Islam and Christianity:  An Introduction

St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Presented by Fr. Anthony Perkins, Rector

The goal of this talk is to provide a brief introduction to Islam, describe how it views Christianity, and discuss how Islam fits into the Orthodox worldview.  Later, if there is interest in a second talk on the subject, we will use the theology of the icon to further sharpen the fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity.  Again, assuming interest, in another talk, I will move from theology to practice by focusing on how Christians and Muslims have interacted throughout the centuries with an eye towards the possibility of peaceful coexistence in the future.   As always, the goal of these (and any) talks is to deepen our faith in Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pre-prologue: Who am I, and what do I know?

Scripture Reading: St. John 1: 1-5 & 14 (why not pick one of the many verses about false messiahs?  Because this shows the major differences between the two.)

Prologue:  Why study Islam? (one reason trumps all others – to grow in and witness to Orthodoxy/Truth)

Introduction to Islam (peace/submission)

•The Koran (recitation)

        oPerfect and eternal

        oProof of Mohammed’s prophethood and itself

        oDescribes “Straight Path” (especially when placed into historical & theological context)

        oWorldly history of Koran (and haddith, sunna)

•Mohammed, the Prophet of Allah

        oThe Seal of the Prophets

        oAn Example to all

        oThe Koran was “conceived” through him via Gabriel

        o[A summary of his life]

•The Five Pillars of Faith (Islam 101 website)

        oFaith:  “There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is His messenger.”  This declaration of faith is called the Shahadah, a simple formula that all the faithful pronounce.  The significance of this declaration is the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey God, and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of the Last Prophet, Mohammad.

        oPrayer:  Salah is the name for the obligatory prayers that are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God.  There is no hierarchical authority in Islam and there are no priests.  Prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Koran and is generally chosen by the congregation.  It includes some verses from the Koran.

        o      Charity/Zakat:  An important principle of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust.  The word zakat means both “purification” and “growth”.  Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need and for the society in general.  Like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.  Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually.  This involves the annual payment of a fortieth of one’s capital, excluding such items as primary residence, car and professional tools. 

        oFasting:  Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown—abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations with their spouses.  By cutting oneself from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person focuses on his or her purpose in life by constantly being aware of the presence of God.

        oPilgrimage:  The pilgrimage to Mecca during Ramadan (the hajj) is an obligation for those who are physically and financially able to do so.  According to Islam, the rites of the hajj are of Abrahamic origin, and include going around the Ka’bah seven times and going seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar (Hajjr, Abraham’s wife) during her search for water.  The pilgrims later stand together on the wide plains of ‘Arafat (a large expanse of desert outside Mecca) and join in prayer for God’s forgiveness, in what is often thought as a preview of the Day of Judgment. 

        oJihad:  greater and lesser (not a pillar, but an obligation)

How Islam views Christianity

•The Positive

        oRespect for Bible and “people of the  book”

        oRespect for prophets, Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary

        oClaim to remember more about Christ than Christians do

        o[Christians are more civil due to presence of priests and monks, and lack of arrogance            

                (paraphrase of V:82)]

•The Negative

        oConsider Trinity and Incarnation wrong and heretical/blasphemous (e.g. IV:171)

        oClaim that Christian scripture is corrupted, willfully deceptive (Paracletus, etc.)

        oAgainst monasticism and priesthood (IX:31, 34; LVII: 27) [asceticism?]

        oChristians are not part of the community, must convert (ideal), pay tax, or die

                (e.g. IX: 29) [varying enforcement over time/place]

1. •Which matters more?  What is to be done?  Koran varies, so answer varies.
   

Islam in the Orthodox Christian Worldview

•Secular critiques of the Koran and Mohammed

        oKoran:  Perfect?  Eternal?  Moral?  Situational (Mecca vs. Medina etc.)

                   •    Internal inconsistencies, external inconsistencies (e.g. describes the Christian
                         Trinity as including the Virgin Mary)

                   •    What little extra-Koranic evidence there is of its creation is damning

        oMohammed:  an exemplary life?  No.  Certainly not by civilized standards.

•Theological understanding of Allah, the Koran and Mohammed

        oThe Islamic conception of Allah is wrong

                    •    Father, Son and Holy Spirit; One God.  This is the fundamental Truth.

                    •    Jesus Christ as the second person of the Godhead.  He is the Eternal Word of
                          God.

        oThe Koran is a created mix of useful sayings, heresy, and nonsense
                 (can it be useful? Of course)

        oMohammed was not the “seal of the prophets”

•Orthodox vs. Islamic anthropology:  the need for and economy of salvation (what is the
         purpose of the Word of God?)

•The reality of spiritual warfare and the sacramental life (they have it, but only in shadows)

Conclusion

•Similarities:  superficial or foundational?

        oAll-powerful God, created the world, spoke through the prophets, proper attitude
                 toward God is submission, proper way of life is ordered around God, community of
                 believers, requirement to bring others to right path, Final Judgment, consequences of
                 evil, angels, demons

        oRed Herrings:  Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, Virgin Mary, Jesus as
                Messiah, reverence for Torah and Gospels

•The perils of literalism w/ regard to text – and of ethnophilatism w/ regard to language

The Theology  of the Icon puts the differences in stark contrast.  We will discuss this next time, focusing on the work of two  Syrian fathers of the Church:  St. John of Damascus and Theodore abu Qurrah.

Discussion (e.g. the perils of literalism w/ regard to texts)