Islam following catholic history model?

[Foxtrot Uniform]

Has anybody else seen any similarities between the rise of Christianity and Islam?

Both Christianity and Islam had good natured, humble beginnings. Both were moderate in the beginning. Both became mainstream after a ruler endorsed it. Both had extremists.

Bear with me here. Both had an extremely constraining set of laws that were only followed somewhat when the people of both areas were unified. Islam with shariah, christians with mosaic. Christians only started persecuting mosaic violators after the rome fell and left a power vacuum, before that being the most powerful and influential empire in history. In the middle east, science flourished, algebra was invented and modern medicine and techniques were learned from the Muslims. Then in the 50s, the extremists started gaining power in every country with a majority muslim population. Shariah law became law in most of those countries already to weak to defend from the inside.

Islam, through my observation, is at the same point in history that the catholic church was for its first 500 years.

This is merely my take on the whole thing, any thoughts?

[Kayenneh]

My opinion is that every religion is similar. I don't believe that any religion sprouted from a need to rule and control, but from general ignorance and a wish to make sense of this world. But there are always those who want power and have a need to control people's behaviour, and through religion this can be achieved quite easily. Since Islam is a younger religion than Chritianity, I think your observation is correct. I must admit though, that even if I know the history of Christianity well, I do not know much about Islamic history. Still, I can see some similaities in the extreme fanaticism of muslims today and the crusades of christians. Unfortunately it looks like that 1500 years isn't enough for a religion to become sensible. Even though Christianity has made some breakthroughs concerning i.e. human rights (though not all branches), it's still as ignorant as a religion comes. And somehow I don't see Islam surpassing Christianity on that point, that it suddenly were to become an open minded religion, lacking the violence it does today. If it did, it surely would surprise me..

[DeistPaladin]

There's an old saying about religion, I forget who said it:

"Religion is regarded by the masses as true,
by the wise and learned as false,
and by the rulers as... useful."

[Foxtrot Uniform]

A roman philosopher named Seneca said it, but it applies to pretty much every religion.

And I hope that I did not give the impression that I think that Christianity is peaceful, I despise the shit out of it. But I like to draw similarities between religions to prove a point to creationists. Their religion is just as if not more backasswards than every other religion.

[Minimalist]

There's an old saying about religion, I forget who said it:

"Religion is regarded by the masses as true,
by the wise and learned as false,
and by the rulers as... useful."

The phrase appears in Edwrd Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

[cl0ne]

Christianity and Islam are bound to have similarities, and I'm not just talking from a historical point of view. Both religions, including Judaism, and other minor religions in the world shared a monotheistic belief. The difference between the religions lies in the practice. Even Hinduism is a monotheistic religion, though it doesn't seem so from those who practice it. You have to go to the source: Bhagavad Gita.

[fr0d0]

I used to think so, but it isn't true. Islam actively promotes the barbaric as part of the faith and with Allah's dictates. Christianity condemns barbarity.. it's just been manipulated for power.

[Napoléon]

I used to think so, but it isn't true. Islam actively promotes the barbaric as part of the faith and with Allah's dictates. Christianity condemns barbarity.. it's just been manipulated for power.

Oh so christians didn't go about burning 'witches' at all did they?

[KichigaiNeko]

Bottom line is ...that it would appear that Islam is just a latecomer to the whole mono theistic religion monstrosity of belief in the wild spare fairy nonsense. It has no more validation than anything else that humans have come up with in the last 5000 years. Ergo Abrahamic religions are a joke.

[fr0d0]

Oh so christians didn't go about burning 'witches' at all did they?

Those people might have called themselves Christians, or have followed direction from supposed Christian leadership. but both the direction and the act were clearly never Christ like... something you can't say about an unforgiving Allah.

The two religions have very different moral bases.