Christianity and Islam

• Some Christians believe in universalism, the idea that eventually everyone will repent and go to heaven.
• The virgin birth gives evidence for the belief, shared by all Christians, that Jesus is incarnate – made flesh in human form, full God yet fully human and thus God the Son as part of the Trinity.
• Criticisms of Christianity include the lack of scientific proof for the concept of the soul and the belief in the Second Coming and final judgement.
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ is important for Christians as it shows the power of good over evil and assures them that God will forgive their sins if they follow the teachings of Christianity.
• If you look after others then you will be rewarded.
• The incarnation of Jesus, where he was God in human form, is more important than the details of his birth.
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ is interpreted as the ultimate proof that he is the Son of God, showing God’s triumph over evil and death.
• In Genesis, Adam and Eve disobey God’s command – not to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge, leading to the first (original sin).
• Some Christians do not believe in hell because they think that God would not send all people to hell if he is omnibenevolent.
• The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was necessary to fulfil God’s commands for him and to reunite human beings with God.
• Many Christians believe that the account of creation in Genesis Chapter One contains religious truth, explaining that the process of creation was God’s choice and that God designed and caused it to happen.
• In the baptism ceremony, the Trinity is mentioned throughout, sealing their declaration of faith and uniting them in their understanding and belief of God as three in one.
• The belief in the Trinity is that there are three 'persons', all of which are God.
• The Trinity has been explained as a relationship based on love and equality, with humans created in the image of God, so they should have the same unity of the love to others.
• Christians believe that like Jesus, they will overcome death through resurrection and be in an eternal state of joy, which gives them comfort.
• The main messages in the Genesis creation story are that God is the sole and omnipotent Creator, humans are made in God’s image, humans have been given authority (dominion) over the rest of the created world, and humans should treat everyone how they would wish to be treated.
• Christians believe that ignoring the needs of others has consequences.
• Just as a clover leaf is made up of what seems to be three separate leaves, the one God is made up of three 'persons' - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
• Christians often do this through social justice, which might include helping the homeless or fighting against racism.
• The belief in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting is central to Christian belief.
• The prayer 'The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all' is said at the end of most services, uniting Christians together and helping them to remember they are one in the Trinity.
• Christians believe that God created the earth and all living things on the earth, as explained in Genesis Chapter One.
• Christians believe that God will raise the dead back to life before Judgement Day, and that heaven is being with God, simply the best moments in a person’s life, while hell is a place of intense fire and eternal separation from God.
• The four main types of prayer are Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
• Sacraments are especially important in the Roman Catholic Church as they show God’s grace and gifts offered at appropriate times in their lives.
• Sacraments: Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confession are rites and rituals through which the believer receives a special gift of grace; for Catholics, Anglicans and many Protestants, sacraments are ‘outward signs’ of ‘inward grace’.
• Non-liturgical Worship: Christians also take part in non-liturgical worship in which there does not need to be a set order or ritual.
• Nonconformist Churches: In Nonconformist churches, the emphasis is on the word of God in the Bible, and Holy Communion is usually celebrated once or twice a month.
• When Christians celebrate Holy Communion, they give thanks to God for his great love in sending Jesus to save people from sin and enable them to experience God’s love for all eternity.
• The Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Church recreates heaven on earth with hymns, prayers, a reading from the Bible, and the priest chants the Gospel.
• Prayers said on behalf of others are called prayers of intercession.
• A communion service in the Church of England is almost identical to that of the Catholic Church, with one small difference being that the ‘sign of peace’ is shared at a different time in the service.
• Informal Worship: Informal worship may depend on people’s spontaneous prayers, sharing of thoughts, and may involve dancing, clapping, calling out, and speaking in tongues.
• Private Prayer: Private prayer helps Christians build up discipline which gives them strength to cope in times of trouble.
• Private Worship: Christians believe that private worship, worshipping on their own, is just as important as public worship.
• Prayer: Prayer is communicating with God in silence or aloud, with others or alone, using set prayers or informal prayer.
• Through prayer and meditation, Christians find peace and a sense of communion with God in their everyday life as followers of Jesus.
• Holy Communion, also known as The Eucharist, is celebrated by almost all denominations and remembers the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples and his sacrifice and resurrection.
• Zakah strengthens communities by making the rich support the poor.
• This means they must observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which brings them closer to Allah.