What are the key problems in Christianity and Islam?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Problems in plural means there are many like there are many branches on a tree trunk!

But in my opinion, the singular problem which in my example above is the 'tree trunk' that gave birth to the many branches (problems) is the status of Jesus.

Christians - majority believe Jesus is Godor 'the only begotten son'

Muslims believes just like Jesus himself believed - that Jesus was and is a Prophet sent by the Almighty God.

Jesus himself said in John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (sent not as another god but as a Prophet).

Answer 2

The key problem is the belief in Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them)

Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the five greatest prophets (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad) but most Christians believe in Jesus as God or son of God.

Muslims believe in all God prophets including Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them). While Christians don't believe in Muhammad as prophet.

Muslims believe in all God holy books including The Bible and Qur'an while Christians don't believe in Qur'an as God holy book.

Qur'an; Muslims holy book that reflects real God word revelation to prophet Muhammad; says (meaning English translation):

{They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah (God and same God worshiped in all God religions) is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of three." And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment. So will they not repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded.} (5:72-75). Refer to question below.

Answer 3

The question as written is rather unclear. Answers 1 & 2 seem to view it as asking "What are the differences between Christianity and Islam?" and I can certainly see that as a viable reading, but as those answers detail them well, there is no need to repeat them. I also see two other readings: "What are the key problems between the Christian Community and the Muslim Community?" and "What are the major theological or developmental problems in Christianity and Islam?" Unfortunately both of these questions can easily cause offense since they are critical of groups of people and their belief systems, however, the question still warrants an answer.

What are the key problems between the Christian Community and the Muslim Community?

Currently the biggest issue of contention between Christians and Muslims today is discriminatory treatment of each group when it is in the minority in countries where the other is the majority.

In the case of Muslim discrimination against Christians, the forms of attack are typically more violent, resulting in church-burning and bombings, using blasphemy laws against Christians to confiscate their belongings, and preventing them from freely eating pork, drinking wine, and proselytizing. However, most Muslims sincerely believe that they are tolerant of Christians and see these criticisms as attempts to defame Islam instead of petitions for Muslims to re-examine their conduct.

In the case of Christian discrimination against Muslims, the forms of attack are more legislatively and economically targeted. Muslims are forbidden from wearing certain religious clothing items in some countries and are forbidden from building minarets in others. Halal meat-production has come under fire and some extreme politicians have discussed Muslim deportation. However, the Christians who support these types of laws feel vindicated in doing so because they sincerely believe that their culture and way of life is under threat from the demographic shifts towards Islam becoming a sizable minority in those countries. They refuse to back down from their demands because they believe that they are trapped in a corner.

What are the major theological or developmental problems in Christianity and Islam?

It is worth noting that many followers in both religions do not fall into the below-listed problems, but these problems are indicative of general modes of thought that the religions encourage by both the word and structure of their theology.

The following problems affect both religions:

Divine Justification for Immoral Acts: In both religions, there is a belief that bad situations and polemics are a natural part of history and a piece of the Divine Will. This actively prevents the desire to debate horrible situations in which Christians or Muslims find themselves in, horrible situations that other people are in or will be in, and make it difficult to debate immoral acts taken by people claiming the same faith. Christianity and Islam are not alone in this problem as nearly every religion has this effect on its followers of sugarcoating reality with a "Divine Purpose" which validates and permits what we otherwise swiftly condemn.

Inequality with Other Faiths: Christianity and Islam both see other faiths as less worthy of appreciation or acceptance. In the case of Christianity, the power of the Church to prevent other faiths from cropping up has been broken, but the Church of the 1500s and 1600s was incredibly intolerant with numerous executions and tortures of non-Christians or suspected non-Christians. In Islamic countries to this day, non-Muslims have fewer de facto protections and are, in many ways, in a weaker political position than Muslims. In countries like Egypt and Lebanon, the Christian communities are not doing well and are under constant threat.

Blasphemy and Freedom of Speech Restrictions: Both religions have restricted speech that is critical of their religions or of their gods. In Pakistan, blasphemy laws have resulted in hundreds of thousands of innocent people losing their property, even without any real evidence of guilt.

Apocalyptic and Heavenly Expectations: Since there is a reward for both Christians and Muslims after death and in the Apocalypse, many Christians and Muslims yearn for this destruction of the world, leading to less than desirable political choices and stances. It also makes negotiations far more difficult since every action is weighed against entry to the "good places" and negotiation is seen by many as conceding to the devil. Hell and the horror it entails (on the flip side) has the ability to cause psychological trauma and unmitigated terror, promoting less than ideal choices to avoid it.

The following problems exist only in Christianity:

Original Sin: The concept of original sin makes a person by default wrong and in need of salvation. There was a long debate in the early Catholic Church over whether babies who died before baptism went to hell, scaring numerous mothers who lost infants. The concept also led to many Christians believing in an incredible impurity of the body.

Third-Party Expiation: Jesus' sacrifice on the cross redeems non-Jesus people (i.e. normal Christians) of their sins. This is a violation of the idea that every person should atone for his own crimes. It would be as if someone else could sit your jail sentence for you. This creates a dissociation between being a good person and believing in Christ because belief in Christ liberates you from needing to be a good person.

The following problems exist only in Islam

Jihad: Jihad has two forms, but the one relevant to the problem section is the offensive military acquisition of territory by Muslim armies and adjoining it to Muslim empires or military attacks to further "the cause of Islam". This results in unnecessary bellicosity from the Islamic World and numerous death threats.

Women's Rights: Women in the Qur'an may have received better rights than those held by 6th Century Arabian Women, but they are significantly less than women hold today. Under the "right" circumstances, men are allowed to marry multiple wives, beat their wives, and give their daughters half the inheritance of a man. Additionally, the testimony of a woman is worth half of a man's in court (making divorces quite uneven and resulting, in many cases, in father-only custody).