Jesus, Muhammad, & Scripture
What sacred text is the "earthly center" of Islam
The Qur'an
What does Islam prohibit people to do of Allah?
Any artistic representation
What is the Islamic term for the worldwide Muslim community?
The Umma
What Catholic religious leader is sometimes compared to the Imam in Shi'i Islam?
The Pope
What is Muhammad's status of divinity in the Muslim faith?
Muhammad is a human and not divine
What is one form of artistic/devotional expression Muslims can use instead of depicting Allah?
Qur'anic calligraphy or a verbal repetition of the Ninety-Nine Names of God
What do both the Christian Church and the Islamic Umma both acknowledge about their ideal community?
That it is not fully realized on earth
What is one similarity between the Pope and the Imam?
Both are believed to have spiritual insight and authority connected to God/Allah
What does Christianity teach about Jesus' nature that distinguishes him from Muhammad?
That Jesus is both fully human and fully divine
Why does the Catholic Church support depictions of religious images such as statues of Jesus and Saints?
Because God chose to become incarnate in the human person of Jesus, the Church allows artistic representations
What is one similarity between the Islamic Umma and the Christian Church?
Both are believed to transcend all human boundaries and are based on the will and action of God/Allah
What is one important difference in the selection of the Pope versus the Imam?
The Church plays a very central role in the selection of the Pope where there is no equivalent Muslim organization who selects the Imam in a similar way
Both Muslims and Christians look to an important person as an example of humanity. Who are those people, and what is different about them?
Muslims look to Muhammad as an example of the best of humanity. Christians look to Jesus who is believed to be wholly human and divine
A Catholic and a Muslim are both looking at religious artwork. The Catholic views the statue of Jesus as helpful for prayer while the Muslim feels uncomfortable looking at a statue that is supposed to represent Allah. Why are they having different reactions?
Catholicism accepts religious images as aids to devotion while Islam rejects artistic representations of Allah because it conflicts with their belief of Allah's transcendence
What is an important difference between the ideal Umma and the Christian Church?
The Umma is ideally a religious and political reality while the Christian Church is not considered a political unit
What does it mean when Islam honors Judaism and Christianity as other "religions of the Book"?
It means they recognize both religions as religions that share genuine revelations from God
Since Muslims view Muhammad as a perfect example of humanity while Christians view Jesus as both a model for humanity as well as God incarnate, what does that reveal about the different ways Christians and Muslims view/understand the relationship between humanity and the divine?
Islam has a distinction between God and human beings as Muhammad is fully human. Christianity teaches that God entered human existence through Jesus Christ meaning that in Jesus humanity and divinity are united
Why might some Protestant Christians agree more closely with Islam's caution towards religious images than how Catholics feel?
Some Protestants feel that religious images may become objects of Idolatry, leading people to worship the image rather than God
What needs to happen politically for the Umma to be fully realized on earth? And what is the Christian Church's parallel?
The ideal Umma requires the law of the land to be in accordance with Islamic Shari'a law. Christianity has no requirement for earthly law to be based on Church law
Islam and Catholicism both claim their religion is the final, complete Revelation of God/Allah, but both claim that other religions can contain expressions of God's will. How do both of these ideas co-exist?
Both Religions regard themselves as the complete/final Revelation but at the same time recognize that other religions can contain truth, expressions of divine will, and are capable of guiding people towards living a good life