Differentiates Cultural and Religious Customs and Practices

Differentiates Cultural and Religious Customs and Practices

Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world and have influenced the art, politics, and culture of societies around the globe for the last 1,500 years. Over the centuries, these two Abrahamic religions, which share foundational beliefs, have evolved significantly as new adherents incorporated local customs into their religious practices, and schisms occurred over conflicting theology and leadership disputes. Despite these differences, Christianity and Islam have also experienced remarkable similarities in their diffusion methods, especially during the early stages of each religion’s history.

One key similarity in how Christianity and Islam spread from their places of origin is that they both used missionary work to disseminate their teachings. Both religions actively proselytized or sought new converts, which was in contrast to other religions of the time, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, which tended to be more insular and focused on attracting adherents from their communities. Christian missionaries were sent out by the Church to convert pagans and spread the gospel in the Roman Empire and beyond; they traveled to far-flung regions of the world to spread the faith. The Muslim missionaries, or Ṣaḥāba (companions), traveled with Muslim armies as they conquered new territories (Morgan, 2013). This conversion through conquest was very effective in spreading both religions to new areas.

A key difference in the spread of Christianity and Islam is that Christianity was adopted by many people living outside of its origin. At the same time, Islam remained confined mainly to the Middle East and North Africa. This is likely because Christianity was founded in the Roman Empire, which was the most powerful political entity in the world. As the Roman Empire expanded, so too did Christianity, until it became the dominant religion of Europe and much of the Mediterranean basin (Morgan, 2013).In contrast, Islam emerged in the Arabian Peninsula, which was relatively isolated from the rest of the world. While Muslim armies did conquer several lands in Asia, Africa, and Europe, Islam never became the primary religion in these regions the way Christianity did.

Christianity and Islam both changed as they diffused to new areas. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, it incorporated local customs and beliefs into its practices, such as celebrating Christmas on December 25th (originally a pagan holiday) and using the Latin language in religious rites. Islam also changed as it diffused, with new converts incorporating local customs into their religious practices. For example, the Sufi order of Islam, which emphasizes mystical and emotional worship of God, developed in Persia and spread to other parts of the Muslim world.

The beliefs and practices of Christianity and Islam changed as they diffused because they were adopted by people from different cultures who had their own customs and traditions. Christianity and Islam became more diverse as they spread, with different sects and orders developing in different regions (Sayem, 2018). This process of religious syncretism, or the combination of different beliefs and practices, led to the development of new forms of Christianity and Islam that were distinct from the original versions of these religions.

Christianity and Islam also changed in other ways as they spread. For example, both religions underwent splits over theological disputes, with Christianity giving rise to Catholicism and Protestantism and Islam spawning Sunni and Shia Islam (Sayem, 2018). In addition, the two religions developed different views on issues like warfare, gender relations, and economic systems. These differences are primarily due to the different cultures in which each religion took root. While Christianity and Islam have experienced both similarities and differences in their diffusion methods, they have had a notable impact on the course of world history. Christianity and Islam have each shaped the art, politics, and culture of the societies where they are practiced in profound ways, and their influence will continue for many centuries.

References

Morgan, G. (2013). Book Review: Why Religions Spread: The Expansion of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam with Implications for Missions. Missiology: An International Review, 41(3), 358–359. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091829613488497k

Sayem, Md. A. (2018). Religious Understanding of Nature and Influence of Geographical Environment on Shaping Religious Beliefs and Practices within Christianity and Islam. KARSA: Journal of Social and Islamic Culture, 26(2), 195. https://doi.org/10.19105/karsa.v26i2.1777

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INTRODUCTION

Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world and have influenced the art, politics, and culture of societies around the globe for the last 1,500 years. Over the centuries, these two Abrahamic religions, which share foundational beliefs, have evolved significantly as new adherents incorporated local customs into their religious practices, and schisms occurred over conflicting theology and leadership disputes.

Differentiates Cultural and Religious Customs and Practices

In this task, you will examine the spread of Islam and Christianity throughout Africa and Eurasia from each religion’s place of origin. You will also examine how each religion spread as well as how each religion changed as it was adopted by people from different cultural backgrounds.

REQUIREMENTS

Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. The similarity report that is provided when you submit your task can be used as a guide.

You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.

Tasks may not be submitted as cloud links, such as links to Google Docs, Google Slides, OneDrive, etc. unless specified in the task requirements. All other submissions must be file types that are uploaded and submitted as attachments (e.g., .docx, .pdf, .ppt).

A.   Analyze, including specific examples, the similarities and differences in the diffusion of Christianity and Islam (suggested length of 1–2 pages) from their founding until 1500 C.E. by doing the following:

1.   Describe one similarity in how Christianity and Islam spread from their places of origin.

2.   Describe one difference in how Christianity and Islam spread from their places of origin.

3.   Explain why the beliefs and practices of Christianity and Islam changed as they spread.

B.   Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.

C.   Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.

RUBRICA1. SIMILARITY IN SPREAD:

COMPETENT

The submission accurately describes 1 similarity in the spread of the given religions from their places of origin, and the description includes specific, detailed examples.

A2. DIFFERENCE IN SPREAD:

COMPETENT

The submission accurately describes 1 difference in the spread of the given religions from their places of origin, and the description includes specific, detailed examples.

A3. CHANGE IN BELIEFS AND PRACTICES:

COMPETENT

The submission accurately explains why the beliefs and practices of the given religions changed as they spread, and the explanation includes specific, detailed examples.

B. SOURCES:

COMPETENT

The submission includes in-text citations for properly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized sources and a reference list that accurately identifies the author, date, title, and source location as available.

C. PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION:

COMPETENT

The content reflects attention to detail, is organized, and focuses on the main ideas as prescribed in the task or chosen by the candidate. Terminology is pertinent, is used correctly, and effectively conveys the intended meaning. Mechanics, usage, and grammar promote accurate interpretation and understanding.