Do Muslims pray to the same God as Catholics or not?

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Rozellelily

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I live in Australia which is quite a secular society now. Religion is not talked about openly like it is in the US. People that are Catholic/Christian tend to keep it to themselves for the most part.The Muslims here tend to be more open, but perhaps that’s due to the social political correct environment these days that makes it easy for them to be open.

My background though is ex- Yugoslavia. There, awful war has been fought because of religion. There are three religions in this Balkan region - Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim.

If we leave the other religions e.g., Buddhist, Hindu) aside for now and focus just on Christian and Muslim, what I don’t understand is if there is one true God then why do different religions exist?

Its seems like religion has caused more blood shed and division then it has love and unity. And even fighting within the very same religion (e.g., catholic vs orthodox, catholic vs protestant [Ireland], sunni muslim vs shiite)…

Both Christians and Muslims pray to God. Both claim to receive spiritual goodness/happiness from God, both believe their way is right etc.
Well both can’t be if they contradict each other, so why hasn’t God told one “group” by now that they are wrong?

How can Christians be getting “inspiration” in prayer that this is truth (Christian way), but then Muslims be getting the same thing about their own religion?

If they (muslims) are wrong, then why does God make them to become “stronger” muslims with stronger inner spiritual states when they pray?

It’s like God wants there to be different religions or something?

Personally, I find nothing that attract me to Islamic faith, but I can’t understand how there can be different “paths”?

Obviously they are praying to someone and getting inspiration from “someone”, so if not “our” God, then who?
 
Also, on Youtube, I have noticed a lot of younger people there converting to Islam, even from places like South Korea or even Catholics. I think this is because there are very prominent Muslim “Mufti”, and young Muslim youtubers who talk about topics that are relevant to young people including talking about Tik Tok, anger issues, partner having affair, substance abuse, dysfunctional family relationships, modesty, masculinity and femininity etc…
I feel like Catholic is letting young people down a bit. I know there is World Youth day, and there are some young adult Catholic youtubers but they don’t have huge followings. The Muslim Mufti man that I refer to has 1 million follower.
Should Catholic do more to engage young people on issues that matter to them everyday, so that they don’t just perceive Catholic as some “stale go to Church” religion that’s out of touch with them?
 
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I would recommend using the search feature to view the thousands of past posts on this topic. This is quite the can of worms.
 
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I’d begin with the Catechism, this is only part of the section that introduces this topic, please follow the link to read more:

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm#841

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."330

842 The Church’s bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common origin and end of the human race:

All nations form but one community. This is so because all stem from the one stock which God created to people the entire earth, and also because all share a common destiny, namely God. His providence, evident goodness, and saving designs extend to all against the day when the elect are gathered together in the holy city. . .331
843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."332

844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:

Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.333
845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son’s Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is “the world reconciled.” She is that bark which “in the full sail of the Lord’s cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world.” According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah’s ark, which alone saves from the flood.334
 
I think it is a complex question because there are different levels to understand it.

At one level there is only one God so we all pray to the same God.

But at a different level we have different understandings, images and expectation of God so we might as well say we pray to different Gods.
 
Your other question about young people in Australia?

I picked a random Australian Diocese:

https://www.sydneycatholicyouth.org/

You can join their mailing list to get news and updates. If you live in a different Diocese, visit their website and see what is happening locally.

Again, picked a random Theology on Tap, this one meets online during COVID

 
Thank you @TheLittleLady

The Catechism gives the “humanity answer”, but it doesn’t really satisfy the intellect.
It makes us to treat Muslims with kindness, respect, focus on similarities, etc but if never really provides the answers of what’s going on “at a deeper level”.

Muslims believe that their belief is the truth and they believe that people that believe in the Holy Trinity are they deceived ones!

So with both religions believing theirs is right, couldn’t God have clarified it by now?
There are priests who sit in prayer everyday, Muslim Imans do the same, but instead of God telling one of them “look sorry but your beliefs are wrong”, rather both get more closer to God and deeper into their religion!

Also, if the Catholic Church sees “the goodness in other religions as preparation for the Gospel…”, I don’t know if this has much applicability in a practical sense, because most Muslims firmly believe that Christianity is wrong due to Jesus being God/trinity.
Sure, there is the odd Muslim that converts to Christianity, and vice versa, but most stay with the religion they are born with.
 
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Yes, I’m aware that these events exist.
I’m in my 30’s myself, but I am not really referring to myself, but am just speaking generally regarding the young people.
The groups/events that you linked really only appeal to a minority of young people.
They are wonderful, and I am particularly glad to see them on Uni campuses, but the only people that are involved in those sorts of things are people that are Catholic in the first place.
So much of young adults lives these days is on the internet - social media (tiktok, linkedin), so I am thinking more along those lines.
The prominent muslim youtubers that I speak of have a large percentage of followers that are non -muslims (at least at the time of following).
 
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God, as He can be known without faith, is the creator and first principle of all being. Muslims do acknowledge this one God. However, faith is required to know Him as the Father of an only Son. Those who profess Islam do not have such supernatural faith since they do not believe God’s revelation, but rather something erroneously attributed to Him.

However, they do have what is first necessary to come to faith–to believe that God exists and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him–so are therefore farther down the road to faith than are atheists/panthesists or idolators, who ascribe to creatures that which should be given God.
 
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What I don’t understand however is why do Islam believers become deeper in their faith the more they pray, or fast etc?
If God really did not want different religions, then why would He affirm their beliefs and reward them with “spiritual depth” (sorry I don’t know the correct word), which would only serve to make them stronger Muslims?
If Gods ultimate truth was Christianity, wouldn’t He lead them towards that instead?

Most Muslims I have known seem very closed off to the suggestion of Jesus and God as one.
I am not sure what is meant by supernatural faith, or whether I even have it myself tbh.
I must admit to believing in trinity and Jesus probably purely because this is the religion I was raised in.

In Balkans, religion and nationality are extremely intertwined. If you are Croatian, you are Catholic. If Serbian, Orthodox. If Bosnian, then either Catholic, Orthodox, or Muslim.
It is just an “isness” rather than some spiritual revelation (if this makes sense).
Though there are plenty now also of non-faith due to becoming disillusioned with religion.
 
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Also, if Catholic and Muslim pray to the same God, the why couldn’t Catholic pray in mosque, and Muslim pray in Catholic Church? Even if the beliefs are different, isn’t the God that the prayers are directed to the same?
There seems to be more questions than answers.
 
Rozellelily said:
So with both religions believing theirs is right, couldn’t God have clarified it by now?
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He clarified this through his Church.

The Catechism is a high level reference. Follow the footnotes to read the detailed official teaching documents.
Rozellelily said:
So much of young adults lives these days is on the internet - social media (tiktok, linkedin),
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Odd, Linkedin is practically a dinosaur in the US.

As for Youtubers, there are literally thousands of Catholic personalities on You Tube:






Numbers of subscribers does not determine truth or beauty. We are supposed to be walking and talking ambassadors of Christ living Christ to all the world!
 
Rozellelily said:
Most Muslims I have known seem very closed off to the suggestion of Jesus and God as one.
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Similarly with some Jews. Although Christians see the Trinity as monotheistic, you are going to find non-Christians who regard Christianity as polytheistic.
 
Rozellelily said:
If God really did not want different religions, then why would He affirm their beliefs and reward them with “spiritual depth”
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Every religion that has enjoyed staying-power (long endurance on the Earth) must necessarily possess substantial truth, goodness and beauty within it. There could be no other explanation for a religion’s “success,” as far as I can see. As in, there must be something within the religion in question that links up to our interior selves to make us identify with it, whether that interiority is the conscience or our sense of the beautiful or rationality itself. So, in Islam as in Christianity, we find an emphasis on compassion and helping the poor. We have an emphasis on praying and fasting, making pilgrimages, deep philosophical and theological traditions that help us to contemplate God and humanity.
Rozellelily said:
Even if the beliefs are different, isn’t the God that the prayers are directed to the same?
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Certainly. Anyone who has spent a fair amount of time acquainting herself with the greatest minds of various theistic religions understands that the Referent to whom the contemplation and the prayer and the worship is directed far exceeds whatever conception can be had of Him. If it is true that God is infinite, uncreated, omnipresent, pure actuality—Existence Itself, then there is no way that a human conception could encapsulate Him. None of us can know the depths of the divine while in this life. So we scratch the Surface, and the religions that enjoy staying-power help us to scratch the Surface.

Renowned Christian theologian Paul Tillich gave a definition of faith as “the state of being ultimately concerned.” (Dynamics of Faith) I think that’s right on. Are Muslims ultimately concerned? You betcha. Catholics? Yep. Jews, Hindus and even Buddhists? To be sure. The world’s great religions are various vehicles that help us to filter and funnel and direct our ultimate concern.

None of this is to say that all religions are equally on a par with each other. It may be that one religion is superior (whatever we may mean by that) to the others. But still, every major world religion instantiates substantial truth, goodness and beauty within it. Otherwise, it could never appeal to our internal sense of this “ultimate concern”
 
When a Moslem sees a christian adoring the Blessed sacrament he will say “(a) that is not God, that’s a piece of bread and (b) even if you prove to me it’s Jesus’ body, it’s still not God because Jesus is not God. I do not worship the God you do.”
 
First, while the Church teaches that the Holy Spirit “gives to all facility in accepting and believing the truth,” He doesn’t necessarily do so at the same time. As we see in the parable of the worker’s in the vineyard, the Lord calls different people at different times–sometimes even at the “eleventh hour,” that is in the last moments of life. Such a means of conversion might be known only to God.

But also, not everyone makes the truth a priority. Attachment to creatures and to others things can lead to spiritual blindness and a hard to heart–this can include nationalistic attachments, to tie this into your subsequent post.

As the Lord says “many are called, and few are chosen” and “the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
 
Rozellelily said:
Also, on Youtube, I have noticed a lot of younger people there converting to Islam, even from places like South Korea or even Catholics. I think this is because there are very prominent Muslim “Mufti”, and young Muslim youtubers who talk about topics that are relevant to young people including talking about Tik Tok, anger issues, partner having affair, substance abuse, dysfunctional family relationships, modesty, masculinity and femininity etc…
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Yes and no. Yes, people who should know better convert to Islam. But not usually for the reasons you give. First, you need to understand that every Muslim has an obligation to spread “da’wa” (propaganda). So if you invite a friendly Imam to your church to give a talk about Islam, he will use to opportunity to proselytize. If you talk to a Muslim friend, he will (if he is a good Muslim) try to convert you. And so on. Second, getting a convert is a primary goal; telling the truth is secondary. There is a hadith about Muhammad sending the first “missionary” to Yemen, Musa. Muhammad gave instructions to Musa about how he should proceed–deception. There is also a Youtube video of an Imam telling the story of the conversion of a Jew. The Jew liked to drink wine. So his Muslim friend convinced him that if he converted to Islam he could still drink wine. He converted and was immediately told drinking wine was forbidden. The Imam told this story as an good example of how to go about converting people. Third, if you look carefully at the sorts of people who convert, they are generally either “seekers” who are ignorant of their own religion but spiritual in a vague sense or they are damaged–drug or alcohol use, physical abuse by a partner, etc. Both these types of people are looking for “certainty” or “authority.” Converts to Catholicism are often looking for the same thing–certainty and authority. Contrary to the impression this forum may give, Catholicism is always shades of grey, not black and white.

Also do a search on “ex-Mulims.” There are several web sites where ex-Muslims write in about how they were duped into converting.
 
Maximian said:
”When a Moslem sees a christian adoring the Blessed sacrament he will say…‘I do not worship the God you do’
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No.

A Muslim would declare that there is only one God; one Creator; one Sustainer; one Lord - the God
of Abraham; of Isaac; of Jacob; of Yeshua; of Muhammad (peace and blessing on them); of you, me and everyone else.

We differ in our understanding of His nature; that is all.
 
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🤔

AFAIK, Muslims believe that there is one Person Who is God while the Catholic Faith teaches that there are three Divine Persons in one God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ☦️.

So how can we believe in the same God if we can’t agree on the Trinity?
 
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