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COMPARISON OF RELIGIONS
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islam_judaism_christianity.htm
Comparison of Statistics
and Basics
|
|
Islam
|
Judaism
|
Christianity
|
|
adherents called
|
Muslims
|
Jews
|
Christians
|
|
current adherents
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1.3
billion
|
14
million
|
2
billion
|
|
current size rank
|
2nd
largest
|
12th
largest
|
largest
|
|
major concentration
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Middle
East,
Southeast Asia
|
Israel
, Europe,
USA
|
Europe,
North and South America, rapid growth in
Africa
|
|
sacred text
|
Qur'an
(Koran)
|
Bible
(Torah)
|
Bible
(Jewish Bible + New Testament)
|
|
other written
authority
|
Hadith
|
Talmud,
Midrash, Responsa
|
church
fathers, church councils, papal decrees (Catholic only)
|
|
religious law
|
Sharia
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Halakhah
|
Canon
Law
|
|
clergy
|
imams,
muezzins
|
rabbis
|
priests,
ministers, bishops, deacons
|
|
house of worship
|
mosque
|
synagogue
|
church,
chapel, cathedral
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|
main day of worship
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Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday
|
|
church and state
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integrated
|
separate
|
separate
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Comparison of Origins and
History
|
|
Islam
|
Judaism
|
Christianity
|
|
date founded
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622
CE
|
unknown
|
c.
33 CE
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|
place founded
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Saudi Arabia
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Palestine
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Palestine
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|
founder
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Muhammad
|
Moses
or Abraham
|
Jesus
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|
original language(s)
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Arabic
|
Hebrew
|
Aramaic,
Greek
|
|
early expansion
|
within
12 years, entire Arabian peninsula; within 100 years, Muslim world
stretched from the Atlantic to
China
|
little
expansion; mostly confined to
Palestine
|
within
60 years, churches in major cities in
Palestine
,
Turkey
,
Greece
and
Rome
(map);
entire
Roman Empire
by end of 4th cent.
|
|
use of war in
expanding religion
|
frequent
|
rare
|
rare
originally, but frequent during centuries of Crusades
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|
major splits
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Shia/Sunni,
c. 650 CE
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Reform/Orthodox,
1800s CE
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Catholic/Orthodox,
1054 CE; Catholic/Protestant, 1500s CE
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Comparison of Religious
Beliefs
|
type of theism
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strict
monotheism
|
strict
monotheism
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Trinitarian
monotheism
|
|
ultimate reality
|
one
God
|
one
God
|
one
God
|
|
names of God
|
Allah
(Arabic for God)
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Yahweh,
Elohim
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Yahweh,
the Holy Trinity
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|
other spiritual beings
|
angels,
demons, jinn
|
angels
and demons
|
angels
and demons
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revered humans
|
prophets,
imams (especially in Shia)
|
prophets
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saints,
church fathers
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|
identity of Jesus
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true
prophet of God, whose message has been corrupted
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false
prophet
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Son
of God, God incarnate, savior of the world
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|
birth of Jesus
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virgin
birth
|
normal
birth
|
virgin
birth
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|
death of Jesus
|
did
not die, but ascended into heaven during crucifixion
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death
by crucifixion
|
death
by crucifixion
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|
resurrection of Jesus
|
denied
|
denied
|
affirmed
|
|
second coming of Jesus
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affirmed
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denied
|
affirmed
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|
divine revelation
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through
Muhammad, recorded in Qur'an
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through
Prophets, recorded in Bible
|
through
Prophets and Jesus (as God Himself), recorded in Bible
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|
view of sacred text
|
inspired,
literal word of God, inerrant in original languages
|
views
vary
|
inspired,
some believe inerrant in original languages
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|
human nature
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equal
ability to do good or evil
|
two
equal impulses, one good and one bad
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"original
sin" inherited from Adam - tendency towards evil
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|
means of salvation
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correct
belief, good deeds, Five Pillars
|
belief
in God, good deeds
|
correct
belief, faith, good deeds, sacraments (some Protestants emphasize faith
alone)
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God's role in
salvation
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predestination
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divine
revelation and forgiveness
|
predestination,
various forms of grace
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good afterlife
|
eternal
paradise
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views
vary: no afterlife or heaven
|
eternal
heaven
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bad afterlife
|
eternal
hell
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views
vary: no afterlife, eternal Gehenna, or reincarnation
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eternal
hell, temporary purgatory (Catholicism)
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view of fellow
Abrahamic religions
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Jews
and Christians are respected as "People of the Book," but they
have wrong beliefs and only partial revelation.
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Islam
and Christianity are false interpretations and extensions of Judaism.
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Judaism
is a true religion, but with incomplete revelation. Islam is a false
religion.
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RELIGIOUS FACTS
http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm
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