The attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward merchants

Essay by guglielminaCollege, UndergraduateB, March 2005

download word file, 5 pages 1.0

Islam and Christianity share a lot of similarities and differences. One of the most important similarities that they share is that they are both universal religions. Both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic religions, believing in only one god, which is also believed by some religions researchers to be the same god, but referred with different nominatives. In the Christian religion it is referred to as "Christ" and in the Islam religion it is referred to as "Allah". They do not only share these little similarities, but much more: like the beginning of the religions. In both holy books: the Bible for Christians and the Qur'an for Muslims, it is described the creation of the earth in the very first's chapters. The Bible, as the Qur'an states that Christ created the world in six days; in the other hand the Qur'an states the same thing, but using the nominative of Allah instead than Christ.

As time advanced many differences born between Christianity and Islam.

Christianity and Islam looked at merchants and trade form different points of views. With the years, the views of both religions of trade and merchants have altered in positive and negative ways.

During the early years of Christianity, trade was not viewed in a positive way, but it was more considered like an obstacle that would stand and block the bridge linking a person to heaven. In fact as we can see Document 1 states that being wealthy would place you further away from God and consequently, further away from God's kingdom. "...a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Being wealthy...