Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Is it really the same God?

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In a religious history class I took in college the professor repeatedly said that despite huge interpretations of God’s nature the three do believe in the same God and even pointed references in the Quran depicting Jesus and Moses as huge prophets in Islam. It’s safe to say the God of Christianity is different in substance with the trinity etc but is it really the same God of Abraham? I believe they are called the Abrahamic religions. Also the professor said many traditions of the ancient Persian religion which still does exist, barely, Zoroastrianism influenced second temple Judaism and later early Christianity from the diaspora in Babylon. Cyrus was most likely and Darius was most certainly Zoroastrian. Are these teachings true or should I take what the professor said with a grain of salt?
 
In a religious history class I took in college the professor repeatedly said that despite huge interpretations of God’s nature the three do believe in the same God and even pointed references in the Quran depicting Jesus and Moses as huge prophets in Islam. It’s safe to say the God of Christianity is different in substance with the trinity etc but is it really the same God of Abraham? I believe they are called the Abrahamic religions. Also the professor said many traditions of the ancient Persian religion which still does exist, barely, Zoroastrianism influenced second temple Judaism and later early Christianity from the diaspora in Babylon. Cyrus was most likely and Darius was most certainly Zoroastrian. Are these teachings true or should I take what the professor said with a grain of salt?
 
I do not believe that Muslims worship the same god. God Himself revealed a single, personal name with so much power: the Tetragrammaton. Jews, Christians and Samaritans recognize this. We worship Him.

Yes, Allah means (the) God in Arabic, and Arabic-speaking Christians, Jews, and Samaritans surely worship Him. Islam, however, believes Allah to be his personal name.

Catholics may object “but the CCC says…” and “Islam worships…” but that holds nothing. I can say that I know God Himself, attempting a friendship with His Son (John 15:14-15) through His commands. I know of the Holy Spirit, with trust that that He dwells within me. That is enough for me. I know Jesus worshipped the true God, as He is Jewish.

If a person, a scholar, even, can reasonably consider this god to have been Hubal/Sin, the ancient Semitic moon deity elevated to being the creator deity, then I don’t want to worship it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah_as_Moon-god

This is an excellent Christian (Protestant, I think) source comparing Allah and our God: answering-islam.org/Shamoun/god.htm

Note: I hold these as personal theological opinions, and I’d rather not have you violate your own beliefs held within the CCC (heresy, if done wilfully). I’m not trying to change this view for a Catholic.
 
jas84173 said:
In a religious history class I took in college the professor repeatedly said that despite huge interpretations of God’s nature the three do believe in the same God and even pointed references in the Quran depicting Jesus and Moses as huge prophets in Islam. It’s safe to say the God of Christianity is different in substance with the trinity etc but is it really the same God of Abraham? I believe they are called the Abrahamic religions. Also the professor said many traditions of the ancient Persian religion which still does exist, barely, Zoroastrianism influenced second temple Judaism and later early Christianity from the diaspora in Babylon. Cyrus was most likely and Darius was most certainly Zoroastrian. Are these teachings true or should I take what the professor said with a grain of salt?
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Always seemed like the same God to me. Albeit the religions you mention all have different interpretations of the nature of God. Christianity obviously believes in and teaches what we believe as the full Trinitarian nature of God. So in the Christian view Judaism and Islam have incomplete views on God. But it’s still the same God of Abraham that they and Christians worship.
 
jas84173 said:
In a religious history class I took in college the professor repeatedly said that despite huge interpretations of God’s nature the three do believe in the same God and even pointed references in the Quran depicting Jesus and Moses as huge prophets in Islam. It’s safe to say the God of Christianity is different in substance with the trinity etc but is it really the same God of Abraham? I believe they are called the Abrahamic religions. Also, the professor said many traditions of the ancient Persian religion which still does exist, barely, Zoroastrianism influenced second temple Judaism and later early Christianity from the diaspora in Babylon. Cyrus was most likely and Darius was most certainly Zoroastrian. Are these teachings true or should I take what the professor said with a grain of salt?
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Islam acknowledges the One God, as does Judaism. They just have bad understandings of Him.
 
Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Is it really the same God?
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There is only one Creator, but we humans have different approaches and understandings as to how best to worship and even think about Him. Cultural differences, theological arguments between the faiths, even language differences – all do not change that there is still one Creator. We are finite humans with very little knowledge.

We are worshiping the same Deity because there is only one Deity to worship. There is no other. Angels, stars, even human leaders can be worshiped in error or as forms of idolatry, but none of them are the Creator.
 
Padres1969 said:
Always seemed like the same God to me. Albeit the religions you mention all have different interpretations of the nature of God. Christianity obviously believes in and teaches what we believe as the full Trinitarian nature of God. So in the Christian view Judaism and Islam have incomplete views on God. But it’s still the same God of Abraham that they and Christians worship.
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The bifurcation in Islam came rather early when they claimed Abraham was about to sacrifice Ishmael. They also were supposed to have constructed the Kaaba together.
 
I believe jews and muslims worship the same God (that’s not to say that God accepts worship from both parties, though). The Qur’an accuses the jews of many things; refusing to enter the promised land, worshiping the golden calf and killing some of their own prophets. It’ doesn’t say that jews presently worship a false God (note the big G).

As for christians, they are quite different. They believe that God is a Trinity, but muslims and jews believe that He is a single Divine Person. The Qur’an is very explicit in saying that Jesus [peace be upon him] was just a man and that those who say otherwise are transgressing. As it says in surah 5:17 “They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary…”. So no, I don’t believe that christians worship the same God as us muslims.
 
From a Christian perspective, we worship the same God as the Jews. Christians are using pretty much of their Holy Scripture. This is not to say that they agree fully on its meaning.

As for Islam, it is another matter altogether. The official Catholic teaching says that Muslims worship the same God and Catholics are bound to toe this line. However, generally it is seen as a stance taken recently by the Vatican based solely on Islam’s claim that it worships the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac, which the Christians do as well. Since it is not on faith and moral, it is by no means an infallible teaching.
 
meltzerboy said:
Not that bad. Yes, I agree that the three Abrahamic religions worship the same G-d.
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This is a Christian Catholic speaking. I’m pretty sure your Hebrew brethren would say the same about our understanding.
 
jas84173 said:
In a religious history class I took in college the professor repeatedly said that despite huge interpretations of God’s nature the three do believe in the same God and even pointed references in the Quran depicting Jesus and Moses as huge prophets in Islam. It’s safe to say the God of Christianity is different in substance with the trinity etc but is it really the same God of Abraham? I believe they are called the Abrahamic religions. Also the professor said many traditions of the ancient Persian religion which still does exist, barely, Zoroastrianism influenced second temple Judaism and later early Christianity from the diaspora in Babylon. Cyrus was most likely and Darius was most certainly Zoroastrian. Are these teachings true or should I take what the professor said with a grain of salt?
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I believe your Professor was correct! You might as an additional assignment offer to write a paper comparing the sacred texts of the great religions … and analyse them… I would wager you’ll receive high marks!👍
 
drac16 said:
I believe jews and muslims worship the same God (that’s not to say that God accepts worship from both parties, though). The Qur’an accuses the jews of many things; refusing to enter the promised land, worshiping the golden calf and killing some of their own prophets. It’ doesn’t say that jews presently worship a false God (note the big G).

As for christians, they are quite different. They believe that God is a Trinity, but muslims and jews believe that He is a single Divine Person. The Qur’an is very explicit in saying that Jesus [peace be upon him] was just a man and that those who say otherwise are transgressing. As it says in surah 5:17 “They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary…”. So no, I don’t believe that christians worship the same God as us muslims.
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Christians don’t believe God is a Trinity (without the mystery and the Love of God attached to it). God is One. Trinity is not three Gods. The Trinity is One Divine Being.

Theophilus of Antioch
“It is the attribute of God, of the most high and almighty and of the living God, not only to be everywhere, but also to see and hear all; for he can in no way be contained in a place. . . . The three days before the luminaries were created are types of the Trinity: God, his Word, and his Wisdom” (To Autolycus 2:15 [A.D. 181]).

MJ
 
I was actually having this discussion with my Muslim friend on why I believe Muslims and Christians worship the same God and it boils down to this there’s no other God to worship. Now do I think that Muslims have the correct understanding of God? No I don’t I think lack of belief in the Trinity is a major sticking issue. But first Christians Muslims believe that we worship the same God but we also have the wrong understanding. I see it like this one of us is right and I’m willing to bet it’s my side. Now the one thing that gets frustrating in these debates besides people ignoring the catechism on the issue is people who don’t seem to know that Arab Christians use the word Allah because in Arabic Allah means God, actually if I recall correctly it means THE God as in the God to the exclusion of all others. But if you’re going to say that lack of belief in the Trinity is a reason to believe that Muslims do not worship the same God, then you must also confess the Jews do not worship the same God which to the best of my knowledge most modern Christians would not say. The Islamic understanding of God is much closer to Judaism than it is to Christianity. I’ve also had this discussion with my Muslim friend it helps to actually talk to Muslims about it. This is why we’re all called abrahamic religions. Because we all profess to worship the God of Abraham. You know the thing is affirming that Christians and Muslims worship the same God isn’t affirming that Muslims are right where we disagree, I don’t believe Muhammad was a prophet but Muslims do that doesn’t mean I can’t say that we don’t worship the same God because I believe we do. I don’t believe the Quran was revealed to Muhammad by God Muslims do. It’s a question that’s already been answered and that Catholic theologians had answered a long time ago I’m not sure why we keep having this discussion over and over the only thing I can think of is American protestantism and British protestantism which tends to put a lot of focus on Israel, and I’m not putting my opinion on that either way but I know how important is you’re always in certain types of dispensationalism, and I think that’s why this question keeps being asked or rather an answer keeps being asserted without being researched first.
 
drac16 said:
I believe jews and muslims worship the same God (that’s not to say that God accepts worship from both parties, though). The Qur’an accuses the jews of many things; refusing to enter the promised land, worshiping the golden calf and killing some of their own prophets. It’ doesn’t say that jews presently worship a false God (note the big G).

As for christians, they are quite different. They believe that God is a Trinity, but muslims and jews believe that He is a single Divine Person. The Qur’an is very explicit in saying that Jesus [peace be upon him] was just a man and that those who say otherwise are transgressing. As it says in surah 5:17 “They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary…”. So no, I don’t believe that christians worship the same God as us muslims.
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In John 10:14 Jesus states “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me”

The 3 Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Jesus himself spoke in John 10:16 of a “one flock” and that there are other sheep that don’t belong to the “fold” but Jesus “must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd”

Are the other sheep Judaism and Islam?.. with Jesus/“The Good Shepherd” being the Church/Christianity

John10:14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me”
John 10:16 “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd”

Also…
John 11:52
and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God
 
It’s still debated whether Christians & Muslims believe in the same God. I’ve learned to take everything religious that I learn in school with a grain of salt since, in my experience, they are often wrong. I am starting to lean towards the belief that we don’t believe in the same God that they believe in. My devout Muslim friend said that she believes in the same God we do.
 
JimmyDFG said:
In John 10:14 Jesus states “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me”

The 3 Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Jesus himself spoke in John 10:16 of a “one flock” and that there are other sheep that don’t belong to the “fold” but Jesus “must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd”

Are the other sheep Judaism and Islam?.. with Jesus/“The Good Shepherd” being the Church/Christianity

John10:14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me”
John 10:16 “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd”

Also…
John 11:52
and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God
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If Islam allowed itself to trace Jesus’ ministry from those who experienced it, then yes, Muslims (who already respect Jesus in a big way) would be a fold that Jesus is talking about. You could say Muslims hear his voice as the Quran asks to refer to the Christian scriptures?

Jews, Im not very sure, because Jesus is nothing to them (according to one Jewish CAF member)

MJ
 
jas84173 said:
In a religious history class I took in college the professor repeatedly said that despite huge interpretations of God’s nature the three do believe in the same God and even pointed references in the Quran depicting Jesus and Moses as huge prophets in Islam. It’s safe to say the God of Christianity is different in substance with the trinity etc but is it really the same God of Abraham? I believe they are called the Abrahamic religions. Also the professor said many traditions of the ancient Persian religion which still does exist, barely, Zoroastrianism influenced second temple Judaism and later early Christianity from the diaspora in Babylon. Cyrus was most likely and Darius was most certainly Zoroastrian. Are these teachings true or should I take what the professor said with a grain of salt?
Click to expand...
Hi!
…there are similarities in faith-base:
  • all three major religions believe in One God (monotheism); though Jews would quickly point out that Catholics (Christians) believe in three gods
  • all three recognize Abraham as a Patriarch
  • all three recognize “prophets” as emissaries of God
Yet, I think that’s where the similarities end–for the Jews, the only is God, YHWH, Whose Messiah’s Coming is still pending; for the Catholics, Yahweh God is the only God, Who has Revealed Himself as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit–Jesus is not only the Prophet, but God’s Son, the Word, Who was at the Beginning with God (the Father and the Holy Spirit), and is God; for the Muslims, their God is different from that of the Jews and that of the Christians (all of whom are “infidels” aka not believers of Islam) and his prophet is not Jesus–also, though they recognize Abraham, they do not claim their ancestry from Isaac (the son of the Promise) but from Ishmael.

…as for your professor, he may mean well… but I’ve noticed that “scholars” lump things together in order to point out flaws (as in, mythical) and his lead may only be to equate Yahweh God as just another god of the region.

Maran atha!

Angel
 
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