# Christianity and Islam: a Diptych comparison Schema version 1.0. The Diptych displays; it does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 1. In its own words ### Christianity Christianity began as a Jewish movement proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and grew, through the early councils, the great schisms, and the Reformations, into the largest of the world religions. Its internal divisions are not decorations on a single body; they are the substance of its history, and this tree models them as first-class entities, from the ancient branches to the denominations and movements of today. - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Islam Islam began with the Prophet Muhammad's preaching in Mecca and Medina and divided within a generation over the succession to his leadership. That first division, and the schools of law and theology that grew from it, structure the tradition to this day, and this tree models them as first-class entities rather than as notes under a single heading. - [Islam](/tree/muslim) ## 2. Scale and spread ### Christianity Christianity counts about 2.3 billion adherents, roughly a third of the world's people, and stands in every country. The largest populations are in the Americas, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa, and Christians form the majority in about 157 countries. - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Islam Islam counts about 1.9 billion adherents, roughly a quarter of the world's people, and is the majority faith in 49 countries. The largest national population is Indonesia's; the Asia-Pacific region holds the most Muslims, ahead of the Middle East and North Africa. - [Islam](/tree/muslim) ## 3. Historical timeline ### Christianity - [The christian timeline](/history/christian) - [Birth of Jesus](/history/events/birth-of-jesus) - [Crucifixion and Resurrection](/history/events/crucifixion-and-resurrection) - [Paul's Missionary Journeys](/history/events/pauls-missionary-journeys) - [Council of Jerusalem](/history/events/council-of-jerusalem) - [Nero's Persecution](/history/events/neros-persecution) - [Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple](/history/events/destruction-of-the-jerusalem-temple) ### Islam - [The muslim timeline](/history/islam) - [Birth of Muhammad](/history/events/birth-of-muhammad) - [First revelation](/history/events/first-revelation) - [Hijra to Medina](/history/events/hijra-to-medina) - [Battle of Badr](/history/events/battle-of-badr) - [Conquest of Mecca](/history/events/conquest-of-mecca) - [Death of Muhammad](/history/events/death-of-muhammad) ## 4. Sources of authority ### Christianity - [Easton's Bible Dictionary](/dictionaries/eastons-bible-dictionary) - [Smith's Bible Dictionary](/dictionaries/smiths-bible-dictionary) - [Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary](/dictionaries/hitchcocks-bible-names) - [Apostles' Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/apostles-creed) - [Nicene Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/nicene-creed) - [Athanasian Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/athanasian-creed) ### Islam - [Shahada](/prayers-and-creeds/shahada) - [Al-Fatiha](/prayers-and-creeds/al-fatiha) - [Salah](/prayers-and-creeds/salah) ## 5. Ultimate reality ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ## 6. The human person ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ## 7. Problem and solution ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ## 8. Ethics and hard cases ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Islam - [Islam](/world-views/islam) ## 9. Practice and devotion ### Christianity - [The Rosary](/devotion/the-rosary) - [Stations of the Cross](/devotion/stations-of-the-cross) - [Novena](/devotion/novena) - [Baptism](/traditions/baptism) - [The Eucharist](/traditions/the-eucharist) - [Lent](/traditions/lent) - [Apostles' Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/apostles-creed) - [Nicene Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/nicene-creed) ### Islam - [Ṣalāh; The Five Daily Prayers](/devotion/salah) - [Jumuʿah; The Friday Prayer](/devotion/friday-prayer) - [Dhikr; The Remembrance of God](/devotion/dhikr) - [The Hajj](/traditions/the-hajj) - [The Ramadan Fast](/traditions/the-ramadan-fast) - [Salah, the Daily Prayers](/traditions/salah) - [Shahada](/prayers-and-creeds/shahada) - [Al-Fatiha](/prayers-and-creeds/al-fatiha) ## 10. Community and governance ### Christianity - [Christian](/church/christian) ### Islam - [Muslim](/church/muslim) ## 11. Art and material culture ### Christianity - [The Good Shepherd of the Catacombs](/art/entries/catacomb-good-shepherd) - [Hagia Sophia](/art/entries/hagia-sophia) - [Rublev's Trinity](/art/entries/rublev-trinity) - [Christianity](/art/profiles/christianity) ### Islam - [A Kufic Qur'an Folio](/art/entries/kufic-quran-folio) - [The Dome of the Rock](/art/entries/dome-of-the-rock) - [The Mughal Court Miniature](/art/entries/mughal-miniature) - [Islam](/art/profiles/islam) ## 12. Science and technology posture ### Christianity - [Patristic](/science/eras/patristic) - [Medieval European](/science/eras/medieval-european) - [Renaissance and Reformation](/science/eras/renaissance-and-reformation) - [Catholic](/science/traditions/catholic) - [Orthodox](/science/traditions/orthodox) - [Mainline Protestant](/science/traditions/mainline-protestant) - [Heliocentric astronomy](/science/technologies/heliocentric-astronomy) - [The telescope](/science/technologies/telescope) ### Islam - [Islamic Golden Age](/science/eras/islamic-golden-age) - [Contemporary](/science/eras/contemporary) - [Islamic](/science/traditions/islamic) - [The telescope](/science/technologies/telescope) - [Evolution by natural selection](/science/technologies/evolution-by-natural-selection) - [Vaccination](/science/technologies/vaccination) - [Gene editing and the germline](/science/flashpoints/gene-editing-and-the-germline) - [Climate and creation](/science/flashpoints/climate-and-creation) ## 13. Internal diversity ### Christianity - [Catholic](/tree/catholic) - [Eastern Orthodox](/tree/eastern-orthodox) - [Oriental Orthodox](/tree/oriental-orthodox) - [Protestant](/tree/protestant) - [Restorationist](/tree/restorationist) - [Anglican](/tree/anglican) ### Islam - [Sunni Islam](/tree/sunni-islam) - [Shia Islam](/tree/shia-islam) - [Ibadi Islam](/tree/ibadi-islam) - [Ahmadiyya](/tree/ahmadiyya) ## 14. Contributions ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 15. Internal critique ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 16. External critique and reply ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Islam Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 17. Contested history ### Christianity - [Chalcedonian Schism](/tree/schisms/chalcedonian-schism) - [East-West Schism](/tree/schisms/east-west-schism) ### Islam - [Sunni-Shia Split](/tree/schisms/sunni-shia-split) - [Kharijite Secession](/tree/schisms/kharijite-secession) ## 18. What each says about the other ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ### Islam Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ## 19. What this comparison cannot settle ### Christianity This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ### Islam This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 20. Sources ### Christianity - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Islam - [Islam](/tree/muslim) ## Sources - Christianity: The New Testament. - Christianity: Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (2010). - Islam: The Qur'an. - Islam: Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization (2003).