Do we worship the same God?

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dulcissima:
In my Bible study class yesterday someone made the comment that Muslims do not worship the same god that Jews and Christians do. I don’t see how this could be possible since God is the only god. It just seems like we have a different perspective on God. What does the Catholic Church say about this and what does Islamic teaching say?
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Well, do Jehovah’s Witnesses and Catholics worship the same God? How about Mormons and Catholics? Christian Scientists and Catholics? Unitarian Universalists and Catholics?

The “God” of JW’s has a name, Jehovah, and is not a trinity of persons. The “God” of Mormons was once a man who became God. The “God” of Christian Scientists is a principle, called “Love.” The “God” of UU’s is whatever somebody wants that “God” to be.

So, can it really be said that the “God” of Moslems and the “God” of Catholics is the same “God?” Do Catholics believe God is not trinitarian and do they insist upon calling “God” "by a particular name? Furthermore, do they consider Jesus just a “prophet” and acknowledge Mohammad as the “final prophet” of God?

The Bible tells us to flee from those that preach "another Jesus."Well then, are we to hold hands with them and sing, “Kumbaya,” or “It’s a Small World After All?”

Islam is a competing world religion. Islam has shown itself to be openly hostile toward the gospel of grace. If we are proclaiming the same God, then God must be divided against Himself. If so, then we are compelled to embrace the ancient lie of theological dualism, where there is a good God and an evil God which are battling against each other. As far as I know, Catholics reject such belief as heretical.
 
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Tibbar:
Well, do Jehovah’s Witnesses and Catholics worship the same God? How about Mormons and Catholics? Christian Scientists and Catholics? Unitarian Universalists and Catholics?

The “God” of JW’s has a name, Jehovah, and is not a trinity of persons. The “God” of Mormons was once a man who became God. The “God” of Christian Scientists is a principle, called “Love.” The “God” of UU’s is whatever somebody wants that “God” to be.

So, can it really be said that the “God” of Moslems and the “God” of Catholics is the same “God?” Do Catholics believe God is not trinitarian and do they insist upon calling “God” "by a particular name? Furthermore, do they consider Jesus just a “prophet” and acknowledge Mohammad as the “final prophet” of God?

The Bible tells us to flee from those that preach "another Jesus."Well then, are we to hold hands with them and sing, “Kumbaya,” or “It’s a Small World After All?”

Islam is a competing world religion. Islam has shown itself to be openly hostile toward the gospel of grace. If we are proclaiming the same God, then God must be divided against Himself. If so, then we are compelled to embrace the ancient lie of theological dualism, where there is a good God and an evil God which are battling against each other. As far as I know, Catholics reject such belief as heretical.
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See post #3 - Muslims Worship the One True God Only Their ‘Receiving Apparatus’ Is Defective
 
Reuben J:
No we don’t.

God (Yahweh) is love. Allah is not.

God is a loving father.
Allah is a demanding master.

God loves sinners.
Allah purposes for some people to be led astray in order to populate the hell he created. Allah does not love unbelievers.
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Doesn’t prove much. Again, what we (Christans and Muslims) don’t agree in is on God’s nature. It’s like having two siblings: one sees his father as good, loving and caring. The other sees an authoritarian and strict father. Do the two have different fathers? Of course not: they have the same fathers, but differ in how they view him. It is the same with Islam and Christianity.
 
“But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge The Creator. In the First place among these are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us who adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind.” --Documents of Vatican 11, Ch. 2 art.16.–nicolo
 
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Milliardo:
Doesn’t prove much. Again, what we (Christans and Muslims) don’t agree in is on God’s nature. It’s like having two siblings: one sees his father as good, loving and caring. The other sees an authoritarian and strict father. Do the two have different fathers? Of course not: they have the same fathers, but differ in how they view him. It is the same with Islam and Christianity.
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Please tell a Muslim that God is a father. And ask him whether he can call God daddy or abba?
 
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Edris:
That’s exactly what Islam preaches.

“…And those who invoke not any other ilâh (god) along with Allâh, nor kill such life as Allâh has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; Except those who repent and believe and do righteous deeds, for those, Allâh will change their sins into good deeds, and Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (Qur’an 25:68-70)
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Another difference between Christianity God and Islam’s Allah :-

What does Allah think of unbelievers?

Verily Allah guides not those whom He makes to go astray … And they will have no helpers. - Surah 16:37

Allah purposes for some people to be led astray in order to fill the hell he created.

If We so willed, We could certainly have brought every soul it true guidance: but the Word from Me will come true, “I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together.”

Allah could not have loved the unbelievers. I’m opened for correction anyway.

Jesus love unbelievers.

He ate with tax collectors and sinners. Luke 15:1-2

He shared his message personally with a samaritan woman who was living with a man who was not her husband. John 4:1-26

Jesus had the attitude that he was sent to help sinners.

…It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Mark2:17

God sent him to the world because God loved the world - those who had not yet believed on him. (see Rom 5:8)

… The Most High is “kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35
 
Reuben J:
Please tell a Muslim that God is a father. And ask him whether he can call God daddy or abba?
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Yes, I know Muslims do not see God as Father; that doesn’t negate the fact that we worship the same God. Again, we go back to the analogy of siblings: we have different views of how we see our Father, yet we have the same Father.
 
Reuben J:
Another difference between Christianity God and Islam’s Allah :-

What does Allah think of unbelievers?
Verily Allah guides not those whom He makes to go astray … And they will have no helpers. - Surah 16:37
Allah purposes for some people to be led astray in order to fill the hell he created.
If We so willed, We could certainly have brought every soul it true guidance: but the Word from Me will come true, “I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together.”
Allah could not have loved the unbelievers. I’m opened for correction anyway.

Jesus love unbelievers.
He ate with tax collectors and sinners. Luke 15:1-2

He shared his message personally with a samaritan woman who was living with a man who was not her husband. John 4:1-26
Jesus had the attitude that he was sent to help sinners.
…It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Mark2:17

God sent him to the world because God loved the world - those who had not yet believed on him. (see Rom 5:8)

… The Most High is “kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35}
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Doesn’t prove much, except that it bolsters the premise that we have different views on how God is. See, you have to read the Quran to understand why we worship the same God. If they say they worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then we have no argument there. What we argue with them is their view on God, which is different from how we view Him. Nothing in your example shows otherwise.
 
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Milliardo:
Doesn’t prove much, except that it bolsters the premise that we have different views on how God is. See, you have to read the Quran to understand why we worship the same God. If they say they worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then we have no argument there. What we argue with them is their view on God, which is different from how we view Him. Nothing in your example shows otherwise.
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We cannot see God like how we see our father, a human being, which we cannot make any mistake, if I say that man (my father) is my father. What I’m saying, God is invinsible. Thus we rely heavily on the teaching of our respective religions on what kind of a god we worship.

As for a god, humans can choose things or beings or theology and doctrine to be their god. For example, my money can be my god if I love it enough. Looking at your signature, you may find this kind of statement may make sense.

I’m a Catholic. I don’t have problem agreeing to the fact that we and the Muslims thinking that we worship the same God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But yet again there is a great divide in our understanding of God. And some of this divides are irreconsileable. For example the divinity of Jesus. Muslims don’t worship Jesus. We do.

I’m bringing this discussion to a dimension where I think what this thread really wants to go to. From a Christian point of view, if Muslims think that they worship the same God, then aren’t they being cleverly misled? To deny the true God?

And please, just in case (for an assurance), I’m not trying to prove anything. All statements I made are open for discussion and debate.
 
I’ve had it! I was going through RCIA but now I’m out! I’ve never seen a more Scripturally illiterate group of people in my life. Jesus Christ IS God. If you’ve seen Him you’ve seen the Father. God is three in One, not just One. There is no other way to the Father (God) than through Jesus. No other door, ladder or way up, period. And as for this Abraham “as their (muslim’s) father” thing. If I’m not mistaken, that’s exactly what the Jews told Christ and He told them that their father was the DEVIL. (By the way, don’t try to tell me that Jesus was chastizing them in that regard because they were stony hearted and using the Law without mercy and that’s why He told them that their father was of the devil. It was precisely because they rejected Him.) If you don’t recognize Jesus as God you have missed the boat twenty miles from Sunday! You can claim all you want, talk about “god” and “world unity” and “we all have the light of god” all you want, kneel to the God of Abraham all you want and bay at the moon naked all you want. Without Christ…“again” (God) you aren’t going anywhere near heaven. Now, please, someone refute me with the BIBLE, please. You can argue ONLY from Romans 2:12-16 but unfortunately that refers to total, unadulterated ignorance of Christ, NOT rejection. If the Catholic Church claims that a muslim, who rejects Jesus Christ, can go to heaven, then this vast bureaucratic, lumbering machine has slipped on its last heretical banana peel and proven to me that those in the hierarchy do not even have an inkling of light in their hearts about who Christ…“again” (God) is. Out.
 
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Milliardo:
Muslims do worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There is no doubt in that. Many Christians, especially Protestants, have this impression that Muslims worship a different God. But we (Jews, Christians and Muslims) are People of the Book, meaning we all follow the first 5 books of the Torah (for us, it’s called the Pentateuch). Where we differ is how we see God, or what the nature of God is. Does anyone here ever say that our Jewish brethren worship a different God? After all, they do not see Jesus as the Emmanuel, and actually do not even see Jesus as a prophet or such, like Muslims believe. Yet few, if ever, would say Jews worship a different God. I think this misconception that Muslims worship a different God should stop once and for all. Where we must work on, as Catholics, is to have our Muslim brethren understand who Jesus is, in light of what faith and history shows us who He really is.
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I have been reading through these post and this is the only post I have found worth commenting on.

Peace

Milliardo, I find that you have a kind heart I too believe that Christains, Jews and Muslims worship the same God.

There is so much hatred on this thread. Jesus taught us that he loves all the nations, not just the chosen ones - in his time it was the Jews. He came here for all of us. The Jews, Muslims and yes the Protestants love the same God that we love. We share the same Father, even if they don’t call him that, or see him with the same eyes that we do. It is not my job or anyone else to sit here and judge what is in their heart.

I found so much hostility with some of these post, I tend to wonder if it is hostility or jealousy? Are we jealous that God may still call up your brothers even if they cannot see him the way you do? I really hope not.

Our job here on earth is near an end. Do we want to find that end with such hatred in our heart toward our own brother. I know I don’t.
 
And this is exactly the same sentiment that is going to lead to a one world, gobbeldy-gook religion. I’m sorry, but you can be as sweet as you want, and as sincere as you want, but in saying that we all worship the same God is against Scripture. Feelings and weepy-eyed sentiment doth not truth make.
 
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chipusa:
And this is exactly the same sentiment that is going to lead to a one world, gobbeldy-gook religion. I’m sorry, but you can be as sweet as you want, and as sincere as you want, but in saying that we all worship the same God is against Scripture. Feelings and weepy-eyed sentiment doth not truth make.
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All I am saying is lets let God do his job so that we can do ours!

Simple!
 
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chipusa:
And this is exactly the same sentiment that is going to lead to a one world, gobbeldy-gook religion.** I’m sorry, but you can be as sweet as you want, and as sincere as you want, but in saying that we all worship the same God is against Scripture**. Feelings and weepy-eyed sentiment doth not truth make.
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But did not the Pope say that Jews and Muslims worshipped the same God as Catholics?
 
I totally understand your heart. But isn’t it our job to make Jesus present for those who don’t know Him? Not to accept their idea of God out of hand? I mean, didn’t St. Paul say that the Jews were our enemy? Of course, he said it was for Christ’s sake so that they would be jealous of us and turn to Him. But it is the position of Scripture, not our own reasoning, that we are to proclaim Jesus as the only way. It should burden us that so many do not know Him. You seem so caring and reasonable. I respect that.
 
Yes Karin, he did. But it was not from the chair of Peter and Vatican 2 is not doctrinally binding. Even the Pope can be wrong.
 
Is it right if the Pope differs from Scripture? Read Church history, many Popes have been mistaken. Does that mean that they are invalid? Of course not. No more than some presidents were invalid by wrong statements. The office remains valid. My advice is to study Church history, the Council of Trent and binding documents. Christ runs this Church but things are getting screwy like Mary said at Fatima.
 
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chipusa:
Yes Karin, he did. But it was not from the chair of Peter and Vatican 2 is not doctrinally binding. Even the Pope can be wrong.
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Ok…as a non-catholic I thought all he said was Law (so to speak).
But could he not of had a point in what he said (meaning is there no truth in it)?
And here is another stupid question…what do you mean with Vatican 2 is not doctrinally binding?
 
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chipusa:
Is it right if the Pope differs from Scripture? Read Church history, many Popes have been mistaken. Does that mean that they are invalid? Of course not. No more than some presidents were invalid by wrong statements. The office remains valid. My advice is to study Church history, the Council of Trent and binding documents. Christ runs this Church but things are getting screwy like Mary said at Fatima.
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Does it say somewhere in Scripture that Jews and Muslims do not worship the same God (does it come right out and say it)? I did not think that it mentioned them.
 
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