Do Muslims, Jews and Christians worship the same God?
As this theory is becoming more and more popular, even in the evangelical camp, and particularly politically as the nations gear up for an antichrist one world religion, I include this very helpful article on whether Muslims, Jews and Christians do worship the same God.
Muslims, Jews and Christians worship the same God
We cite three English translations of the Quran:
YUSUFALI: Take not with Allah another object of worship; or thou (O man!) wilt sit in disgrace and destitution.
PICKTHAL: Set not up with Allah any other god (O man) lest thou sit down reproved, forsaken.
SHAKIR: Do not associate with Allah any other god, lest you sit down despised, neglected.
- Source: Quran, Sura (chapter) 17:22Yet the Quaran also states that Muslims, Jews and Christians worship the same God:
YUSUFALI: And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, “We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).”
PICKTHAL: And argue not with the People of the Scripture unless it be in (a way) that is better, save with such of them as do wrong; and say: We believe in that which hath been revealed unto us and revealed unto you; our Allah and your Allah is One, and unto Him we surrender.
SHAKIR: And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our Allah and your Allah is One, and to Him do we submit.
- Source: Quran, Sura (chapter) 29:46However, Islamic tradition teaches that only Muslims will be admitted to Paradise. Though they are considered “People of the Book” - a reference to Jewish and Christian scriptures - Jews and Christians are excluded.
Muslims claim - without providing irrefutable proof - that Christians and Jews have corrupted the Scriptures, and teach that everyone must instead accept the teachings of the Quran.
When compared with the Jewish and Christian scriptures, the teachings of Quran show that Allah is not the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians.
God — The Koran asserts that the god of Islam is the God of Christians and Jews (Sura 29:46). Nothing could be farther from the truth.7
The god of Islam, Allah, is most definitely not the God of the Bible. Allah is presented in the Koran as an autocratic ruler who is aloof and arbitrary (Sura 5:40). Allah is unknowable whereas the God of the Bible is knowable (2 Timothy 1:12). Allah is impersonal, unlike the personal God the Scriptures reveal (1 Peter 5:6-7). Allah is unitarian [Sura 4:48] whereas the God of the Bible is trinitarian (2 Corinthians 13:14). Here is what the Koran says about the God of the Bible (Sura 4:171): “Believe in Allah and say not ‘Trinity.’ Cease! It is better for you! Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from his transcendent majesty that he should have a son.”
Allah is capricious (Sura 2:284), whereas the true God is trustworthy. And Allah is never anywhere presented as a god of love — which is the essence of the nature of the true God (1 John 4:7-16).
Jesus — The Koran denies point blank that Jesus was the Son of God (Sura 112:2-3). It also denies His atoning sacrifice by claiming that he never died (Sura 4:157). A substitute died for Him on the Cross. Jesus was translated to Heaven, like Enoch, where He will remain until He returns to kill all pigs, destroy all crosses, and convert the world to Islam. Jesus will marry, reign for 40 years and then die and be buried next to Muhammad in Medina.8 Jesus is characterized in the Koran as nothing more than “an apostle of Allah” (Sura 4:171).
- Source: The Truth About Islam Dr. David R. ReaganIn November, 2003, evangelical Christian leaders took George Bush - who identifies himself as a Christian - to task for his assertion that “Muslims worship the same Almighty” that he does:
At a news conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair in England on Thursday, a reporter noted that Bush has often said that freedom is a gift from “the Almighty” but questioned whether Bush believes that “Muslims worship the same Almighty” that he does.
“I do say that freedom is the Almighty’s gift to every person,” the president replied. “I also condition it by saying freedom is not America’s gift to the world. It’s much greater than that, of course. And I believe we worship the same god.”
Bush’s remarks sent immediate shock waves through Christian Web sites and radio broadcasts. A Baptist Press report quoted Richard D. Land, president of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, as saying that Bush “is simply mistaken.”
“We should always remember that he is commander in chief, not theologian in chief,” Land said in a telephone interview yesterday. “The Bible is clear on this: The one and true god is Jehovah, and his only begotten son is Jesus Christ.”
The Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, also issued a statement contradicting Bush.
“The Christian God encourages freedom, love, forgiveness, prosperity and health. The Muslim god appears to value the opposite. The personalities of each god are evident in the cultures, civilizations and dispositions of the peoples that serve them. Muhammad’s central message was submission; Jesus’ central message was love. They seem to be very different personalities,” Haggard said.
- Source: Bush’s Remark About God Assailed Washington Post, Nov. 22, 2003Mutually Exclusive
Neither Christianity nor Islam can logically endorse the other religion’s distinctive claims and practices without denying its own.Much more needs to be discussed concerning Muslim and Christian relations in a religiously pluralistic world. However, we must conclude that despite their common monotheism, Islam and Christianity have very different views of God, worship, and mission. Therefore, it is unreasonable to claim that they worship the same God.
- Source: Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? by Douglas Groothuis, TrueU.orgTrinity — The Most Important Difference
The Muslim and Christian view of God have many similarities. Muslims and Christians agree that there is one God who is the Creator of everything in the universe. Both view God as sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, holy, just, and righteous. In these ways, Christians and Muslims worship the same God. However, there are also significant differences between Islam and Christianity’s view of God. While Allah (Allah is the Muslim and Arabic word for God) possesses the attributes of love, mercy, and grace, Allah does not demonstrate these attributes in the same manner as the biblical God acts.The most important difference, though, between the Muslim and Christian view of God is the concept of the Trinity. Christians believe that God has revealed Himself as one God in three Persons: God the Father, the Son of God (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.
God’s Son became a human being, Jesus Christ, to take away the penalty and power of sin by dying on the cross. After rising from the dead, Jesus went back to heaven to be with His Father. He sent His Spirit to teach men the truth through His Word, the Bible. One day, Christ will return to judge the earth; those who have trusted in Him will go to heaven, but those who have rejected Him must be separated in hell from the holy God.
Therefore, the belief in the Trinity is essential to the Christian faith. Without the Trinity, there is no incarnation of God’s Son in the Person of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus Christ, there is no salvation for sin. Without salvation, sin condemns all to hell.
- Source: Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?, GotQuestions.orgThis Article was from http://www.apologeticsindex.org/670-islam-christians-same-god - an excellent resource for the church.
I wasn’t surprised that Bush thought Yahweh and Allalh were the same. Lots of people think that. They haven’t researched it, obviously. My church’s youth pastor tried to tell me the same thing–I was surprised and dismayed at hearing this from someone who has devoted his life to the ministry. How can this be? I encouraged him to read the Koran. It’s not even necessary to read the whole thing–Yahweh and Allah are not only not the same; they are diametrically opposed and anyone who reads will see this immediately. May God, the true God, have mercy and open the eyes of the blinded.
God’s Strength,
Cindy
yes muslisms, christians, and jews worship the same GOD!
sweetangel16175,
If Muslims, Christians & Jews all worship the same God, then why do Muslims in most middle eastern countries shun (and worse) a family member who converts from the Muslim faith to the Christian faith?
Time for a little study Cindy !!!!!
SORRY I meant sweetangeL
This is a very interesting article and I suppose you cannot argue with it (without looking like ’sweetangel16175′
if it is the actual text from the Quran supporting these viewpoints.
I did notice, however, that Judaism didn’t make it all the way to the end of the article.
Non-Messianic Jews deny the Trinity like Muslims. Non-Messianic Jews deny that Jesus is Messiah (like Muslims). They don’t even believe that GOD can appear as a man, or that one can die to make atonement for another’s sin. What do we say then?
Do Jews worship the same GOD as Christians?
I almost forgot, here’s a look at some of Bush’s quotes concerning this ‘Almighty’ and religion in general: http://lavrai.com/blogs/2008/04/15/george-bush-expounds-on-religion-faith-and-an-almighty/
Allah was a pagan moon god. Mohammed was a horrible man. Do a little research dear.
@ Lee
There is a fundamental difference in how the Muslim culture works in comparison to our modern Western culture. For a Muslim, family, religion, culture, government, education…everything is intrinsically intertwined. To leave the faith is to deny EVERYTHING. To a Muslim, a Christian is in a polytheistic cult. THAT is why they cut off a Christian convert.
In America espeically there is a huge pressure to separate out our personal/religious lives from our public lives. Even within Christianity, there are constant calls to not let our faith dictate our lives, because that would be forcing religion onto those who don’t believe. Muslims don’t necessarily have that same pressure.
The real question isn’t whether or not we worship the same God, but how much salvation is dependent upon a correct view of God. I’d argue that many, many Christians have incorrect (or slightly inaccurate) interpretations of God (denominational differences, etc.), but I don’t doubt the quality of their faith or their salvation. That said, I don’t believe that Muslims will receive salvation until they accept Christ as savior. A case of “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” I see Muslims as having an incomplete view of God. They are halfway there, and instead of debating or chastise them for not believing the same God, why don’t we show Muslims what God really is like by living lives of integrity as an example.
Hi everybody.
Sweetangel, don’t feel discouraged or put off. Lots of people believe what you said to be true. It isn’t true, but not having studied this doesn’t make you a bad person or a stupid one.
Muslims are commanded to destroy infidels. True, in other places in the Koran, they’re commanded to be tolerant of the “people of the book”, but later Koranic passages take precidence over earlier ones. Even the earlier passages are repressive of “infidels”, but the later ones are pretty terminal with regard to treatment of people who refuse to convert to or, even worse, who convert away from Islam.
Jews have an incomplete view of God. Muslims have a different God. Or to put it their way, Christians and Jews worship three gods (the father, the mother, and the son–Mohammed got his ideas of what Christians believe from the gnostics)–Mohammed said: “Far be it from god that he should have a son”.
Historically, the Muslim god evolved from the moon god. Originally, El Al had three daughters (in deference to the people of Mecca, who were, at the time, militarily superior to Mohammed). Mohammed wanted his people to have their own monotheistic religion, like everybody else. So he created one by taking bits from Judaism and Gnostic “Christianity” and adding in a few of his own inventions.
Who knows. Maybe he really did see an “angel” who gave him decrees. Satan presents himself as an angel of light. I think it more likely he, like Joseph Smith of more modern times, invented the whole thing for personal gain. Mohammed was mure successful at actually benefitting from his new religion than Smith was. Mohammed lived in luxury, having 13 wives, one 6 years old when he married her, great power, and all the luxuries he admonished his followers to shun.
As to living lives of integrity, Hear, Hear! You are absolutely right, Lee. There’s no need to debate Muslims. They have their own problems. What they need from us is not condemnation or logical or historical reasons to leave Islam. They need to see our love, which is pretty hard to see sometimes (Especially since they really believe the US is a Christian nation–ouch!)
God’s Peace
Cindy
hey cindy,
you commented on the blog post, do jews, christians, and jews worship the same God?
i posted up a blog post with what you said, but i didnt put ur name on it.
http://sweetangel16175.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/she-attacked-my-religion-and-i-attack-back/
heres the post if u wanna see it…
just to reiterate here …
muslims and Christians do not worship the same God.
To coin a phrase “There is no God but Abba(Father) and Jesus is His Son.”
They are mutually exclusive.
Allah can forgive sins without a sacrifice, Yahweh is too Righteous for that and requires the sacrifice of someone who never sinned. Of course, even some ‘Christians’ now deny that God requires a sacrifice and have even called the idea of the substitutionary atonement - cosmic child abuse.
God doesn’t let people off the hook. Every act of Pardon is written in the blood of Jesus.
While there are similarities between Allah and Yahweh, the differences presented by the Koran and the Bible are too great a gulf to bridge, although many have attempted this. The result of trying to bridge the gulf is to end up losing Jesus and His ministry and His sacrifice for sins.
Another thing to think about … while Muslims recognise Jesus as Prophet, the second best one, He is the last word from God before their number one prophet turns up in the 600’s …
This means, of course, that there is no room for John, Paul, James, Peter, Jude, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. So much for the acts of the Apostles. So much for the planting of Churches by Paul on his missionary journeys. All of that writing to churches is thrown away, and the revelation given to John on Patmos Island is now discarded. A Christian faith without the new testament to act as a foundation stone is not a Christian faith at all.
It would be nice to believe that all people who believe in ‘God’ can get together and be one faith community but that cannot happen without people having to compromise on what they believe.
Why should Christians give up believing that Jesus is God the Son? Why should Muslims stop believing that Jesus was just a bloke who became a prophet? Both faiths are mutually exclusive and it would be dishonest to say otherwise.
All religions in the world could be wrong … but only one of them can be right.
Shalom.
Thanks for this article. It is about time people knew the truth that we do not worship the same God. It really upsets me when christians die at the hand of Muslems (for their faith), and the christian church say we worship the same God. Again many thanks.