Paper Example: Analysis of Two Faiths

Religion has existed since time immemorial. It relates to what people term to be holy, sacred, absolute, divine, and spiritual, which can be accorded a special reverence. To some, it is regarded as the way of living of individuals and how they tackle concerns that are ultimately concerning their lives in connection to their final fate of dying. In both traditional and modern times, the interests have been established to portray the relationship and attitude that is inclined towards spirits and various forms of gods that are distinct to each religion. These gods and spirits are assumed to be of a higher power as compared to that of human beings in the natural world.

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World Overview

In every religion, there are believers at the same time worshippers that are entitled to take part in the performance of devotional practices that involve contemplating such as praying, the performance of distinct rituals, and meditation. There are many religious beliefs in the world, each with its doctrines that are adhered to by their believers. A good example is the Christian and Islam religions. The two are among the dominant religions, with a more significant percentage of believers across the world.

In both Christianity and Islam, the prime reality is God, wherein in Islam He is referred to as Allah. In both religions, God is absolute in the sense that He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and available everywhere. He rules the world, and at the same time, He is the creator of everything. According to the teachings in the Holy Quran and the Holy Bible, He is above all comprehension. According to Christianity, the nature around us is controlled by a supreme being, which is God. In contrast, in the Islamic religion, the world around us is controlled by human humans who do it on behalf of Allah but through His help at all times (Ghafran & Yasmin, 2019).

In Christianity, a human being is created by God in His image and likeness and given the responsibility of taking care of all the other creations of God. On the other hand, the perception of the human is almost similar in Islam as in Christianity in the sense that the human being was also created in the image of Allah to serve Him. In Christianity, at death, the body of a person parts with his soul, just like in the Islam religion. However, in the Christian faith, people are allowed to mourn for a few days, unlike in the Islam religion, where burials are arranged immediately. In both religions, human beings are prone to know anything because they were given a conscience as the foundation of their system.

In this case, the conscience is composed of four elements: emotions, willpower, the spirit that senses God directly, and consciousness. The knowledge of right or wrong can be referred to as morality in both religions. Therefore, right and wrong are known when then they are compared to the requirements or rather the doctrines that are dictated in the respective Holy books of the religions, that is, the Bible and the Quran. The above implies that the right is detected when it becomes of benefit to the people, while the wrong is determined when it hurts people. In both religions, human history implies the origin of human beings or instead how they came into existence as a result of the involvement of the supernatural being (Janson & Meyer, 2016).

Overall Focus for Christianity and Islamic Religion

Christianity focuses on the figure of Jesus Christ, where the believers acknowledge that he is their savior, and it is only through him that they will get to see a second life after their death. As such, it is the faith and trust of the believers in Jesus Christ that matters the most and determines their actions in their earthly lives. It is through focusing on faith and trusts that the Christians have developed a culture, a definite set of ideas that dictate a particular way of life, and their practices

The above continues to be perpetuated through generations since Jesus Christ became their object of faith and trust (Stefon et al., 2020). Therefore, focusing on Jesus Christ enhances their beliefs and practices together with other traditions through time. The above comes with the importance of the provision of salvation that will facilitate life after the death of the believers. They will get to meet again in Heaven and live eternally instead of going to Hell.

On the other hand, the Islamic religion focuses on ethical perceptions that take into consideration the manners of an individual, the social justice, and the virtues that are practiced by an individual for the good of the community in a bid for everyone to attain a quality life. The follow the attributes inculcated to them by their prophet, Muhammad that were more inclined on brotherhood and a bond of faith that aided in the development of a closer and enhanced relationship (Mahdi et al., 2019). The above focus is of the essence in uniting the spiritual and temporal elements of the believers' lives, not only by improving their relationship with Allah but also of a human relationship in a social setting.

Common Components in the Healing Process

In both types of faith, there are common elements that are related to the healing process of an individual. In both religions, there is a belief in God’s ability to take care of everything, even what is beyond the understanding of man. It is through communication with God that believers can get healed of what they have requested from God (Salami & Onuegbu, 2019). Communication is achieved through praying and worshipping Him in designated places such as churches and mosques.

In praying and worshipping, the believers are allowed to intervene for their colleagues that share the same faith and ask for healing on their behalf. There is also the element of revelation in both religions that also forms a way of communication with God to provide healing. The revelations are recorded in the Holy Scriptures in the Bible and Quran. It is usually upon the believers to read or rather listen to the scriptures and respond to them with prayers, praises, and acceptance that is appropriate to the commandments provided by God in a bid to get healed.

In both religions, there are religious leaders of higher ranks that are believed and trusted to be more knowledgeable than other believers. A good example is a priest on the part of Christians and a Sheikh on the part of the Muslims. To some extent, they are entitled to perform special rituals on behalf of the congregation in the name of communicating to God (Rushohora & Silayo, 2019). As such, they are perceived to be demigods that can also pray for the victims in a bid to provide healing. Additionally, the two religions believe in the existence of one God who is the one entitled to the provision of all sorts of healing when asked by man. It is this single God that cares for all their well-being at all times.

Lastly, both religions believe in the future. Therefore, to the believers, no matter how painful the past or the present is in terms of whatever they are ailing from, the believers are always hopeful that God will provide healing for their continuity into the future. God will always provide healing for all the evil and suffering, which ultimately ceases to exist that is assumed to be caused by Satan.

Spiritual Perspectives of a Person Receiving Care

For a Christian believer to receive care, there is a belief that they invest their hopes in the future. The above is usually eminent among those who are still young. It is because, as a Christian, one is not supposed to suffer and maybe succumb to death before the completion of their purpose. To them, God provides healing despite the critical conditions that can be defeated by man. Death and suffering are usually prayed and fasted to provide healing.

On the other hand, Islamic believers, just like their Christian counterparts’ attribute healing to Allah. Here, as much as there is a treatment that is advanced by fellow humans, ultimately, it is Allah that will provide the healing (Davis et al., 2018). In the healing process, believers believe that there are two opposing forces, one that causes the suffering and the other responsible for the healing, Spirits belonging to Satan, and the holy spirit, respectively.

Personal Spiritual Perspectives of Healing and Diversity of Faith Expressions

In Spiritual healing, there is the involvement of the body, mind, and spirit. It is the spirit that has a healing effect on the mind and the body. From the medical perspective, it is normal that the patients will look out for physical healing. However, to the inside, the same individuals face the struggle of internal control to provide healing through self-reflection by the use of tools such as stress management, indulging in meditation activities, and prayers.

Considering the above, I think spiritual healing encompasses both the internal and external attention of a person, where they have to equally advance their awareness in a bid to obtain the best outcome. However, failure to balance the two might not yield the best healing results. My understanding of the diversity of faith expressions will significantly contribute to the appreciation of the various mechanisms adopted by different believers in the handling of health issues alongside incorporating their religious beliefs.

References

Davis, E. B., Granqvist, P., & Sharp, C. (2018). Theistic relational spirituality: Development, dynamics, health, and transformation. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

Ghafran, C., & Yasmin, S. (2019). Ethical Governance: Insight from the Islamic perspective and an empirical inquiry. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-21.

Janson, M., & Meyer, B. (2016). Studying Islam and Christianity in Africa: moving beyond a bifurcated field. Africa: The Journal of the International African Institute, 86(4), 615-619.

Mahdi, M., Schimmel, A., & Rahman, F. (2019, August 15). Islam. Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam

Rushohora, N., & Silayo, V. (2019). Cults, Crosses, and Crescents: Religion and Healing from Colonial Violence in Tanzania. Religions, 10(9), 519.

Salami, K. K., & Onuegbu, C. M. (2019). Religion, Health and Turbulence of Healing Craft in the Nigerian Context. Ibadan journal of sociology, 9(1), 30-30.

Stefon, M., Fredericksen, L., Sullivan, L., Benz, E., Crow, P., & Lindberg, C. (2019, September 20). Christianity. Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity