Do all "monotheisms" worship the same God?

[pnewton]

Many apparently don’t care what Islam teaches, except that Islam believes in one god

Do they? I would not presume or assume too much if I was you. The topic of this thread is very limited in scope. Of course all you will see here is the one topic the Islam believes in one God. Maybe other are just better at sticking to the topic. It is not about supporting or condemning Islam.

At its most basic level, that statement could be true, in so far as they are talking about the Jesus born of the Virgin, lived, died and was crucified.

This is an interesting point, and one at which some disagreement might be resolved. There is more than one level, or one definition, to the “same God.” When Jesus walked the Earth, he asked Peter who do men say he was. Remember the different answers? Yet there was only one Jesus. Different people had a clearer, or foggier, understanding of who that man was who walked around preaching.

 

[fide]

How are the people of the world supposed to hear His words

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you ; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20

One of the major concerns Bp. Schneider has with our Church today, is that interreligious approaches and dialog (as well as ecumenism) has led to a seeking of “commonality” at the price of real Catholic uniqueness. The Catholic Faith IS Unique! Often it seems we fall over our own feet trying to be just like the other folks - and the Catholic sense of reverence before the truly holy (for example the Eucharist) continues to decline, and irreverence in the Church (“let’s hang out with our Buddy Jesus for a while!”) continues to grow. And true evangelism?

 

[Dolphin]

Because Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all come from the same Abrahamic roots. It’s the same God but viewed obviously differently. Allah is simply God is Arabic with of course numerous character changes that make the theological similarities very few and far between. But there is still a common basis unlike Christianity to Hinduism.

 

[Dolphin]

So I believe in those individual Gods/Goddesses just as much as the ‘One’ and worship to any of them reaches the overarching One

From a Christian perspective this is rather blasphemous. Quite a handful of prophets died telling the Jews to stop worshiping idols, mainly Baal. To suggest the prayer all goes to the same place makes the work of these prophets (and in turn God informing them) rather pointless and wasted.

 

[Dolphin]

All this logic of “all prayer in the end goes to God no matter which objects it is first directed to” has a very serious implication… this logic implies that satanists who actually worship the devil and promote evil and the sin of others are actually worshiping God in the end… that is completely wrong in countless ways.

 

[openmind77]

openmind77:

So I believe in those individual Gods/Goddesses just as much as the ‘One’ and worship to any of them reaches the overarching One

From a Christian perspective this is rather blasphemous. Quite a handful of prophets died telling the Jews to stop worshiping idols, mainly Baal. To suggest the prayer all goes to the same place makes the work of these prophets (and in turn God informing them) rather pointless and wasted.

Not necessarily. It depends on the qualities you ascribe to your gods. If the gods are good (not violent or mean or angry, but benevolent and just) that is the only case when worship reaches the One. If you decide to worship a nasty, evil god then your worship will be wasted. BTW this is a good analysis of various Hindu Gods: https://www.thehindugods.com/

 

[ReaderT]

When Jesus walked the Earth, he asked Peter who do men say he was. Remember the different answers? Yet there was only one Jesus. Different people had a clearer, or foggier, understanding of who that man was who walked around preaching.

But some of them were just plain wrong, too. Jesus wasn’t, for example, Elijah returned to Earth.

Because Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all come from the same Abrahamic roots.

I wonder: what does that matter, though?

What about the Mormons (also an Abrahamic faith) that believes God has a physical body and lives near the planet Kolob? When they think of a man running around on Kolob, are they praying to our God? Of course not - why would they be?

 

[pnewton]

But some of them were just plain wrong, too.

But the question here is not theological correctness. It would be how many Jesus’s were there. Their mistake did not make the object of their mistake someone else. They could even dine with him, have a relationship with him, and still be dead wrong about some things.

 

[meltzerboy2]

The interpretation of the nature of Gd may differ, but all monotheistic religions worship the same Gd.

 

[AlNg]

all monotheistic religions worship the same Gd.

It takes a bit of explaining because Jews and Muslims worship one God and one Person only. The Lord thy G-d is One - this would mean one Person for a Jew or Muslim. Christians worship one G-d but one G-d in three Persons. The Christian Trinity has three Persons, whereas the G-d of Israel or of Islam has only one Person. This means then that Christians worship Jesus as G-d and they worship the Father as G-d. Jews and Muslims do not believe Jesus to be a divine Person in a Trinitarian G-d.

 

[meltzerboy2]

What you are describing is the different approach toward the NATURE of Gd. However, although the interpretations differ, the notion of ONE Gd is the same as are essentially the characteristics of that one Gd.

 

[AlNg]

the notion of ONE Gd is the same

I don’t see that because for a Jew or Muslim, Jesus is not G-d and it is seriously wrong to worship Jesus as G-d. Although he may be thought of as a teacher or a prophet.

 

[meltzerboy2]

Yes, you have a point. Nonetheless, do Christians believe that Jesus is a SEPARATE being from Gd the Father? I don’t think so. Neither do they believe that the Holy Spirit is a separate being. They are distinct with regard to their Personhood but NOT separate. Therefore, Christians believe in ONE Gd Who manifests Himself in three distinct Persons. This belief in One Gd is exactly the same as the belief of Jews and Muslims except that for them the One Gd is not distinctly manifest in Three Persons. They disagree on the NATURE of the One Gd but not in the features nor the essence of His Oneness.

 

[AlNg]

They disagree on the NATURE of the One Gd

Many Hindus will say that they believe in one God but there are several different avatars of the one God. For example, there are 10 avatars of the Hindu God Vishnu.

1. Matsya (The Fish)
2. Kurma (The Tortoise)
3. Varaha (The Boar)
4. Narasimha (The Man-Lion)
5. Vamana (The Dwarf)
6. Parasurama (The Angry Man)
7. Lord Rama (The Perfect Man)
8. Lord Krishna (The Divine Statesman)
9. Balarama (Krishna’s Elder Brother)
10. Kalki (The Mighty Warrior)
    Do you consider that this version of Hinduism is monotheistic since they believe in one God, but in 10 different avatars?

 

[meltzerboy2]

Yes, I do with regard to Hinduism. Do you not believe that Christianity is monotheistic? It sounds to me you have your doubts.

 

[Maximian]

Im saying that the catechism does not tell moslems what they believe. They decide what they believe and if they believe they worship a different god from us, clearly that is what they are doing.

By the way, I take the opportunity to remark that I heartily dislike the technique of telling someone “so you are saying that…”

 

[Niblo]

We don’t ‘worship a different god’ from you. There is only One. We differ as to His nature, that is all.

How often, I wonder, does this need to be said?

 

[fide]

ReaderT:

But some of them were just plain wrong, too.

But the question here is not theological correctness. It would be how many Jesus’s were there. Their mistake did not make the object of their mistake someone else. They could even dine with him, have a relationship with him, and still be dead wrong about some things.

“Theological correctness” is an essential part of the matter - not that one’s theology has to be exact and complete (whose can be that, completely?) - but the sincere, humble openness to Truth - even at the cost of one’s own personal favorite and prized present concept of God - that is necessary. A tenacious clinging to a chosen idol is gravely wrong and deadly. The story in John of the man born blind - his beautiful freedom, as he came progressively out of the world and into Christ - comes to mind:

Jn 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of man?”
Jn 9:36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jn 9:37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you.”
Jn 9:38 He said, “Lord, I believe”; and he worshiped him.

 

[fide]

Therefore, Christians believe in ONE Gd Who manifests Himself in three distinct Persons. This belief in One Gd is exactly the same as the belief of Jews and Muslims except that for them the One Gd is not distinctly manifest in Three Persons. They disagree on the NATURE of the One Gd but not in the features nor the essence of His Oneness.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but the way you describe the Christian God [“Christians believe in ONE Gd Who manifests Himself in three distinct Persons.”] sounds to me more like the (forgive me for the word) heresy of modalism, rather than the orthodox Trinitarian belief. A very brief description of modalism is,

Modalism is the belief that God, rather than being three persons, is one person who reveals himself in three “modes,” much as an actor might play three roles in a movie. It is also called Sabellianism or monarchianism.

I can see how a modalist could see an easier equivalence among the three religions’ concept of God, than an orthodox Catholic Christian could. The trinitarian aspect of the divine nature is necessary, in our view - absolutely essential - to begin to understand God and our vocation into Him.

 

[fide]

We don’t ‘worship a different god’ from you. There is only One. We differ as to His nature, that is all.

How often, I wonder, does this need to be said?

Excuse me, Niblo, but differing as to the nature of God is rather important, is it not? You say, “We differ as to His nature, that is all.” That is ALL? Listening to an early Self-naming of God, to Moses at the Burning Bush, we learn that God is “I AM” - the ONE whose Being is Who He Is. He IS - He did not come to be, He is not becoming, He eternally and ever IS. We cannot understand reality, that which is, until we understand the One Who Is absolutely.

And since there is only one God, and He has only one nature, a mistaken “name” for the Only God - the “name” which reveals His nature - is crucially important. I’m not speaking of the word that is His name, but the Self-revelation - the meaning - the Truth - that is His name: He IS.

This name, unfolded, can reveal His one nature. The mind He gave us, when led in His light, will lead us to Himself, in the Trinity of His Being.