Examining Christian Groups from an Islamic Perspective

There is a lot of variety in the groups and sects of Christianity. In this post, we look at a few briefly discussing their history, beliefs, practices and interactions with the Muslims.

"Orthodox" when used to describe a religion means straight forward and in accordance with the original teachings of the religion. The followers of the Orthodox Church are concentrated in the East. They are often said to belong to the Eastern Church. They were established after the 5^th Constantine Convention in 879 AD. There are two main branches of Orthodox Christianity - the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox and the Constantine Orthodox. They differ in that the Egyptian Coptic church believes in one nature of Jesus whereas the Constantine Orthodox believe in two natures – human and divine. The Egyptian Orthodox church resisted the attempt of the Western churches to impose their authority and doctrine over them. There was so much animosity among them that it resulted in the Copts participating in the resistance against the Crusaders in alliance with the Muslims. The Egyptian Coptic Church has several directions in its ranks. There is a secular orientation in which involvement of the church in the State in modern times is considered disobedience to the teachings of their religion. There is the isolatory orientation which call for the church to only address religious affairs and isolate other aspects of life. There is the conflict orientation where Muslims and members of the church which oppose them are considered disbelievers and are to be resisted. There is the inclusive orientation which holds that the church is an inclusive establishment concerned with religious and worldly affairs and must provides solution to that. Another position assumes national responsibly to defend the country and participate with only religious affairs in some form of secularism.

The main beliefs of the Orthodox Church includes the belief in the trinity. They believe that Jesus (AS) is the Lord and the God at the same time. Greek Orthodox are an exception. They believe that Jesus (AS) has two natures and two wills. The Orthodox believe that God manifested himself in Jesus (AS) the Messiah to rid humanity from sin of Adam after him. They believe Jesus (AS) was crucified for this purpose, that he was resurrected after three days and he will be sitting on the right side of God to hold people to account. They believe that Mary was mother of God. They glorify her and treat her as holy and a saint.  They believe in the Old Testament and the New Testament. They believe in seven daily prayers which are done either individually or in a group. Their first prayer is before dawn, second on is at 9 AM, third at noon, fourth at 3 PM, fifth at sunset, sixth at sleep time and the seventh at midnight. Prayer to them is supplications in a specific form. They do not use music in their prayer services in the church. They do not have daily prayers in the Church. Fasting to them is to abstaining from food till sunset. The one who cannot fast, can fast according to his ability. Those who do not fast abstain from meat and eat only vegetables on the days of the fast. They have different levels of priesthood. Their priests practice celibacy. They believe that their religion is universal. There have been calls for the revival of Coptic language and Coptic nationalism. Some have even called for a country for the Orthodox people. 

Their religious beliefs and practices are derived from their Bible, the proceeds of the various conventions until 451 AD, Greek philosophy and various civilizations including ancient Egyptian, Indian and Greek. They are widespread in Turkey, Greece, Russia, Balkan, Mediterranean islands, Hungary, Romania and Egypt where they are 5.78% of population. Egyptian Coptic churches have been established in Libya, Algeria, Kuwait, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Syria,, Jordan, Lebanon, US, Australia, Austria, France and Kenya. 

There are various differences and similarities among the various Orthodox churches. In general, Greek and other pagan civilizations have had a great influence on the Eastern Church. There has been rivalry between them and Western churches. Due to the severe treatment they suffered from Western churches, they welcomed the Muslims due to their good treatment. This led to a large scale conversion to Islam in Egypt. Recently, the Coptic have regained strength and are very active to convert Egyptian Muslims. 

The main Western church which rivaled the Orthodox Church for a long time is the Catholic Church. It was established by St. Peter who died in 62 AD. The Catholic Church played a big role in the events in Europe. The conflict between the Church and rulers of Europe resulted in new doctrine and beliefs like the holiness of the Pope, infallibility of the Pope’s position, and also of clergy under the Pope. These changes started in the Convention of Rome in 769 AD although not all religious authorities in Catholicism are of the same opinion. The infallibility of Pope was criticized by philosophers and reformers in the West. 

The most important belief of the Catholic Church is that God is one but has three forms – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus (AS) has two natures and forms – divine and human. They believe that the Holy Spirit comes form the Father and the Son together. They believe that the form of the Son is less than the form of the Father. They believe that their forms are transitional, with the Father capable of transforming into to the Son. Although they state that the three forms are separate from each other and not confused with each other, there is a contradiction in that the Father took the form of Jesus (AS). The reason for this is that in order to relive humans from the sin committed by Adam (AS). 

They treat Mary as holy. They believe that the revelation continues and comes to the Pope. It is one of the source of spiritual knowledge and religious understanding, according to them. They believe that the cross is holy. They believe in bible: the Torah, books of prophets, New Testament, the messages of the messengers. They practice confession in which they confess their sins to the clergy once a year. The clergy then forgives them and they are supposed to become sinless. They allow the delay of baptism till puberty. Divorce is forbidden among them even in cases of adultery. They believe in the holiness of the Pope and his infallibility. They consider that after death there will be a place called the "purifier". Souls that are not completely pure will be held at that place and will be punished until they are purified and then they will go to heaven.. They believe that Allah only does good and that evil is is from human beings. They allow drinking blood and eating dead animals. Catholic monks are allowed to eat fats of swine and can shave their beards. They can do prayers and supplications every day in many different ways including individually. Their fasting is on Fridays and Saturdays. It is done by abstaining from meat. They also practice other forms of fasting. The Catholic church is distinguished by the use of the Latin language, incense, images, and special calendar. The Pope manages the Churches all over the world through his assistants centrally from Rome. He has the privilege to grant forgiveness to people who seek it.

The Catholics derive their beliefs from their distorted bible, the proceedings of various conventions and other religions like Buddhism, pagan Romans, Greek and Egyptians religions. Catholics are in majority in Italy, France, Lithuania, Croatia, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, South America, Philippines, Poland, Hungary, Canada and South East Asia,. They live in minorities in US, Holland, and some African countries.

The Protestants are a sect within the Western Church. Their name derives from the word "protest" as they protested against the traditional Catholic Church and highlighted the importance of the use of the Bible and reason. They rejected all practices and beliefs in the Catholic Church which were in contradiction to the Bible. They believed that all Christians are equal before God, should understand the bible themselves and are accountable to it. 

The Protestant Church started in the 16th century by Martin Luther who was born in 1483 in Germany. He lived in a Christian environment. He could not complete his study in Law, so he studied religion instead. He made pilgrimage to Rome were he realized that the Catholic Church was not in line with the bible. They used to make money off the people by offering them forgiveness certificates. People were distant from the bible and relied on their clergy entirely for understanding their religion. He returned to Germany where he began to rebel against the messengers of Pope, He wrote 95 principles for opposition to the Catholic Church. 

Protestants only accept the text of the Bible (Old Testament and New Testament). They do not agree to the holiness of Pope and the authority of Church. They do not agree to the issuing certificates of forgiveness by the clergy. To them salvation is by the mercy and generosity of God which can be achieved by adhering to the bible and through evangelism. Every Christian can be described as a saint because sainthood is not in the person but granted by God. It does not believe in clergy or any intermediary between the people and God. It does not accept fasting which to them is abstaining from all food. There is no limit to prayers in their belief nor any adherence to certain form of prayers. Protestants can pray in any language. They do not use images and portraits in the church. They believe that the second coming of Jesus (AS) is conditional on the establishment of the state of Israel in Palestine. Their beliefs have been influenced by the Bible, philosophies of the East and the West, Zionism, Talmud and Islam.

They are found in Germany, Holland, Britain, Switzerland, Denmark, US and Scandinavia. There are several groups within the Protestants. The Lutheran who follow the doctrines of Martin Luther, The Reformed Church follow the teachings of Calvin who studied Law then divinity and was influenced by Martin Luther. Among the Protestants are many other groups including the Zionist Christians.. Jewish politics and doctrine has affected the Protestant church to a great extent.

The Maronite branched out of the Eastern Orthodox Church. They believe that the Messiah has two natures but one will. They are related to St. Maron and are based in Lebanon. Throughout history they have always been in disagreement with other Eastern Orthodox churches. They have loyalty of the Pope since 1182. They strongly supported of the Crusaders against the Muslims. In 1943, there was an accord in Lebanon between the Muslims and Christians in which it was agreed that the President would be a Maronite. They still use Syriac language & traditions in their Church. They adhere to the original language of Bible and are now closer to Catholic Church. The Maronite Church was started from Antakiyya but is now widespread in the mountains of Lebanon since 17^th century.

The Jesuits are a very strict branch of Catholicism. They are very antagonistic towards Islam. They are found in Portugal, Spain, France and US. They were established by a French priest in middle ages and were very active in eliminating Muslims from Spain. They are very active is social work building hospitals and schools through which they carry out evangelism. They are involved in politics and follow the Pope. They are focused in spreading Christianity in Muslim countries.

The Mormons claims to call to religion of the Messiah and to the return to the Old Testament. They believe that the Messiah came only to save the Jews from persecution and to give them control over the land. This sect was formed by Joseph Smith who was born on 23 December 1805 in Vermont. 

They believe that the holy book contains so many books, including some that have Allah’s vision for human beings and manuscripts collected from all times from the time of Adam (AS) until the time of Jesus (AS). Their scriptures include the Old Testament, the New Testament, Mormon’s Book which is sacred record from 2000 BC to 400 AD on the American continent. It narrates the story of Jesus (AS) to the American continent. It is the cornerstone for Mormon Tradition. They claim that Joseph Smith translated Mormon's Book to English by God’s help. This book came to him through an angel called Maroni. Another book is called The book of Principles and Covenants which covers contemporary vision for the Church of Jesus Christ as it was established according to the original teaching. They believe in several other books.

They believe in the Father, the Son -  Jesus (AS) and the Holy Script. They believe that people will be held accountable for their sins not the original sin of Adam (AS). They believe that all people can achieve salvation through the Messiah by following the principles from the Bible. They believe in God (Jesus), repentance, submission to the Holy Spirit, that prophethood is continuous for the salvation of humanity, that the translation of their holy book is true and accurate. They believe that the Book of Mormon is book of God. They believe that they must submit to the rulers and follow the rules. They are allowed polygamy without any limitation for well mannered men who are financially capable of supporting more than one family. These days they practice polygamy secretly. Adultery and premarital relations are prohibited among them although people can repent when they commit them. Mormons must pay 10% of their earnings to the church. They believe that the signs of resurrection are the occurrence of turmoils, return of the Bible. triumph of the Mormon Book, building of New Jerusalem and establishment of Israel for the Jews. Historians believe that Jews have a role is establishing this sect to create divisions in Christianity. The Mormon Book is almost a copy of the Talmud.

This group is supported by Israel. This group links Zion / New Jerusalem to the American land. Mormons are found in US, especially in Utah where they are 68% of the population. They also live in South America, Canada and Europe. They distribute their books free and have a TV network of 11 broadcasting centers. They publish  magazines and newspaper. In Utah they have and advanced information center.

Jehovah Witnesses are an international, universal, religious and political organization based on secrecy of its structure and its ideology. They appeared in US in second half of 19^th century. This group considers itself to be Christian as they follow the Messiah but it is known to be influenced by the Jews. Till 1931 it was called “New World Organization” and was officially acknowledged in US in 1884 with that name. It was established by Charles Russel. It was also known as “The New Students of the Bible”. Later the name was changed into Jehovah Witness derived from Yahwa which means Allah in Jewish tradition. They believe in Jehovah as God, referring to Jesus as the King of the Kingdom of God, Their holy book is the Bible which they interpret according to their own interpretation. They blindly obey their leaders and aim to establish a religious state to control the world. They are preparing people to establish the Great Jewish State. They do not acknowledge the reckoning in the Hereafter. They do not believe in the hellfire. and believe that the heaven will be in this life in their Kingdom. They frequently use the parts of the bible that encourage people to love Jews and Israel. They do not believe in the spirit and its eternal life and limit the concept of brotherhood to their own group. They fight against legal structures and practice evangelism even among different Christians.

Their headquarters is in Brooklyn, NY.  They have 158+ centers. 640,000+ members. They publish literature in all languages. They claim Christianity, support the Jews and strongly oppose Islam.