Forgiveness in Christianity and Islam

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how there are substantial similarities between the approaches that Islam and Christianity take to the concept of forgiveness. It looks at how both religions stress God's forgiveness and how, when people become either Christians or Muslims, they are told that God forgives them any sins that they have committed prior to that point. The paper also discusses how the two religions provide a means for their followers to gain forgiveness from God and how they both emphasize the importance of people forgiving one's fellow humans when one has been wronged. It also shows how there is a disconnect between the preachings of both religions and the actions of their practitioners, which demeans both religions.

From the Paper:

"Moreover, the concept of Christian forgiveness by God has two components. In the sixteenth century, William Tyndale invented the word atonement to describe the doctrine of Christ's sacrifice. Christ's sacrifice "accomplished both the remission of sin and reconciliation of man to God," which means that there were two elements of the holy forgiveness. The first element is that, by sacrificing his son, God redeemed the entire human race. The second element of that doctrine is that, by dying, Jesus provided a means of redemption for individual human beings. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hathout, Hassan. (Date unknown). Forgiveness in Islam. Los Angeles: Minaret Publications. On-line. Available from Internet, http://members.aol.com/Islamusa/ForgivenessInIslam.htm, accessed 13 June 2006.
• Holy Bible, New International Version. 1984. International Bible Society. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. On-line. Available from Internet, www.Biblegateway.com, accessed 13 June 2006.
• Ibrahim, A. 2002. "Forgiveness for all previous sins." A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam. Houston: Darussalam Publishers. On-line. Available from Internet, http://www.islam-guide.com/ch2-4.htm, accessed 13 June 2006.
• Siddiqi, Muzzamil. 2004. Forgiveness: Islamic perspective. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Al Jazeera. On-line. Available from Internet, http://www.islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/spot_full_story.asp?service_id=696, accessed 12 June 2006.
• Tripp, Dick. 1999. "Why forgiveness matters." Exploring Christianity. Lyttleton, New Zealand: Dick Tripp Publications. On-line. Available from Internet, http://www.christianity.co.nz/forgive5.htm, accessed 12 June 2006.

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