Do Moslems, Christians & Jews Believe in the Same God?

One in a series of excerpts adapted by Robert Locke from Dr. Serge Trifkovic’s new book, The Sword of the Prophet: A Politically-Incorrect Guide to Islam

One of the clichés endlessly repeated by those who would conceal the dangerous potentialities inherent in Islam is that Moslems "believe in the same God" as Christians and Jews. But this is a severe distortion of the truth, for what Moslems fundamentally believe is that they know the true nature of the God that Judaism and Christianity tell lies about. Lies for which Christians and Jews will be punished in hell. The fact that Moslems share Levantine monotheism with us thus makes them more, not less, antagonistic to us on a religious level. Hopes for reconciliation on the grounds of common monotheism, as opposed to a realistic "good fences make good neighbors" civilizational détente, are wishful thinking.

The widespread belief in the non-Muslim world that Islam accords respect to the Old Testament and the Gospels as steps in progression to Mohammad’s revelation is mistaken. Modern Muslim apologists try to stress the supposed underlying similarities and compatibility of the three faiths, but this is not the view of orthodox Islam. Muhammad’s insistence that there is a heavenly proto-Scripture and that previous "books" are merely distorted and tainted copies sent to previous nations or communities means that these scriptures are the "barbarous Koran" as opposed to the true, Arabic one. (Let’s leave aside for a minute the puzzling question of how any degree of "distortion" of the Koran could produce either an Old or a New Testament.) The Tradition also regards the non-canonical Gospel of Barnabas, and not the New Testament, as the one that Jesus taught. The Koran alone is the true word of God and sets aside all previous revelations.

While the influence of orthodox Christianity upon the Koran has been slight, apocryphal and heretical Christian legends are the second most important original source of Islam. In other words, Islam contains an awful lot that Christians have deliberately rejected over the years as religiously unsound. There are also influences of Sabaism, of Zoroastrianism, and of ancient Arabian paganism, including the divine sanction for the practices of polygamy and slavery. The reports in both the Koran and the Hadith (authoritative traditional sayings) concerning paradise, the houris, (virgins) the youths, the jinn (genies) and the angel of death have been directly taken from the ancient books of the Zoroastrians. Zoroastrianism also originated the story that on the Day of Judgment all people will have to cross a bridge stretched across hell leading to paradise on which the unbelievers will stumble and fall down to hell.

The biblical stories been passed on to Muhammad presumably from Jewish and Christian sources, but it is probable that he never read the Old or the New Testament. Those narratives had deeply impressed him, but being incomplete and imprecise, they gave his imagination free rein. Of the books of the Old Testament he knew only of the Torah or Pentateuch and the Book of Psalms, while the Scriptures he treats collectively as "the Gospels." Muhammad took these narratives as they were given to him, and their use in the Koran amounts to random, approximate and often badly misunderstood reproduction of the Talmudic traditions and the Apocrypha. Moreover, they are of course devoid of their original contexts and of the spiritual message of the original.

Many Old Testament stories are changed beyond recognition, and can be treated as a "source" only in the most general sense. Abraham did not offer Isaac, but Ishmael, as a sacrifice. "Haman" was pharaoh’s chief minister, even though the Haman known to Jews lived in Babylon one thousand years later. Moses was picked from the river not by his sister but by his mother. A Samaritan was the one who molded the golden calf for the children of Israel and misguided them, even though Samarians arrived only after the Babylonian exile. The accounts of Moses’ life are sketchy and say nothing of his character, descent, the time he was sent as a prophet, the purpose of his mission, and where, how and why he appointed Aaron as his deputy. It does not relate the argument between them and the people of Israel, which is crucial to the story. The story of Noah reflected Muhammad’s dilemmas and difficulties rather than Noah’s mission, and even the names of the idols that Noah warns against are Arabic.

The Koran makes reference to Jesus, Mary and events related to them, but with a critical distinction. It explicitly denies that Jesus was crucified: Allah made the Jews so confused that they crucified somebody else instead who had the likeness of Christ: "They slew him not nor crucified but it appeared so unto them." Muslims claim that an impostor by the name of Shabih was crucified, and he resembled Jesus in his face only. It seems illogical to those who count "proud" as one of the "99 most beautiful names of Allah" that Jesus, who was capable of raising the dead and of healing the blind and the leper, willingly submitted to the cross and failed to destroy the Jews who intended to hurt him. Islam rejects the whole concept of the crucifixion, claiming that it is against reason to assume that Allah would not forgive man’s sins without the cross: to say so is to limit his power: "He forgives whom he will, and he chastises whom he will."

The denial of the Trinity is also explicit: Allah begets not, i.e. he is no Father; and was not begotten, that is, he is no Son; and no one is like him, which means he is no Holy Spirit. "They are infidels who say, Allah is the third of three." But "Isa" is not the Son of Allah, only a special prophet, and the Christians’ contrary claim shows how they are perverted. The Christians are guilty of blasphemy because of their belief in the "trinity" of Allah, Mary, and Jesus. The "real" Jesus was a righteous prophet and a good Muslim who paved the way for the final prophet, Muhammad himself.

There is a wishful myth in circulation among liberals that Islam accords respect to all "people of the book," i.e. Christians and Jews in addition to Moslems. While Islam indeed accords them a higher standing than it does to polytheists like Hindus (pace the question of whether Hinduism properly understood is truly polytheistic) or African animists, this hardly amounts to respect. Of all the "people of the book" only Muslims can attain salvation. Jews’ and Christians’ refusal to acknowledge Mohammed as the messenger of God dooms them to unbelief and eternal suffering after death. Christians are mortal sinners because of their belief in the divinity of Christ, and their condemnation is irrevocable: "God will forbid him the garden and the fire will be his abode."

Unlike the Christian faith in God revealing Himself through Christ, the Koran is not a revelation of Allah – a heretical concept in Islam – but the direct revelation of his commandments and the communication of his law. It has been said that the Koran, to a Muslim, is not the perfected Gospel, it Christ, the Word Incarnate. This is a somewhat tenuous metaphor, however, not a valid parallel: Christian God "comes down" and seeks man because of His fatherly love. The Fall cast a shadow, the Incarnation makes reconciliation possible. Allah, by contrast, is cold, haughty, unpredictable, unknowable, capricious, distant, and so purely transcendent that no "relationship" is possible. He reveals only his will, not himself. Allah is "everywhere," and therefore nowhere relevant to us. He is uninterested in making our acquaintance, let alone in being near to us because of love. We are still utterly unable to grasp his purposes and all we can do is what we have to do, to obey his command.

The Koran claims to be the fulfillment of a religious design which was imperfectly revealed to the Jews and to the Christians. It is the crowning synthesis, the final word. But viewing the matter objectively, leaving aside for a moment the question of the actual truth of the book, it seems hard to see how the Koran is a synthesis of anything. The way in which Christianity makes sense – again, simply as a logical matter and leaving aside the truth of it – as a fulfillment of Judaism, is clear even to the unbeliever. But the Koran’s claim is singularly implausible. Non-Muslim commentators fail to see in what way is the Koran an improvement over, or advancement on, the moral teaching, language, style, or coherence of the Old and New Testament. It is looks, feels, sounds like a construct entirely human in origin and intent, clear in its earthly sources of inspiration and the fulfillment of the daily needs, personal and political, of its author.

Finally, one cannot ignore that whatever mildly friendly things the Koran may say about Judaism and Christianity in its early part, the late Surras also signify the final break with the Jews and Christians, who are fiercely denounced. The Muslims must be merciless to the unbelievers but kind to each other. "Whoso of you makes them his friends is one of them." War, not friendship, is mandatory until Islam reigns everywhere. Muslims are ordered to fight the unbelievers, "and let them find harshness in you." They must kill the unbelievers "wherever you find them." The punishment for resistance is execution or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides. By the stage in his life during which these Surras were written, Muhammad was no longer trying to convert his hearers by examples, promises, and warnings; he addresses them as their master and sovereign, praising them or blaming them for their conduct, giving laws and precepts as needed. His raw dogmatism stands, finally, naked of all pretence.

I am not disputing your beliefs but I am equally not going to tell all Christians they worship the same God as the Jews.
Not having a dog in this fight I am relying on countless hours of religous radio broadcasts of Evangelicals Pentecostals Baptists and others as well as conversations ,both voluntary and coerced , with members of many Christian sects.
As for the BOOK all three faiths share portions of it and Christians read it quite differently from each other especially the literalists.
This is fine with me as long as no one attempts to interfere with my beliefs or freedom by force in the practice of their Faith

You are totally WRONG about God in the First Covenant (Old Testament) being more blood-thirsty than Allah. You have failed to note the very limited groups identified for extermination and the very specific reasons God gave for such a drastic action and the very limited extent of the geography of the jewish conquest. Get a Bible and read it and quite spouting ignorant hearsay.

Allah is childless. Many times the Koran states this.

In the OT, the Jewish God YHWH, says "you are my firstborn. Today I have begotten you."

Since religious texts are full of metaphor, you can easily reconcile these two passages -- YHWH/Allah is childless is some sense, but has children in another.

You can spin differences between all three religions, and within their various sects, or you can spin common ground. It all depends on how you wish to spin it, for whatever political purpose.

The Koran is a false, satanic book.

The Book of Mormon is IMHO and that of Christians generally, not canonical and thus might be mistaken, but there is a big difference between a book that is written by the Devil,

--- and one that while written by a saint or saints, might err on doctrine or faith or practice and thus cannot be declared Holy Scripture! After all, my own writings right here on FR including this one, are of this latter category, if you think about it.

Leviticus 24:16 (KJV) "He who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him; the sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

Not terribly different from the present Muslim perspective. Primary difference would be in the definition of blasphemy.

The bible says there is no sin in heaven. The God of the bible would not act as a pimp passing out 72 virgins for each man, and the God of the bible would not be sending murderers to Paradise. No the God of the Koran is NOT the
God of the bible, and they do not even agree on what sin is.

So if islam is a cult, outlaw it and ban it in America! Then deport it and jail it. There really is going to be no other way!

Can't do it. Matter of principle. If I can ban a religion, that means someone can ban mine. Not a good thing.

It's also against the law.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. --Amendment 1, US Constitution

Have you actually read the Old Testament? The God in its pages is a good deal more bloodthirsty than that of the Koran.

Megadittos.

Christianity is rooted in the Old Testament -- and it shows. The Crusades are a mirror image of the Hebrews' bloody conquest of Canaan -- because "God told them to." And the Salem witch-burnings? "Though shalt not suffer a witch to live" is from the Book of Exodus.

I wish all religions grew up and admitted that they ALL have innocent blood on their hands, and vile passages in their "holy books." Instead of pointing fingers, how about all religions admitting that they bear some blame for past bloodshed, and acknowledging that all have some good things to offer.

war on Islam ? okay
alliance with any and all other faiths including dissenting Islamicists? all the better
forcing policy history and alliances to bring on your favorite scenario of the Eschaton?
F*** THAT !!!
I take that last position much more seriously than my political ideology

Islam is not a religion, but a cult. But Jesus gave his life so that Muslims can be saved as well. But Satan tries to kill Muslims who want to leave Islam and follow Jesus. Pray that one day, Muslims can choose freely their beliefs. May God set them free from this evil bondage.

I've read the Bible.

A number of times.

I am merely pointing out the hypocrisy (or, more likely, ignorance) of those who use certain (Koranic) texts to proclaim the inherently violent nature of Islam, while generally ignoring the arguably more violent nature of certain (Biblical) texts.

My problem is not that the Koran says that it is righteous to exterminate the enemies of God. The OT says pretty much the same thing.

My problem is that (some) Muslims are attempting to implement these texts today. I know of no Jewish or Christian groups attempting to do the same. If Muslims took the literal meaning of their sacred texts with the same grain of salt that Jews and Christians do, we would not have a problem.

IOW, the problem is not the wording of the text, it's the interpretation and application.

You will find out how absurd your assertion is if you wander through a Muslim neighborhood blaspheming Allah, then wander through a Christian neighborhood blaspheming Jesus or a Jewish area blaspheming ha-Shem.

Actually, if you did A first you wouldn't surVIVE to do B.

You yourself are just blowing smoke, you know these religions are not equal and that Islam is uniquely bloodthirsty, nothing else on earth that passes for a religion anywhere is so violent and vicious.

Given there is only one God, yes, but too many people try to make God fit into their agendas.

I agree. Presumably, all those worshipping God hold Him to be omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, eternal, and infinite. By definition there can be only one with those characteristics. The only way to differentiate one's God would be to define Him as limited in some way.

Radix, I agree with you that many messages in the Bible are mystical, but I am more in agreement with Restorer, when he points out the large amount of bloodshed in the Bible.

If a quote like "kill everything that breaths" - including babies at the breast - was in the Koran, there would be such outrage - we would never hear the end of it. But Christians feel comfortable with that because it is the Bible. Likewise, the stories about incest etc.

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