Islam is a political movement, with some religious aspects i.e. Muslims pray to a supernatural being.

Like all political organisations, Islam has laws: Sharia. Sharia law is as binding on Muslims as is statute and common law in democracies. Sharia law is the only law in Islamic countries, and applies to EVERYBODY living in the Islamic country – Christians, Jews, and non-Muslims of any ilk.

Non-Muslims (as well as Muslims) face death for certain offences e.g. Salman Rushdie, and the Charlie Hedbo journalists.

Christianity has laws ONLY for its followers. Any breaking of these laws might result in ex-communication at worse, but usually nothing at all happens to the offender.

Christians might take political action or stances, but Christianity itself is NOT political.

Islam is politically aggressive.

«Islam is a political movement, with some religious aspects i.e. Muslims pray to a supernatural being.»

Actually, Islam as a political movement has some anti-religious aspects.

When someone is forced to pray for fear of authorities rather than for love of God, then their prayer has no religious merit. Islam as a political movement thus sadly deny people the opportunity of spiritual advancement.

Christianity used to make the same mistake, but not any more (except it may be starting again in Russia).

Not quite, ttbn.

<<Islam is a political movement, with some religious aspects i.e. Muslims pray to a supernatural being.>>

Islam is more a religion with political aspects to it, because God is at the centre of the faith. Speaking of faith, Islam requires it, whereas a political movement does not necessitate faith. So there’s another reason as to why Islam is first and foremost a religion.

Being a religion is not a good attribute, though, by the way. So, by attempting to strip Islam of its religious status, you are certainly not making it look worse.

<<Sharia law is the only law in Islamic countries… >>

No, only in Afghanistan, last I checked. The rest have a combination of Sharia law (usually for family law only) and Civil law or Common law (for everything else).

<<Christianity has laws ONLY for its followers.>>

Now, and doctrinally, yes, but that’s only the half of it. Many read Matthew 4:19 as a call to spread the religion to every corner of the planet.

Another important point you’re overlooking is the fact that the harm done by these two religions cannot be measured entirely, or compared reasonably, by looking only at the extent to which each one is political.

That being said, your heading, 'Islam vs Christianity', isn’t very suited to your opening post if you’re only wanting to compare the extent to which each religion is political, because there's a lot more to Islam and Christianity than their politics.

Yuyutsu,

But force and punishment IS part of the Islamic so-called religion. I don't think that you are right about what Christianity “used to do”. Christianity has never forced anyone to be Christian or to pray. Christianity is 'voluntary'. You might be able to live in a Muslim country and not convert, but you will be enslaved and forced into humiliating dhimmitude. Even the pain-in-the-butt Christian missionaries never forced people to convert to Christianity.

Dear Ttbn,

Yes, force and punishment are indeed part of the violent political movement that calls itself "Islam" (peaceful surrender to God, so they boast to be doing) and pretend that to be a part of a religion - Muhammad (the real original and historical one, not the thug which they invented in their own image while committing the biggest identity-theft in history) must be rolling in his grave. Still there are others, especially Sufis and the Ahmadiyya movement, who are able to take Islam purely as a religion and interpret the Koran's violent verses differently, stripping away any political context.

Christianity today is peaceful, but it wasn't always like this: Jews were forced by the Spanish and Portuguese inquisition to convert to Christianity or die and there were times when failing to attend church on Sunday attracted a fine - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Uniformity_1558 . The situation in Russia is a cause for worry, where it seems that Putin is heading in the direction of forcing the Russian Orthodox church over the Russian people.

It is of the uppermost importance that there be a separation of church and state. It is counter productive to allow religious doctrine to form the entire basis of society, well not a Capitalist society such as Australia. Many of the laws of Western Democracies, have their origins in Judah-Christian teachings, if not somewhat distorted and convoluted to accommodate the counter religious aspects of Capitalism.
There was little argument offered when the religious demanded social laws be enacted by secular governments against those the Christian Churches deemed unworthy sinners, homosexuals, abortionists, prostitutes, bigamists anyone seen as outside the Christian ethos. Some on the most vocal and influential today against social law reform, laws governing such things as gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia, prostitution etc are the conservative thinking Christian Churches. Conservative Christians are influential of government, particularly throughout the Liberal Party and to a lesser extent through their own pressure groups and political parties, Family First, Christian Democrats, both of which have a small but significant representation in Australian parliaments.