Posted on 12/17/2015 6:45:49 PM PST by delacoert
Wheaton College is stirring up an old debate this week that's worth revisiting. Professor Larycia Hawkins, in an effort to show solidarity with Muslims, decided to wear a hijab during advent. While wearing a hijab may have been tolerated by the school, what she said about the relationship between Islam and Christianity, was not. She wrote:
"I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God."
For the crime of saying, "we worship the same God" Hawkins was suspended from school. Once news of this broke, the Evangelical Machine™ went into over-drive to celebrate the decision. Bloggers quickly weighed in with approval, and it certainly caught the eye of my brother-from-a-TOTALLY-different-mother, Franklin Graham, who said "shame on her!" for wearing a hijab (as if a head covering is some mortal sin), and continued to say she was "absolutely wrong" that we worshipped the same God.
In light of what will be ongoing conversations about Islam in America, the issue of God v. Allah is a critical one to have.
Do we worship the same God? If so, what does that mean?
The best answer to this question is, of course, Miroslav Volf's book, Allah: A Christian Response. It's so important that I'd almost say one should hold off on having a firm opinion on the matter until they're informed- and Volf has produced what really is the best that exists on the topic. However, for those who would never go out and read a book, I'm going to answer this question in the most broken-down, basic way I can.
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? Is God and Allah one-in-the-same? In the most primitive way, yes. Let me explain:
In ancient times there was a man named Abraham who is revered in three of the world's great religions. Abraham, of course, is considered the father of the Jewish people as well as Arabs and then Muslims. Essentially, Abraham somewhat founded a religion that went into three different streams: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Here's the important part: all three of these religions are Abrahamic religions, trying to worship Abraham's God.
And this is where we can say all three religions do in fact worship the same God, as all three religions are pointing to, offering worship, and attempting to describe, the same object.
On the surface, it appears different because we say God, and Muslim's say Allah, but that's simply because that's the word for God in Arabic. In fact, Christians in that part of the world also call God Allah. Allah is just a word- if Islam were born in a different culture, they'd use a different word. In this regard, saying that God and Allah are different because we're using different words would almost be like saying, "Who is this weird god Mexicans worship and call Dios?" It's an issue of language, that's all.
Here's where we're at: all three religions are offering worship the same object, and that is Abraham's God- though they might use different terminology (and described traits, which we'll get to).
Now, when we affirm that Muslims and Christians worship the same God the Evangelical Machine™ goes bonkers, and that's because they assume we're affirming way more than what we affirm when we say, "yes, it's the same God."
Same God yes, but that doesn't mean all three religions are equally true, or that we're describing this God in the same way.
Affirming the basic fact that Christianity, Judaism and Islam are three religions attempting to worship and describe the same God (Abraham's God, whatever one calls him), doesn't mean we're saying all three religions are the same, equally valid, correct, or anything else. We're simply pointing to the fact that we're attempting to describe the same entity.
Some will argue that God and Allah are not the same (Abraham's God) because Christians and Muslims describe the character of Abraham's God differently, even conflictingly. However, describing an object differently doesn't mean that two people are describing two totally different objects. For example, let's say Jane and Henry both work for a guy named Jeff. Jane says that Jeff is a decent boss who treats people fairly. Henry on the other hand, describes Jeff as being lazy and unavailable. The two people may be describing Jeff differently, and one or both of them might be wrong in their understanding of Jeff, but they're still attempting to describe the same object.
Describing an object differently doesn't make it a different object.
However, if having different understandings and opinions on the attributes of the object to which we offer worship were a legitimate argument to say that they are entirely different, one would have to say the same thing about Judaism, and even among Christian denominations/traditions.
For example, Evangelicals are quick to paint Judaism as our close brother, and will say that not only do we worship the same God, but that they are God's favorite people. However, Jews do not believe about God what we believe about God. If this difference in understanding God's attributes or activity through history makes the God of Islam a different God than the one we are worshipping, we would have to say the same thing about Jews. Not only that, we'd have to say it about other Christians, too– making the case that each denomination has it's own God.
And this is the basic logic that's wrong: "You describe the object differently than I do, therefore it is a different object." Unfortunately, that logic would get us into all sorts of problems.
For example, plenty of Christian traditions describe a God I have a hard time recognizing. I even find some of the ways they describe his attributes to be offensive. However, as Christians we do in fact worship the same God- we just disagree on what God is like. It's not the object we disagree on, but the attributes.
We could play this out with every Christian sect- 40,000+ of them. Again, if we apply the same principle Evangelicalism applies to Islam (they describe God differently than how we describe God, thus it is a different God) that same logic would cause us to declare that every Christian different than ourselves is worshiping a different God.
However, we don't do that. While we disagree and sometimes even fight about these differences, we still have the charity and decency to largely affirm that all Christians are attempting to offer worship to the same object: the God of Abraham. That obviously doesn't mean we think all Christian traditions are equally right or valid- we simply affirm that we are attempting to worship the same entity: Abraham's God.
We extend this charity to other Christians. We extend this charity to Judaism- which outright rejected God's covenant and the Messiah. Yet, when we find Islam, we depart from our norm of acknowledging the object of our worship is the same but simply disagree on what the nature and characteristics are like.
Why we refuse to have the charity to admit that, like Jews and 40,000 versions of Christianity we disagree with, we're all attempting to worship Abraham's God, is beyond me. There's plenty the Christian and Muslim disagree on, theologically. We disagree on the attributes of God, the nature of sin, soteriology, etc. However, like it or not, both religions are attempting to worship the same entity.
And that is the God of Abraham.
When I myself was struggling with this question, the most helpful words came from Miroslav Volf when he came to speak to my class when I studied Islam at Gordon-Conwell. Volf said, "there's a difference between worshipping the right God, and worshipping the right God rightly."
One can affirm we are worshipping the same God without it being an affirmation that one is worshipping the right God in the right way.
So, yes: Christians and Muslims do in fact worship the same God- but that doesn't mean everything you're assuming we mean when we say it. It's not a confession of Unitarian Universalism. We're not saying both religions are the same and equally true or correct.
All it means is we affirm that Jews, Christians, and Muslims are all trying to worship the same entity: Abraham's God.
“I’ve always suspected W was somewhat of a fraud. When he said he prays to the same god the muslims pray to I became convinced.”
I freaked out the day I saw him say that with his wife standing next to him and they both broke out in laughter
For your own reference, though you’ve no doubt seen it before. Haven’t yet checked out your ping from the other day but I saw it (the ping).
Same God? Really? They are as different as day and night.... Hint: Why is there a crescent moon in the flags of Islamic countries?
Christianity is the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). We don’t need progress. Christianty is fixed and certain.
Blasphemy.
Islam is a FIction built with bits and pieces of the Bible to give the cult a sheen of authenticity.
mohammad was so wacked he didnt even know how many days it too GOD to make the world and in fact his fanciful book ....makes conflicting claims about that as well as hundreds if not thousands of other ISSUES.
Survey says: islam is a fraud...
stylin19a wrote:
“My God sent his only Son to die for me.
Their god wants me to send my only son to die for him.”
well said!
Islam is a mirror image of Christianity - almost as if someone (Satan) wanted to produce a mockery of God.
Unfortunately it seems that a lot of Christians have taken the “same god” bait.
No we don’t worship the same God. That Allah isn’t the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” is one reason, and another is the matter of inspiration. These aren’t “man-made” religions. There are three possibilities. One is that they were both inspired by the Holy Spirit. But that can’t be, because they contradict each other. So one must be inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the other by Satan, and it’s obvious which is which. So, consequently, the god of the religion inspired by Satan isn’t God.
ah ..the moon “god”...who preceded mo’s “alluh” into prominence
“There is no relation between ‘Allah’ and ‘El(oah/ohim)’, since ‘Allah’ is not truly related to what is touted to be the cognate for Hebrew El (which is ‘ilah’).
How about the Muslim claim that the Hebrew word ‘machmad’ in Song of Solomon 5:16 refers to Mahomet?”
The delusional moslems can go pound sand. And you are clearly steering away my point from “God” being a pagan word to how “Allah” is unrelated to “El”. “Allah” is much closer to “El” than “God” ever was. When pagans were assimilated, their “God” got into the vocabulary. It was as close to El as Jupiter was.
Nope, negative, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus said “I am the truth, the life, and the way, no man comes to the Father except through me.” There is no other way.
You answered the best way possible...look at the difference between the countries and cultures based on the “God of the Bible” and the “God of the Koran.”
The differences are so obvious, one society is a society of enlightment, advancement, kindness, patience and mercy and tolerance.
The other society is one of uncontrollable rage, hate, anger and murder. The slightest “perceived” insult is cause for death. Totally no tolerance.
For those who want to look at the actual difference between the 2 separate gods...Jehovah vs Allah...just do some searches of “Allah” on yahoo or google. Allah was one of many gods in polytheistic (many gods) Pre Islamic Arabia before Muhammed came along. Muhammed essentially destroyed all the other gods by forcing those who worshipped them to convert to Allah, the one true God or die.
I don’t think that Muslims believe that they share the same God with the Jews. That whole chosen people thing.
Insanity has taken over...
Perhaps this dolt ought to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis to find out what Christians must believe. Then he should follow with The Screwtape letters to see how Satan and crew try to distort it
A lie ab inito
WRONG on the last one, while is like saying Mormonism was founded by Jesus Christ (Catholicism, which also affirms the god of Islam as its own, has its own critical differences ). Islam can only claim to be worshiping the same God as the Bible, as instead the god of Islam clearly and substantially contradicts the God of the Bible .
And spiritually, what makes one to be a son of Abraham is to have his faith, not DNA. (Rm. 2:28,29)
And this is where we can say all three religions do in fact worship the same God, as all three religions are pointing to, offering worship, and attempting to describe, the same object.
Wrong for the same reason. Likewise is the god of so-called Christian science the God of Scripture? No! The author might as well as say that a stranger who claims to be a fellow heir to his parents estate is really part of the family, even though he has a radically different description of your parents and critical differences in history.
Here's where we're at: all three religions are offering worship the same object, and that is Abraham's God- though they might use different terminology
Wrong for the above reasons. The differences is not terminology but basic doctrine. Islam denies the God of Abraham and the Bible, thus it is not he same. Again, he must think the polygamist evolved God of Mormonism is the same God as that of Scripture.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:13-14)
“Allah” is nowhere near “El”, not even etymologically. Even “Kami-sama” is closer to “Adonai Elohim” in terms of meaning.
And Greek “Theos” is part of the New Testament’s original text, so that was recognized as valid and inspired by the first Church.
I wasn’t even thinking of the Catechism. I was thinking of the self-evident truth that if someone says, “I worship the Supreme Being,” he is worshiping the one, true God. If he is a Jew or a Muslim, his knowledge of God is distorted and incomplete, but he is not worshiping some other god. When a man who believes in God learns about the Trinity, he is not suddenly worshiping some different God.
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