Critical Thinking Assignment

Critical Thinking Assignment

Part One: Islamic Worldview

1. The Question of Origin - The Islamic view on the question of origin is the same as the Jewish and Christian. They all three believe in Theism, there is only one God. God created everything out of nothing (Consider 2011). The place where they diverge in this belief is the Holy Trinity. Islamists are strict monotheist, they believe that Jesus was just a prophet not a God (Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics).

2. The Question of Identity - Islamist believe that mankind is a separate creation from the animals. They believe that Adam and Eve are real people created by their God, Allah. It is also mentioned that through some interpretations of the Qur'an there is room for the belief in theistic evolution. It is also believed that all animals praise Allah just not in the way humans do (Consider 2011).

3. The Question of Meaning/Purpose - Muslims believe that the final prophet, Muhammad, communicated God's plan to them. According to this, mankind's purpose is to know that Allah is one and to follow the teachings of the Qur'an. The way this is accomplished is to follow the pillars of your particular sect of Islam. The Sunni have different pillars than the Shiite. The important thing to note is that Islam is a works based religion (Consider 2011).

4. The Question of Morality - Muslims obtain salvation through the study of the Qur'an and the Hadith. If they study these texts and follow the pillars of Islam, they will live a moral life (Consider 2011).

5. The Question of Destiny - Muslims believe in two eternal states, Paradise and Hell. Islam being a works based religion, you enter Paradise by doing more good works then bad. A Muslim does not know until death whether they have done enough good works to enter Paradise or not (Consider 2011).

Part Two: Islamic worldview versus Christian worldview

1. The Question of Origin - On the surface the Christian and Islamic worldview are similar. They both believe in one God, creator of everything. Where the religions differ are in the belief of the Holy Trinity for Christians and only one God for Muslims. As Christians, it is our firm belief in the existence of the Holy Trinity. One reference from scripture for this belief is Mathew 28:19.

2. The Question of Identity - The biggest difference between the two religions in this aspect is the fact that Christians believe God made us in his image (Genesis 1:27). Christians are God's representative ruling over creation (MacAurthur Study Bible). Muslims believe that man was created separate from the animals but, the animals also praise Allah in their own way (Consider 2011).

3. The Question of Meaning/Purpose - This is where the two religions really begin