[aimhigh]

Why do many Arab Christians refer to God as “Allah”?

Red herring argument. Arab Christians don't use the phrase, "There is no God but Allah." That is an Islamic phrase, not Christian.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Red herring argument. Arab Christians don’t use the phrase, “There is no God but Allah.” That is an Islamic phrase, not Christian.

Agreed. But an oily snake oil salesman like Obama will argue that like Muslims, he agrees with the SENTIMENT of the phrase but believes in the Christian God ( as TRADITIONALLY used by Arabic Christians ).

It’s going to be hard to convince true believes in Obama otherwise.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Arabic-speaking Jews do. It's the shema. I have no particular reason to respect Islam, but to be fair, the profession of the oneness of G-d translates to "There is no G-d but G-d." The Jewish profession of faith "Shema Yisroel. Adonai Elohenu, Adonai ehad." "Hear O Israel. The Lord our God, the Lord is one." In Arabic, you get the equivalent of "There is no Allah but Allah."

Do not misunderstands me. This is just linguistic equivalence. That is not to say that the character of God, the laws of God, the nature of God is just the same in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Not at all.

I think the Islamic idea of God is seriously distorted. In his Regensburg Lecture in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI used the Greek word "Logos" for God, which is, of course, found at the beginning of the Gospel of John, and translates "Word," connoting reason as well (the root word of "Logic".)

Benedict asked, in all sincerity, whether "reason" was a common basis for dialogue (that root-word "logos" again) between religions, and sectors of the Muslim world responded with rioting across 3 continents, leaving 19 dead.

Which was an answer, of sorts.