Do Muslims and Catholics worship the same God?

[GaryTaylor]

I think the Impersonal aspect of God yes. But I think God has both an impersonal and a personal aspect. The personal aspect of god is being rejected by those that don’t follow the “correct guy”. I don’t think the God of Abraham is only an impersonal reality as Muslims seem to suggest.

Exactly.

 

[Tom_Baum]

God prefers Godly deeds and incorrect faith over correct faith and ungodly deeds



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I agree except I would add “or no faith at all” to incorrect faith, this is similar to what I have written numerous times: God is a searcher of hearts and minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof.

 

[Tom_Baum]

No, just no. Bahai true standard is calling to nothing more than all out worship of the creation. This is not an inspiration from God at all.

OT: You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them,

NT: Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

QURAN:
Say, “O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah.” But if they turn away, then say, “Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].”

Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray.

Isn’t this verse from the Quran, the verse that “condemns” Christians for saying that Jesus Is God-Incarnate?

I could be wrong but I believe I have seen where some have said that that is what this verse is referring to.

 

[Bahaitruth]

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So the difference between a Catholic and a Bahai seems to be who this “main guy” is. And Islam has a big part in Bahai determination, because of the belief that the Quran reveals an aspect of God that was not divulged in the Bible. In other words, if Muhammad had not come around, Bahais would be Christians. Islam changes the equation for Bahais.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Isn’t this verse from the Quran, the verse that “condemns” Christians for saying that Jesus Is God-Incarnate?

I could be wrong but I believe I have seen where some have said that that is what this verse is referring to.

Then the argument proceeds that Jesus never stated he was God in the NT/OT, oh wait not “explicitly”, and you wonder “why” we are having this other elementary conversation?

 

[oldcatholicguy]

As you pointed out, the Jews do not recognize Jesus for Who Jesus Is and they do NOT deny Who Jesus claims to be and then claim Jesus as a prophet as islam does, to the Jews, Jesus is neither a prophet nor God-Incarnate.

So Jews worship God because they get it completely wrong about Jesus, and Muslims don’t actually worship God because they only get it partly right about Jesus? Um, ok…I guess you don’t view Arianism as a Christian heresy but as a completely different religion with a completely different God since Arianism also only gets it partly right about Jesus. I wonder how many Protestant faiths fall into this “partly right category so not actually worshipping God” category as well.

 

[Servant19]

I agree except I would add “or no faith at all” to incorrect faith, this is similar to what I have written numerous times: God is a searcher of hearts and minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof.

I like how you think “God is a searcher of hearts and minds, not …affiliations”

The heart needs to manifest its closeness to God in deeds however Tom. These deeds must reflect the Will of God and that according to Baha’is changes as society evolves in its consciousness, its heart and its mind…

 

[Tom_Baum]

How about what Catholicism professes: Godly deeds and correct faith?

That seems to be the correct paradigm to espouse. Not erroneous ones where one says, “Well, at least I am doing something good even if I do worship a BULL!”

Seems to me that some of the things that the Catholic Church has written concerning other religions and beliefs, that people on these postings have referred to, disagree with what you are saying and that Servant19’s statement “God prefers Godly deeds and incorrect faith over correct faith and ungodly deeds” would be seen in a good light.

 

[GaryTaylor]

So the difference between a Catholic and a Bahai seems to be who this “main guy” is. And Islam has a big part in Bahai determination, because of the belief that the Quran reveals an aspect of God that was not divulged in the Bible. In other words, if Muhammad had not come around, Bahais would be Christians. Islam changes the equation for Bahais.

That’s how I see it.

 

[ephesians2]

But, to the extent that a Muslim recognizes one God, and recognizes that God created the world, and everything in it, then that Muslim understands a real truth about God. A truth that many others may not perceive.

(Edit; to Ephesians, not FrDave)

I’m assuming by your edit, you were asking me, JHow, so I will reply to your post with WHO is God to a Muslim? Is He Father, Son and Holy Spirit to a Muslim? No. A Muslim, atleast the ones I have dialoged with, would say Christians serve three gods because they (Muslims) do not understand the doctrine of the Trinity. If God is Triune, a Muslim does not serve the God of a Christian. I’m assuming a Roman Catholic would call himself a Christian.

 

[GaryTaylor]

I’m assuming by your edit, you were asking me, JHow, so I will reply to your post with WHO is God to a Muslim? Is He Father, Son and Holy Spirit to a Muslim? No. A Muslim, atleast the ones I have dialoged with, would say Christians serve three gods because they (Muslims) do not understand the doctrine of the Trinity. If God is Triune, a Muslim does not serve the God of a Christian. I’m assuming a Roman Catholic would call himself a Christian.

Who do they worship, you missed that part? You can leave us hanging, I don’t want to assume.

 

[FrDavid96]

I’m assuming by your edit, you were asking me, JHow, so I will reply to your post with WHO is God to a Muslim? Is He Father, Son and Holy Spirit to a Muslim? No. A Muslim, atleast the ones I have dialoged with, would say Christians serve three gods because they (Muslims) do not understand the doctrine of the Trinity. If God is Triune, a Muslim does not serve the God of a Christian. I’m assuming a Roman Catholic would call himself a Christian.

Again, you’re confusing 2 questions:

What God?
What about God?

They are 2 different questions.

 

[ephesians2]

You are still not answering the question.

You did not answer my question, and you are not answering the OPs question.

I answered both. The Word will defend itself. Who is God according to a Muslim? Who is God according to a Catholic? Who is God according to God and what He specifically says throughout the Bible? Now who has the Truth and who will you go to for that Truth? All three cannot be correct when they contradict eachother.

 

[oldcatholicguy]

I’m assuming by your edit, you were asking me, JHow, so I will reply to your post with WHO is God to a Muslim? Is He Father, Son and Holy Spirit to a Muslim? No. A Muslim, atleast the ones I have dialoged with, would say Christians serve three gods because they (Muslims) do not understand the doctrine of the Trinity. If God is Triune, a Muslim does not serve the God of a Christian. I’m assuming a Roman Catholic would call himself a Christian.

Did Arians worship the “God of a Christian”? I’m asking because like Jews and Muslims their understanding of God in regards to the Trinity was wrong. In addition, if understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity is a requirement to actually worship God we have St. Paul lying in Scripture to the Greeks about their “unknown god.”

 

[FrDavid96]

I answered both. The Word will defend itself. Who is God according to a Muslim? Who is God according to a Catholic? Who is God according to God and what He specifically says throughout the Bible? Now who has the Truth and who will you go to for that Truth? All three cannot be correct when they contradict eachother.

Again, you’re confusing 2 questions:

What God?
What about God?

They are 2 different questions.

 

[ephesians2]

Again, you’re confusing 2 questions:

What God?
What about God?

They are 2 different questions.

I think you are confused. I’m answering both questions.

God is Triune- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

[ephesians2]

Did Arians worship the “God of a Christian”? I’m asking because like Jews and Muslims their understanding of God in regards to the Trinity was wrong. In addition, if understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity is a requirement to actually worship God we have St. Paul lying in Scripture to the Greeks about their “unknown god.”

Do you think the Greeks were worshipping the Triune God in that unknown god?

 

[oldcatholicguy]

Do you think the Greeks were worshipping the Triune God in that unknown god?

St. Paul apparently did.

Edit- Now your response about the Arians?

 

[Bahaitruth]

Hope this help solidify your positions whatever they are: from my bahai perspective the descriptions about god in the Quran differs from the Bible in a progressive fashion, like if it is an alphabet, letter A is, sounds, and looks different from letter B. If Bible is A and Quran is B, the Bahais accept A and B as two different letters of the alphabet, whereas most Christians see A as the only letter and most Muslims only see B as the only letter…

In other words, Bible and Quran are seen by most Bahais as complementary and never **meant to be ** identical. On the other hand most Muslims believe the opposite, that the Bible was meant to be the same as the Quran.

And so unlike most Christians and most Muslims, Bahais see the Biblical and Quranic creation stories and historical narratives as partly/mostly symbolic and metaphorical. And since these are symbolic, Bahais incorporate other religions in the line of ancient religions that were not included by the Bible and Quran, such as Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Hindu, and other native Text/oral traditions.

So The definition of “God” has for the Bahais progressed well beyond both Biblical and Quranic definitions…

 

[meltzerboy]

Ignatian, don’t think so much about the bull, think more about the who.

Who told them to worship the Golden bull?

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I don’t think G-d would tell you to WORSHIP the bull but rather that the bull, per G-d’s command, is a manifestation of G-d, and that by VENERATING the bull (not worshiping it), you are doing G-d’s Will. Is that what you mean? This act of veneration is performed in Catholicism but is not understood to be worship.