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Eastern Orthodox Church

2007-03-16T04:23:03Z

Dixibehr:

(formed about AD 29) A church that split from the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (no submission to pope) in the [[Great Schism]]. Actually, the Pope split from the other four major Patriarchs; they didn't change anything. Furhermore, while married men may become deacons and priests, priests may not marry.

[[Category:Religion]]

Muhammad

2007-03-15T04:00:41Z

Dixibehr:

[[Image:Mahommed.jpg|right|Mohammed speaking to his followers.]]
Mohammed (A.D. 570-632) or [[Muhammad]] was the founder of Islam. He began life as a wealthy tradesmen (though some say he was an apostate Nestorian clergyman; the Christology of Islam, such as it is, is Nestorian), one of the elite of his city of [[Mecca]]. He claimed to be privy to certain [[revelations]] in middle age, speaking of a need to abandon worship of the many gods who dominated Mecca's religion at the time, and worship the one God, [[Allah]].

These early revelations spoke of a need to return to the [[monotheism]] of [[Abraham]]; in this way, at an early age, Mohammed saw himself as reviving an ancient faith, a perceived correction to [[Christianity]] and [[Judaism]], and restoring his people to what he saw as their rightful position as the true founders and heirs of monotheism. In these revelations, submission to the will of God - [[Allah]] - was critical. Mohammed's fledgling religion continued to develop throughout his life, through periodic revelations often relating directly to events currently facing his new faith.

The faith caught on slowly, winning only a few converts in Mecca (the first being his wife). Under increased pressure and ostracism from elders in Mecca, Mohammed began the [[hijra]], an organized exodus of his followers from Mecca to the city of [[Medina]]. [[Muslims]] date the formation of their religion to the ''hijra'' itself, even beginning their dating system at this point.

At Medina, the new Muslims immediately adopted an aggressive stance, seeking to coexist with the [[Jews]] living in Medina on ''his'' terms. The encounter ended badly, though, with Mohammed dividing and conquering the Jewish groups in Medina, after (possibly) fabricating a cause to break what is called by modern historians the [[Compact of Medina]].<ref>Berkey, ''The Formation of Islam''</ref>

== After Mohammed's Death ==

Mohammed's death at an early age caused the splintering of his religion into new sects, over the question of succession. The groups called themselves the [[Sunnis]] and the [[Shi'as]]. Many attribute this split to the high degree to which authority was centered in the powerful character of Mohammed himself: without his powerful personality, the movement could not survive intact.<ref>Bernard Lewis, ''What Went Wrong''</ref>

The failure or splintering of movements built around a charismatic leader is a recurring sociological problem, often studied by psychologists, and referred to as the problem of the [[routinization of charisma]]. [[Christianity]] faced the same problem, and many attribute the conquest of this problem to the leadership of the apostle [[Paul]].<ref>Maximillian Weber, ''Theory of Social and Economic Organization,'' in the chapter "The Nature of Charismatic Authority and its Routinization," see also Len Oakes, "Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities"</ref>.

== References ==

<references/>

Islam

2007-03-15T03:58:46Z

Dixibehr:

'''Islam''' is [[monotheism|monotheistic]] religion of Abraham based on the teachings of [[Muhammad]], about whom there is evidence to suggest that he was an apostate Nestorian priest or bishop. Islam has grown to be the second largest and fastest growing religion in the world, with over 1.4 billion followers. The word "Islam" means "submission", to God. The followers of Islam are called [[Muslim|Muslims]] or, less commonly, Moslems. Muslims practice monotheism, worshipping a god called [[Allah]] and believing Muhammad to be his last and greatest prophet. Muslims live by the Qu'ran, which they consider to be the pure and holy word of Allah. Muslims wash their hands before reading the book, which is considered complete and perfect only in the original Arabic, and burn old copies instead of throwing them away. Muslims follow the five pillars of Islam.

[[Image:Mecca.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mecca, the holy city of the Muslims]]

===Five Pillars of Islam===

*'''Shahadah (Profession of Faith)''' -The Shahadah is the Muslim profession of faith. The English translation is "''There is none worthy of worship except the God, and [[Muhammad]] is the messenger of God''"

*'''Salat (Ritual Prayer)''' -All Muslims are required to Pray to Allah five times each day while facing [[Mecca]].

*'''Zakat (Charity)''' Able Muslims must donate to the poor based on the wealth one has accumulated. In current usage it is interpreted as 2.5% of the value of most valuables and savings held for a full [[lunar year]].

*'''Sawm (Fasting)''' All able-bodied Muslims (children, the elderly, and the ill are exempt) must fast during daylight hours during the entire month of [[Ramadan]]. According to Muslims, this purifies the body and soul.

*'''Hajj (Pilgrimage)''' All able-bodied Muslims must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives.

[[Image:Quran.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Pages from the Koran, the holy book of the Islamic religion.]]

==Islam and Christianity==

While Muslims do not believe Jesus to be the Son of God or that he was crucified, they consider him to be one of God's most important prophets. However, the Qu'ran warns against worshipping Jesus, for fear of [[idolatry]].<ref>[http://www.ccg.org/_domain/ccg.org/Islam/Islam.htm Christian Churches of God Articles on Islam], March 10, 2007</ref>

The Qur'an states that Christians will burn in Hell: “Unbelievers are those that say: ‘God is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’ He that worships
other deities besides God, God will deny paradise, and the Fire shall be his home. None shallhelp the evil-doers.
Unbelievers are those that say: ‘God is one of three.’ There is but one God. If they do not
desist from saying so, they shall be sternly punished.” (5:71-73)

Christians, on the other hand, believe that Muslim practices violate the first commandment, for which the traditional punishment is death by stoning:

"Thou shalt have none other gods before me." (Deuteronomy 5:7)

==Islam and Paganism==

Although most Muslims profess belief in a single, almighty [[Allah|God]], a substantial minority of accredited Western scholars believe that some Muslim beliefs, unlike those of the early [[Roman Catholic Church]], system can be traced back to distinctly polytheistic antecedents. Some, for example, have attempted to link Allah to a moon deity, though Allah is cited in the Koran as the God of Abraham and Isaac (Judaism and Christianity). <ref>Abramahov, "Islamic Theology". Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh, 1988. [http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Theology-Binyamin-Abrahamov/dp/0748611029/sr=8-4/qid=1172042917/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/105-1837174-2630046?ie=UTF8&s=books]</ref> Others have pointed to the pagan roots of various Muslim prohibitions, such as the ban on pork (also practiced in Orthodox Judaism) originating in the 3rd-century AD Damascene [[cult]] of the [[pig-god]] [[Jamal]]. <ref>Ibid.</ref> There is some evidence that traditional Muslim scholars have been suppressing this information as well as various recently-recovered scrolls that hint at early Muslim human sacrifice, which was also a part of early Judaism which ended after the Genisis story of Abraham and Isaac (e.g., at Uhud). <ref>Esposito, "The Oxford History of Islam", p. 523. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1999. [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-History-Islam-John-Esposito/dp/0195107993/sr=8-1/qid=1172042853/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-1837174-2630046?ie=UTF8&s=books]</ref> Like all major religions, Christianity included, Islam has ill-understood and fascinating roots that modern scholarship has yet to fully plumb.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Religion]]

Eastern Orthodox Church

2007-03-15T03:56:14Z

Dixibehr: Correction about Eastern Orthodoxy.

(formed about 1054) A church that split from the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (no submission to pope) in the [[Great Schism]]. Actually, the Pope split from the other four major Patriarchs; they didn't change anything. Furhermore, while married men may become deacons and priests, priests may not marry.

[[Category:Religion]]

Talk:Eastern Orthodox Church

2007-03-15T03:54:35Z

Dixibehr: Corrections to the entry about Eastern Orthodox Churches.

The Eastern Orthodox Church did NOT split from Rome. Rather, Rome split from the four other major patriarchates (who had the most number of Christians).

Furthermore, the Orthodox Church does NOT allow priests to marry, but married men may become deacons and priests. Once ordained, a man may not marry without being deposed. Bishops are chosen from the unmarried clergy, who may be widowers or monks (or frequently both).