In real world practice today, there is a big difference. Christians seem to have largely become folks who seek peaceful, just, civil, secular, modern and lawful societies. Muslims seem to have largely become folks who accept dictators (military, religious), reject freedom of religion, and reject modernism.
This difference is born out, with statistics showing Muslims as being involved in most current world conflicts, having little democracy, and grossly inferior economic progress.
I submit there is a correlation with the religion, and with the lack of democracy, freedom (press, religion), and poor economic performance. The difference is between societies of the year 2002, versus societies of the year 1300.
I'd believe you if I didn't see so many calling for the U.S. to nuke several Muslim dominated 3rd world countries.
well, if the different religions had evinced the same levels of those things througout all time, I might go along with that. But there were certainly times when the Moslem world, while never democratic and free, was more advanced ecnomically/technologically than christian europe.
Also, given that any one religion can take a multitude of forms- Amish farmers vs. espicopalian bankers for example, I'm skeptical of claims that we can predict the nature of a society based on their sacred texts.
People have an uncanny ability to derive whatever meaning they choose from scripture- both the Aryan nation types, and lefty anti-death penalty groups both claim to be christian.