and practices but they
follow some procedures based on their views of certain aspects. Man has the
choice to determine which one is superior but it is based on what they believe personally.
Understanding each religion is helpful in respecting others beliefs in society
as the world must remember the rule to respect one another as oneself.