if someone calls the God muslims worship a "demon diety" are they also calling the Christian God so?

Non-Catholic Religions
#1

My brother (a southern Baptist) shared an article talking about Islam. Half way down it the author refers to the God they worship as a “demon deity”. Im pretty sure Muslim God is the God of Abraham which is the same God we and Jews worship. So I pointed out to my brother that the author is in essence also calling our God a “demon deity”. He then asked me this

“So to which God is a Muslim worshiping when he kills in the name of Allah?”

I addressed him saying Allah is simply Arabic for God and that just because they did bad things in his name it doesn’t change who God is or who they’re worshiping. He then said

“Len, if I kill someone and I say it’s in your name, do I really represent your interests?”

I responded saying

"to use your analogy you would have to say that you worshipped me and then killed someone in my name and then someone who also worshipped me claimed that i am a “demon diety”

Basically my point was that what he did didn’t change who I was (in the analogy) can someone help with this? Am I correct or mistaken

#2

I have a hard time believing that Muslims worship the same God as Christians at one level. However, there is only one supreme, creator God, so their desire to worship that God is the same as mine. Same with the Jews who, like the Muslims, miss the trinitarian aspects of that one God.

All that said, the problem stems from what each group believes that God wants and expects of us. Muslims somehow seem to believe that everyone should worship the one God in the one way (Islam).

Catholics tend to be a bit more flexible but evangelical Protestants are also prone to “one way” mentality - the very thing that creates the type of thinking that your brother expressed.

#3

Your understanding is in keeping with the Catholic understanding as articulated in the Catechism and the Second Vatican Council:

CCC 841 The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.” LG 16; cf. NA 3]

It confuses me why some want to be so adamant about them worshipping a “different” God. There is only one God. And it doesn’t seem that far-fetched to me that many people have incorrect views about who He is. :shrug:

Baptists also understand God differently from Catholics. We wouldn’t want to start accusing each other of worshipping a “demon deity” because of those differences.

#4

Yeah, well, they do that too…

#5

I would refrain from making such remarks in the first place. :yup:

#6

Yes, the God Whom Muslims worship is still the God of Abraham----the God of Christianity.

Joe just posted the relevant text from the Catechism. All other Church documents teach the same.

I’m leaving it at that because past history has shown that when this particular question arises (it does fairly often), those who disagree with the Catholic Church insist on hijacking the threads.

So, I’m going to leave you with this thought: believe what the Church believes, not what others want you to believe.

#7

It’s all pointless really.

Without believing in Jesus you will not get to God the Father.

We all know that Muhammad was never taught by God.

Galatians 8-9 But even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven preaches to you a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let God’s curse be on him. I repeat again what we declared before: anyone who preaches to you a gospel other than the one you were first given is to be under God’s curse.

#8

TRUE. They ARE worshiping the Father, but is that enough to GET to the father? No.

#9

Yes, you are mistaken.

‘Allah’ is not ‘simply Arabic for God’. This is a misconception allowed to flourish by Muslims. The generic word for god in Arabic is ‘illah’. Allah is a proper name and refers to the idol worshiped by Mohammad’s tribe before he had his ‘revelations’.

Even Muslims know that Allah and YHWH are not one and the same. In Malaysia, they have passed a law prohibiting Christians from using the word ‘Allah’ to refer to YHWH because they don’t want Muslims to be confused into thinking that Allah and YHWH are one and the same and convert to Christianity.

By their fruits you shall know them.

Even in the Old Testament, there was no human sacrifice in the worship of YHWH, no captives slain as an offering to the Almighty. Yet in the holy book of Islam, Allah demands that people convert, pay the jizya or be killed. Allah demands that infidels be beheaded, that terror be struck into all those who refuse to submit. Islam has always been spread by the sword from when they first came boiling out of Arabia bent on the conquest of the world. The practice of Islam bears no resemblance to the worship of YHWH either in Judaism or Christianity.

Would YHWH be pleased with the heads of hundreds of men, women and children being offered to Him in sacrifice? With the kidnapping and rape of thousands of women?

What ‘god’ commands his altar be covered in the blood of innocents?