Is God the same as Allah?

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Thorns said:
The God of the Old Testament was wrathful and commanded killings. The God that we are taught about today is merciful and commands to love our enemies. Sounds like a different God to me.
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Because you state you are a Catholic, you should know that apostolic Christianity teaches that God is the same in both the New and Old Testaments.

Why God seems more “wrathful” in the OT is a good question, one that cannot be answered with a pithy internet article. So, I’d recommend this book which explores the Old Testament writings in their original context. It is written by a Protestant, but he’s very scholarly and his theology, upon a cursory glance, does appear to be orthodox.

…

Now, onto the original subject. I am seeing two extremes:
  1. “Allah” is another God that Muslims worship.
  2. “Allah” is just another name for God and we’re all on the same page here.
What I suggest is that:

a) There is only one God so it is silly to suggest that Muslims/Jews/Sikhs worship “another one,” unless you mean that they worship a fabrication in their head which is certainly not another God.

b) Islam has serious theological differences with traditional Christianity, the most critical difference being, of course, the Trinity and Christ as God’s only-begotten Son.

Therefore, it would be accurate to say that Christians and Muslims disagree very much about who God is, to the point where you could say that they are effectively directing their respective worship to completely different targets. However, to suggest that there is some other God out there that the other side worships takes the comparison too far, in my view.
 
I voted yes, but really, I am not sure. I would say no based on my eyes, but some things I have read about Islam suggest it MIGHT be so. So really there should have been a third choice like IDK or maybe.
 
Yes and no really is the best answer. Yes, Muslims worship the One True God as they best understand Him. But no, their idea of God is not actually what God is, so they’re also worshiping an idea, not God. Of course, I’m ignoring the Arab Christian use of “Allah,” as that’s just a translation of “God” and does not carry the same connotation as the Muslim use of “Allah.”
 
acarlson said:
Yes and no really is the best answer. Yes, Muslims worship the One True God as they best understand Him. But no, their idea of God is not actually what God is, so they’re also worshiping an idea, not God. Of course, I’m ignoring the Arab Christian use of “Allah,” as that’s just a translation of “God” and does not carry the same connotation as the Muslim use of “Allah.”
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Thank you! That’s what we do too.
 
You say their God is different than our God. We say that too. Their Allah is different than our Allah. Cuz their worship to him is completely different than ours. But to hate or think badly about the word Allah just because Muslims use it (who know nothing about his true nature), that’s just stereotyping. And isn’t God’s name Holy in all languages! They are the ones desecrating his name by saying what they think they know of him which is completely false understanding.

As for the remark about how Catholics shouldn’t use the word Allah, should we erase the Arabic Bible then? What do you think the apostles called God when the early Church began, and they preached to their Arab disciples? Allah!

You can pray to God in whichever name your language says it. Don’t desecrate his name in other languages just because you are not used to it.
 
Mdxxx said:
Yes. There is only one God. Their understanding is still wrong, though.
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'zactly.

A parallel: Mormons, JWs worship the same God as we do. Their theology is still wrong, though. Esp. when it comes to their Christology.
 
The “god” of Islam is not the one true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 
Only if the term is being used by an Arabic Christian and not a Muslim.
 
Did you know the Koran was dictated to Muhammad by Gabriel…it says in the Bible Galatians 1:8 But if we or an angel from Heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the on we preached to you let them be accursed.
In the Koran- believers are slaves
In the bible- believets are Gods children
 
foofydo said:
Did you know the Koran was dictated to Muhammad by Gabriel…it says in the Bible Galatians 1:8 But if we or an angel from Heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the on we preached to you let them be accursed.
In the Koran- believers are slaves
In the bible- believets are Gods children
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There is no doubt that Islam proclaims some thing which are not true.

But that doesn’t make everything it proclaims to be false.
 
PRmerger-Then if Islam proclaims some things that are not true…and they worship the same god…then god would be a liar?
 
foofydo said:
PRmerger-Then if Islam proclaims some things that are not true…and they worship the same god…then god would be a liar?
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No, of course God is not a liar. As if.

But just as some Christian denominations proclaim some things that are not true (for example, that God hates homosexuals, per the Westboro Baptist Church), that does not mean that Christ is a liar.

The WBC is simply wrong about Jesus on that particular issue.
Just like the Muslims are wrong about God on that particular issue (believers being slaves).
 
I would have to say I don’t know. In knowing, that I don’t know, I may know more than
many who profess to know, but don’t know half of what they think they know. Know
what I mean?
 
PRmerger-I wasn’t trying to be snarky…I guess I’m trying to understand the whole thing.
At one time I did think we all worshipped the same untill I did some research…and I find so many contridictions.
 
foofydo said:
PRmerger-I wasn’t trying to be snarky…I guess I’m trying to understand the whole thing.
At one time I did think we all worshipped the same untill I did some research…and I find so many contridictions.
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There is only one God, foofydo. And to the degree that what Muslims profess is consonant with Truth, is the degree to which they are worshipping the same God.

Just like there is only one Christ. And to the degree that what Christians profess is consonant with Catholicism, is the degree to which they are worshipping the same Christ.
 
I’ve been to Eastern Catholic liturgical services where God is referred to as Allah. So yes, God is the same as Allah.

The Quran was derived from Christian and Jewish religious texts, so yes, the Allah of the Quran is the same God that Christians and Jews worship.
 
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