Christianity & Islam - A Comparison (Part 2)

By definition, God is beyond human comprehension; otherwise, He would be less than God. Still, we can know some of His attributes, because both the Bible and Qur'an speak of them.

For the most part, Christianity and Islam agree about the attributes of God. Christians and Muslims both believe that God is - among other things - omnipotent, omnipresent, all-wise, kind, gracious, merciful, forgiving, just, entirely self-sufficient, eternal, all-good, holy, immanent yet transcendent, unchangeable, infinite, loving, and sovereign. In addition, both religions teach that God is One Being, but, as I mentioned in Part 1, Christians believe that the One God is composed of three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), while Muslims teach that the One God is absolutely One, without partners or associates.

Another of God's attributes is His wrath. Christianity and Islam both affirm that God will judge all people on the Last Day. Those who are the objects of God's wrath will be cast into Hell.

Both religions say that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists, having brought everything into existence ex nihilo (out of nothing). Each teaches that He governs all that happens, though the degree to which He uses predestination varies between the two faiths.

It's generally accurate to say that Christianity and Islam agree concerning the attributes of God. One major difference, however, concerns which of His attributes is predominant. This difference of understanding affects the way each religion views God's relationship to man. I want to discuss these two views in my next post.

And this I will do, if God permits.