Comparing Convictions

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Christianity and Islam
The majority of the world’s religious population is made up of followers of either Christianity or Islam. Both religions have massive U.S. and global populations. What do the two monotheistic religions share and what are their main differences?

Snapshots

Here’s a quick look at the basics of the two religions.
Christianity
Deity: God
Prophet: Jesus Christ
Sacred text: The New Testament
Dates back to: about 33 C.E.
Location founded: Palestine
Number of followers in the U.S.: about 246,780,000
In the world: estimated 2,100,000,000
General divisions: Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Protestant
Islam
Deity: Allah
Prophet: Muhammad
Sacred Text: The Quran
Dates back to: about 622 C.E.
Location founded: Arabian Peninsula
Number of followers in the U.S.: estimated 5 million to 12 million
In the world: estimated 1,500,000,000
General divisions: Shi’a, Sufism, Sunni

Where Do They Practice?

Here’s a look at the faithful in some of the countries where each religion is most popular:
Christianity
United States 246,780,000
Brazil 175,770,000
Mexico 107,780,000
Russia 105,220,000
Philippines 86,790,000
Nigeria 80,510,000
China 67,070,000
Islam
Indonesia 204,847,000
Pakistan 178,097,000
India 177,286,000
Bangladesh 148,607,000
Egypt 80,024,000
Nigeria 75,728,000

Commonalities

The Hebrew Bible (The Old Testament) is a divinely inspired text.
We are all descendants of Abraham.
The roles of God include Creator, Forgiver and Ultimate Judge.
God sent a prophet to teach humans about morality.
An Anti-Christ will rise before the End Days.
There is a Heaven (Paradise) and a Hell (Separation from God).
There will be a day of judgment for all humanity.
The Ten Commandments should be followed.
Jesus was born through the Virgin Mary.

Core Differences

Islam rejects the Holy Trinity.
The Prophet Muhammad is not a form of God, as Jesus is considered in Christianity.
In Islam, angels are not divine and are not to be worshiped; they were created by God, just as humans were.
The “god” in both religions, God and Allah, are not identical.
Muslims do not believe in the doctrine of Original Sin, as Christians do.

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