Throughout history, it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested and, in some cases, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods in which the way they were administered or enforced underwent changes in their practices and leaders. In many cases, disagreements and divergent views between members of certain religions are the cause of these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes during their existence. Although these religions appear to have little in common at first glance, they both have a surprisingly similar past, consisting of radical divisions due to disagreements between members of the Christian and Islamic churches, leading to the emergence of new branches within every religion. Before the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, Christianity in Europe was in a questionable and somewhat corrupt state. By the mid-15th century, Central and Western Europe was constituted as a hierarchy headed by the pope. At this time, the Pope claimed all spiritual authority over Christians, as well as all political authority over all inhabitants of the Papal States. In addition to the Pope's claims, the Church also owned almost a quarter of the land in Europe, which led to a strong centralization of papal authority. Almost all Europeans of this era were Christians and paid taxes directly to the church because of this ownership. European Christians learned during their education that without the guidance and rituals of priests and the Church, there would be no path to salvation. Despite the Church's attempts to teach morality to its members, the clergy began to become greedy and full of corruption, which fueled their desire to...... middle of paper ...... implementation of Islamic law for the entire Ottoman Empire. When it happened, it was a transformation that no one saw coming and was truly unprecedented. The world religions of Islam and Christianity may have their differences to the naked eye, but when you take a closer look at their histories, similarities emerge. They both underwent transformations that had drastic impacts on the way they were controlled and the way religion was taught to their followers. Both Christianity and Islam experienced divisions among their members, due to their followers believing their beliefs were the correct way to practice religion. Although these transformations are in the distant past, the divisions within each religion continue to have lasting effects on Islam and Christianity to this day...