I have a question

[Grey Colson]

I'm not copying the quotes - it's getting too long again, but if Jews and Christians believe in the same God, I don't understand why folks don't believe that Muslims can also believe in that same God. I'm not asking about how to get to heaven, I know what Jesus says about that, I'm not disputing that. :dunno :dunno

I guess it can be looked at this way....If we believe, as Jesus states in the Bible, that He and the Father are "one", then not everyone does believe in the same God. If a faith does not teach Jesus as God, then they're not talking about the same feller.

Isn't Christianity the only faith that across the board teaches that? (In references to the fact while some in the Jewish community might believe in Jesus as God overall that is not the mainstream teachings, correct?)

As far as I know....yes.

So then your answer is that Jews (except the ones that believe in Jesus) and Muslims do not worship the same God? I am just trying to clarify and not put words in anyone's mouth. Lots of talking in here so I am not taking anything at face value without asking. )

Think of the Trinity. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. My daughter asked when she was young for a more simple way to understand it. The only thing I could think of was an egg. The shell, yoke and white. They are all 3 separate "things", if you will, but each make up the egg as 1 "thing."

What I guess I'm trying to say is that, if we believe what is written in God's Word then we believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all part of the same "egg" for lack of a better comparison. If another organized religion rejects Jesus Christ as part of that Trinity, their "egg" is different than ours.

To be part of that Trinity, Jesus can't be a profit such a Muhammad, but God in the flesh as he was here on earth.

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made."

The Bible is referencing Jesus Christ here, because verse 14 it states..."And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

As I read these scriptures, I have a decision to make. Do I believe it or not? In my case, yes. Given such a clear description, without ambiguity or confusion, then I believe that Jesus was in the beginning with God and literally is God, not some profit. Those who reject Christ may worship someone or something they call god, but it's not the same God IMHO. Don't shoot the messenger, I didn't write the rules, just read the rule book.

I understand Christianity and the trinity. I asked if you though Jews and Muslims worshiped the same God. The Pope does, even George Bush ) said that is what he thinks. I have no issue if your opinion is that they do not, but if it is just say so. LOL

I've tried my best to answer, but I shall again. If Jesus Christ is not viewed as God, then NO.

 

[ShoeDiva]

I really try hard to walk carefully around these type of topics.
A belief in the Almighty is such a personal thing and it is easy to step on someone's toes without meaning to.
I grew up with a loving mother and father who did and still do believe in an Almighty God and the Bible and attending church every time the doors were open.
After many years of trying to live the path that I was taught God wanted me to tread (at least the way I understood what I was taught) and many years of living the path that I wanted to tread and many years of trying to understand what God is and what God wants me (us) to do and how He would have me (us) live, I have come to believe some basic things that I feel are true.

I believe that God is pure love, nothing more than that.
He loves every thing that is alive and he loves everything that is not what we would consider alive.
I believe that God created everything that exists and he loves it all.
As someone who has deeply felt love, for my family, the ladies that I have known, the friends that I have, my wife and most deeply, my son.
I believe that someone who gave me life and the ability to feel this love for others has to feel this same love themselves or else how could I have that feeling in me.
If love for another is the strongest feeling I (or mankind) can have, then how much greater could that feeling be in one who is all knowing and all powerful and that is the creator of this feeling in me?
I think it has to be the number one thing that the creator wanted to pass on to man, so it has to be so much greater in the creator than I could ever imagine.
For the reasons I have stated above, that is as much as I think I could ever say that I know for a certainty about God. (and I could be wrong about that)

I believe that for me to say I know what God thinks and what God feels would be extremely egotistical and arrogant for me.
No matter how much I have studied what I believe to be his word, no matter how much I have felt what I believe to be his guidance, no matter how much I have felt, seen and yes, even experienced, what I believe to be his touch, his power and his miracles.
The best that I can say is, "This is my belief, this is what I have come to understand, this is what I have seen and have had happened to me."

As someone who misunderstands and misreads, more than I would care to admit, the people I am closest to, how could I ever say that I know what is in God's heart and mind and how God sees those who attempt to worship and love him.

If I have stepped on anyone's toes, I truly do apologize, it was not my intention to do so.
As I will always say when discussing things to do with the great Creator, these are my thoughts and beliefs at this time in my life.
I believe them to be true, for me.
But check back with me in the future, for I have learned one thing to be absolutely true and that is that when it comes to the Almighty, I am never going to be through learning and hopefully growing.
(usually by making mistakes and finding out I was wrong)

I sincerely enjoy your posts. You tell us what you think and do not imply anyone is right or wrong. You listen and show a willingness to learn. I know I appreciate that whether you agree with me or not. )

 

[ShoeDiva]

I'm not copying the quotes - it's getting too long again, but if Jews and Christians believe in the same God, I don't understand why folks don't believe that Muslims can also believe in that same God. I'm not asking about how to get to heaven, I know what Jesus says about that, I'm not disputing that. :dunno :dunno

I guess it can be looked at this way....If we believe, as Jesus states in the Bible, that He and the Father are "one", then not everyone does believe in the same God. If a faith does not teach Jesus as God, then they're not talking about the same feller.

Isn't Christianity the only faith that across the board teaches that? (In references to the fact while some in the Jewish community might believe in Jesus as God overall that is not the mainstream teachings, correct?)

As far as I know....yes.

So then your answer is that Jews (except the ones that believe in Jesus) and Muslims do not worship the same God? I am just trying to clarify and not put words in anyone's mouth. Lots of talking in here so I am not taking anything at face value without asking. )

Think of the Trinity. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. My daughter asked when she was young for a more simple way to understand it. The only thing I could think of was an egg. The shell, yoke and white. They are all 3 separate "things", if you will, but each make up the egg as 1 "thing."

What I guess I'm trying to say is that, if we believe what is written in God's Word then we believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all part of the same "egg" for lack of a better comparison. If another organized religion rejects Jesus Christ as part of that Trinity, their "egg" is different than ours.

To be part of that Trinity, Jesus can't be a profit such a Muhammad, but God in the flesh as he was here on earth.

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made."

The Bible is referencing Jesus Christ here, because verse 14 it states..."And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

As I read these scriptures, I have a decision to make. Do I believe it or not? In my case, yes. Given such a clear description, without ambiguity or confusion, then I believe that Jesus was in the beginning with God and literally is God, not some profit. Those who reject Christ may worship someone or something they call god, but it's not the same God IMHO. Don't shoot the messenger, I didn't write the rules, just read the rule book.

I understand Christianity and the trinity. I asked if you though Jews and Muslims worshiped the same God. The Pope does, even George Bush ) said that is what he thinks. I have no issue if your opinion is that they do not, but if it is just say so. LOL

I've tried my best to answer, but I shall again. If Jesus Christ is not viewed as God, then NO.

:spitchick Ha! I get that.

 

[LisaC]

I'm not copying the quotes - it's getting too long again, but if Jews and Christians believe in the same God, I don't understand why folks don't believe that Muslims can also believe in that same God. I'm not asking about how to get to heaven, I know what Jesus says about that, I'm not disputing that. :dunno :dunno

why don't you make a list of the attributes of God and see if you can find those in the Koran.

Why don't you just tell me - you seem to know a lot about the Muslim faith so help a sister out save me the google time.


But, here is what I found:




The Quran, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system

 

[Blazing Saddles]

I'm not copying the quotes - it's getting too long again, but if Jews and Christians believe in the same God, I don't understand why folks don't believe that Muslims can also believe in that same God. I'm not asking about how to get to heaven, I know what Jesus says about that, I'm not disputing that. :dunno :dunno

why don't you make a list of the attributes of God and see if you can find those in the Koran.

Why don't you just tell me - you seem to know a lot about the Muslim faith so help a sister out save me the google time.

I will use your response in the next PSA to school kids concerning the importance of homework. :laugh

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Wow, 10 pages of a lot of discussion.....impressive. Well, here's my three cents worth.


Judaism recognizes God as the I AM. It is by this name that the Jews would recognize the proper God.

Exodus 3:14 (New International Version)
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[a] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Through this recognition, God's people could always identify the true God and not be fooled into following another belief. Not only did God make his name clear to his people, He also made his character known as well. These attributes further identify himself to his people and to others who wanted to learn. Below is a helpful list stating many of these attributes with scripture to identify them in the Bible. It is by these attributes, God has separated Himself from all other gods of this world. So when God says there is none higher or even beside him, I agree after reading this list below.

1. ​	God is self-existent ​	Exod. 3:13–14​
2. ​	God is self-sufficient ​	Psa. 50:10–12​
3. ​	God is eternal ​	Deut. 33:27; Psa. 90:2​
4. ​	God is infinite ​	1 Kings 8:22–27; Jer. 23:24​
5. ​	God is omnipresent ​	Psa. 139:7–12​
6. ​	God is omnipotent ​	Gen. 18:14;Rev. 19:6​
7. ​	God is omniscient ​	Psa. 139:2–6; Isa. 40:13–14​
8. ​	God is wise ​	Prov. 3:19; 1 Tim. 1:17​
9. ​	God is immutable ​	Heb. 1:10–12; 13:8​
10. ​	God is sovereign ​	Isa. 46:9–11​
11. ​	God is incomprehensible ​	Job 11:7–19; Rom. 11:33​
12. ​	God is holy ​	Lev. 19:2; 1 Pet. 1:15​
13. ​	God is righteous and just ​	Psa. 119:137​
14. ​	God is true. ​	John 17:3; Titus 1:1–2​
15. ​	God is faithful ​	Deut. 7:9; Psa. 89:1–2​
16. ​	God is light ​	James 1:17; 1 John 1:5​
17. ​	God is good ​	Psa. 107:8​
18. ​	God is merciful ​	Psa. 103:8–17​
19. ​	God is gracious ​	Psa. 111:4; 1 Pet. 5:10​
20. ​	God is love ​	John 3:16; Rom. 5:8​
21. ​	God is spirit ​	John 4:24​
22. ​	God is one ​	Deut. 6:4–5; Isa. 44:6–8​
23. ​	God is a Trinity ​	Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14 ​

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Throughout the OT from Adam in Genesis to the book of Malachi, prophesies were spoken concerning the coming Messiah. There are over 300 prophesies spoken about the coming Messiah which according to Christians, were fulfilled in God/man of Jesus. Jesus was God, the I Am, in flesh form and dwelt among us. He was fully God and fully man, not half and half, and not God sometimes and man sometimes. However, since he was in body, the flesh temporarily limited some of His abilities and He also was able to experience exactly what his creation faced. All this was done to show His love for us. So, since Jesus is God in the flesh, there is no difference between him and Father. In fact, Jesus said just that, "I and the Father are one". This was the blasphemy that got him crucified. Now, with this said, I believe that the God of Judaism and the God of Christianity is one in the same with the incomplete knowledge from Jews that God the Father has sent his son for all mankind. But remember, this was also prophesied that they would reject Him at a time but during the final days, many Jews will come to know the saving grace offered to them. If it wasn't the same God, how could this be possible and the intricate dealings God has for His own people? It can't.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

As for Islam, the religion was "created" after Mohammed claimed he received revelation from an 'angel' named Gabriel. With that revelation, he proclaimed himself a prophet and not just a prophet, Allah's ONLY prophet. Pretty convenient. A little history reading concerning Mohammed will show how he was influenced by Judaism and Christianity and other nomadic beliefs of his days. With those influences, one can see how his 'revelation' came to be. To save time and since it is late, I will try to be brief. Allah doesn't exist to have a relationship with people. He isn't approachable on a throne to answer prayers. He has no son for redemption of sins. No prophecies with 100% accuracy as the Bible holds to. I could go on but I think you get my point.

Back to this 'angel' Gabriel, the Bible is clear that Satan reveals himself as an angel of light.

Paul and the False Apostles (II Cor 11)
…13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

Matthew 4:10
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

Galatians 1:8
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!

As you can see, these scriptures really condemn the demonic vision Mohammed had and contradicts every the Bible teaches. (On a side note, this is exactly what Joseph Smith said concerning the Mormon religion. Created the same way. Angel of light called Moroni.) Thank God we were warned by the One who promises to take care of us.

With this alone, I don't need to get involved in a tit for tat pertaining to similarities in the Koran and the Bible. Since this religion contradicts Scripture and proves a warning from Jesus himself, I don't need to bother looking any further. True peace can only be found in Jesus Christ and not by following rules demanded by a god who was presented to a man through an 'angel' of light.

 

[mei lan]

Well, I see I missed quite a discussion here. After wading through all the comments, I'll add mine, and then back to my busy stuff I got goin' on.

First, I would note that not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arab. Islam is a religion; Arab is a sect of people who originate from the Arabian peninsula. Arabs can be Christian (I have some Lebanese friends who are some of the finest Christian folks I have ever met, and they were Christian before they came over here). That is not to be confused with any Christian-named political party, which does also exist in some areas.

It's my understanding that the Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, and that Islam came much later. This would explain the hatred of all things Israeli or Jewish.

 

[mei lan]

The Muslim line is a direct descendant of Ishmael whose mother was Hagar. Hagar was a servant of Abraham who was given permission to sleep with by his wife Sarah. She and Abraham knew of the promise God had told them about a child one day but Sarah disobeyed and allowed Abraham to have a child with Hagar.

A slight quibble with this assessment - this sounds like the entire enterprise is Sarah's fault, and no blame goes to Abraham. You may also think that Eve is solely responsible for the fall of man and that if she hadn't led Adam down the wrong path, everything would be hunky dory today.

I disagree with this assessment. So what if it was Sarah's idea? Likewise, so what if Eve partook of the fruit first and then cajoled Adam into tasting it as well? Yes, they share their own guilt in the events. However, if you believe what Galatians 5 says about husbands being the head of the home and bearing responsibility for same (and I'm sure you do), then you must also agree that the primary responsibility for what happened with Sarah/Hagar was Abraham's, and that the primary responsibility for the debacle in the garden of Eden was Adam's.

God had spoken directly to Abraham, yet he just fell right in with the plan when Sarah came up with this cockamamie idea. And it's not like he hadn't had any cockamamie ideas of his own - in Genesis 12, we see he was afraid Pharoah would kill him so they could have her, so he made Sarah pretend to be his sister so he wouldn't be killed. Pharoah was so taken with her that he added her to his harem, and only realized what had happened when they all started getting various and sundry illnesses on account of her being there, and then he threw them all out. THEN, he did the same dadgum thing in Ch. 20 (with a different king), with the exact same results! What Abraham SHOULD have done* when Sarah told him her idea about Hagar was tell Sarah that the Lord would provide, and they wouldn't try to fulfill His promises on their own. But it was easier just to let her have her way, so he did.

Likewise, God spoke directly to Adam, yet when Eve presented him with the fruit, he just chomped away. He didn't even put up a fuss. And not only that, when God came to confront them with what they had done, Adam blamed the whole thing on Eve. What Adam SHOULD have done* was to protect Eve from the serpent (satan) in the first place, and failing that, he should have told her no, God said not to, and we won't. But he didn't.

* I am not judging any of the folks involved; I'm quite sure I would have done as bad as or worse in the same situation.

Sarah and Eve were each guilty of not trusting what the Lord had said to their husbands. But the final responsibility for what happened in both situations lies with Abraham and Adam. They were responsible for seeing that their households followed God and obeyed the commands that He had given each man directly. But when the easier way presented itself (and it always does, for satan is nothing if not crafty), they took the easy route, to their (and our) detriment.

FTR, I am not a feminazi, or even a garden-variety feminist. I believe that the man is the head of the home, and is therefore responsible for providing for and protecting the family. (And IMHO, that includes those households where the women work and dads take care of the kids. He's still responsible; they have just agreed on a different format for the way they operate.) Abraham and Adam may have been good providers, but they sucked at protecting their families. And they sucked at being leaders of their families.

Finally, I think it's interesting how much compassion God showed to Hagar/Ishmael in Genesis 14, the following chapters, and again in Genesis 21. God created tham a nation on account of Ishmael's being Abraham's son, because He had promised to make Abraham's heir a great nation. And later in Ch. 21, when Sarah made Abraham throw them out of the house after she saw Ishmael mocking Isaac, God took care of them then as well, and blessed them. He knew that they were innocent parties in what had happened. Ch. 25 details the decendants of Ishmael.

 

[mei lan]

Finally, as to SD's question as to what God they worship - I don't think they worship the true and living God. Muslims, that is...not Arabs in general. Christians and Jews believe the same thing through the Bible until the end of the Old Testament. The Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet appeared, and we believe that He has indeed appeared, and was crucified for our sin, and raised from the dead by the Father, Who has all power, even over death itself. (And the proof for same is shocking...every person I know of who has set out to disprove it has come away believing.) I will also add that many Jews have also come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and are Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews, many call them). There's a great Messianic Jewish congregation in Roswell near East Cobb - Beth Hallel. They also observe the regular Jewish customs and holidays (and some even keep kosher, but they do it out of love, not because of the law).


Muslims do not accept that Jesus is the son of God; they think He's a great prophet, but no more. They have some other pretty out-there ideas as well. They may THINK they are worshipping the same God we worship, but the differences in the two are pretty stark, and I don't believe they worship the God we worship.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Mei lan, my comments about Sarah were just to shed light where the Arabs descended from. Neither Sarah nor Eve were solely responsible.

 

[mei lan]

Mei lan, my comments about Sarah were just to shed light where the Arabs descended from. Neither Sarah nor Eve were solely responsible.

OH - got it. 10-4. I'm just a little sensitive on account of my years in a less-than-optimal church environment before my parents figured out we should be somewhere else. :soashamed

 

[ShoeDiva]

Goodness BS that was a lot of words! So you believe Christians and Jews (with the incomplete knowledge from Jews that God the Father has sent his son) believe in the same God, but since Islam was created after the Bible when an angel came to Muhammad they do not worship the same God. (Please correct if I have that wrong..again, it was a lot of words)

Thank you for your opinion. I can respect that, and the time it took to come up with that answer, but I am going with the same God. ) Perception and interpretation in religion, even those of us that use the same bible, is very evident right here on the Hwy. It is a good thing, we all come to the table with our opinions and can share.

 

[ShoeDiva]

Finally, as to SD's question as to what God they worship - I don't think they worship the true and living God. Muslims, that is...not Arabs in general. Christians and Jews believe the same thing through the Bible until the end of the Old Testament. The Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet appeared, and we believe that He has indeed appeared, and was crucified for our sin, and raised from the dead by the Father, Who has all power, even over death itself. (And the proof for same is shocking...every person I know of who has set out to disprove it has come away believing.) I will also add that many Jews have also come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and are Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews, many call them). There's a great Messianic Jewish congregation in Roswell near East Cobb - Beth Hallel. They also observe the regular Jewish customs and holidays (and some even keep kosher, but they do it out of love, not because of the law).


Muslims do not accept that Jesus is the son of God; they think He's a great prophet, but no more. They have some other pretty out-there ideas as well. They may THINK they are worshipping the same God we worship, but the differences in the two are pretty stark, and I don't believe they worship the God we worship.

If they think they do, and say they do, we can debate differences, but who are we to say they are not? I believe there is one God and it is possible for all to worship Him, even if some people's understanding of Him is deficient. That is how I believe Muslims worship the same God as Christians. I am not saying it makes Islam correct or salvific or equal to Christianity just that they worship the one and only God.

 

[mei lan]

Finally, as to SD's question as to what God they worship - I don't think they worship the true and living God. Muslims, that is...not Arabs in general. Christians and Jews believe the same thing through the Bible until the end of the Old Testament. The Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet appeared, and we believe that He has indeed appeared, and was crucified for our sin, and raised from the dead by the Father, Who has all power, even over death itself. (And the proof for same is shocking...every person I know of who has set out to disprove it has come away believing.) I will also add that many Jews have also come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and are Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews, many call them). There's a great Messianic Jewish congregation in Roswell near East Cobb - Beth Hallel. They also observe the regular Jewish customs and holidays (and some even keep kosher, but they do it out of love, not because of the law).


Muslims do not accept that Jesus is the son of God; they think He's a great prophet, but no more. They have some other pretty out-there ideas as well. They may THINK they are worshipping the same God we worship, but the differences in the two are pretty stark, and I don't believe they worship the God we worship.

If they think they do, and say they do, we can debate differences, but who are we to say they are not? I believe there is one God and it is possible for all to worship Him, even if some people's understanding of Him is deficient. That is how I believe Muslims worship the same God as Christians. I am not saying it makes Islam correct or salvific or equal to Christianity just that they worship the one and only God.

Yeah, I don't see that. And I could be wrong. But God is a good and benevolent, as well as just, God. He is merciful and loving and understanding, and He hates injustice. He hates violence against innocent people. He sent His Son to die for us, so we wouldn't have to pay the penalty for our sin.

From what I understand, Allah is all for adult men marrying 8yo kids and killing everybody who doesn't believe like they do. I don't see a whole lot of common areas there. But like I said - I could be wrong. I'm not going to sit in judgment of somebody else. What they believe or don't believe is between them and God. I got enough to worry about without taking that on.

 

[ShoeDiva]

Finally, as to SD's question as to what God they worship - I don't think they worship the true and living God. Muslims, that is...not Arabs in general. Christians and Jews believe the same thing through the Bible until the end of the Old Testament. The Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet appeared, and we believe that He has indeed appeared, and was crucified for our sin, and raised from the dead by the Father, Who has all power, even over death itself. (And the proof for same is shocking...every person I know of who has set out to disprove it has come away believing.) I will also add that many Jews have also come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and are Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews, many call them). There's a great Messianic Jewish congregation in Roswell near East Cobb - Beth Hallel. They also observe the regular Jewish customs and holidays (and some even keep kosher, but they do it out of love, not because of the law).


Muslims do not accept that Jesus is the son of God; they think He's a great prophet, but no more. They have some other pretty out-there ideas as well. They may THINK they are worshipping the same God we worship, but the differences in the two are pretty stark, and I don't believe they worship the God we worship.

If they think they do, and say they do, we can debate differences, but who are we to say they are not? I believe there is one God and it is possible for all to worship Him, even if some people's understanding of Him is deficient. That is how I believe Muslims worship the same God as Christians. I am not saying it makes Islam correct or salvific or equal to Christianity just that they worship the one and only God.

Yeah, I don't see that. And I could be wrong. But God is a good and benevolent, as well as just, God. He is merciful and loving and understanding, and He hates injustice. He hates violence against innocent people. He sent His Son to die for us, so we wouldn't have to pay the penalty for our sin.

From what I understand, Allah is all for adult men marrying 8yo kids and killing everybody who doesn't believe like they do. I don't see a whole lot of common areas there. But like I said - I could be wrong. I'm not going to sit in judgment of somebody else. What they believe or don't believe is between them and God. I got enough to worry about without taking that on.

:thumbsup

I come with a bias to the conversation. One of being told all the time, in Georgia, that I am going to Hell because I am not a baptist and can't say;"Oh I was saved on my 13th birthday!" :huh I usually just blow it off, but I do not understand how a person can say that they know all and they (their thoughts on religion) are right. They criticize my belief without even knowing it, and a few internet searches or books do not qualify them to do that. So if a Muslim tells me they worship the one and only God, the same God as I and my Jewish brothers and sisters do, I believe them. I still might not believe in their beliefs, but I believe when they say they are worshiping our one God. JMO

 

[mei lan]

Finally, as to SD's question as to what God they worship - I don't think they worship the true and living God. Muslims, that is...not Arabs in general. Christians and Jews believe the same thing through the Bible until the end of the Old Testament. The Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet appeared, and we believe that He has indeed appeared, and was crucified for our sin, and raised from the dead by the Father, Who has all power, even over death itself. (And the proof for same is shocking...every person I know of who has set out to disprove it has come away believing.) I will also add that many Jews have also come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and are Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews, many call them). There's a great Messianic Jewish congregation in Roswell near East Cobb - Beth Hallel. They also observe the regular Jewish customs and holidays (and some even keep kosher, but they do it out of love, not because of the law).


Muslims do not accept that Jesus is the son of God; they think He's a great prophet, but no more. They have some other pretty out-there ideas as well. They may THINK they are worshipping the same God we worship, but the differences in the two are pretty stark, and I don't believe they worship the God we worship.

If they think they do, and say they do, we can debate differences, but who are we to say they are not? I believe there is one God and it is possible for all to worship Him, even if some people's understanding of Him is deficient. That is how I believe Muslims worship the same God as Christians. I am not saying it makes Islam correct or salvific or equal to Christianity just that they worship the one and only God.

Yeah, I don't see that. And I could be wrong. But God is a good and benevolent, as well as just, God. He is merciful and loving and understanding, and He hates injustice. He hates violence against innocent people. He sent His Son to die for us, so we wouldn't have to pay the penalty for our sin.

From what I understand, Allah is all for adult men marrying 8yo kids and killing everybody who doesn't believe like they do. I don't see a whole lot of common areas there. But like I said - I could be wrong. I'm not going to sit in judgment of somebody else. What they believe or don't believe is between them and God. I got enough to worry about without taking that on.

:thumbsup

I come with a bias to the conversation. One of being told all the time, in Georgia, that I am going to Hell because I am not a baptist and can't say;"Oh I was saved on my 13th birthday!" :huh I usually just blow it off, but I do not understand how a person can say that they know all and they (their thoughts on religion) are right. They criticize my belief without even knowing it, and a few internet searches or books do not qualify them to do that. So if a Muslim tells me they worship the one and only God, the same God as I and my Jewish brothers and sisters do, I believe them. I still might not believe in their beliefs, but I believe when they say they are worshiping our one God. JMO

That's pretty much my take on it as well...I never think about it unless the subject comes up such as this. I do take their word for it...it ain't my place to say yea or nay as to what they think or believe.

Ye gods - how much damage has been done to the church in the name of religion. I know what you say about being told you are going to hell is correct, and I grew up in that environment. SUCH judgmental attitudes and mean-spiritedness. That is SOOOOOOO not what God is about. And I will say this - I'm not RC, but devout Catholics put most of the rest of us to SHAME by their devotion to and practice of their faith. And yes, Catholics and Christians are not two different animals. Just as a member of a Baptist church might not be a Christian, so might a member of a Catholic church not be a Christian. But most of the ones I know are, and they are marvelous people. Present company included.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Goodness BS that was a lot of words! So you believe Christians and Jews (with the incomplete knowledge from Jews that God the Father has sent his son) believe in the same God, but since Islam was created after the Bible when an angel came to Muhammad they do not worship the same God. (Please correct if I have that wrong..again, it was a lot of words)

Thank you for your opinion. I can respect that, and the time it took to come up with that answer, but I am going with the same God. ) Perception and interpretation in religion, even those of us that use the same bible, is very evident right here on the Hwy. It is a good thing, we all come to the table with our opinions and can share.

Cliff notes. Jews and Christians serve the same God the Father but Islam (created 600 years after Christ) is just a made up copulation of different things.

If you want to believe they are all the same, I respect that but can you tell us why you believe that? What basis makes you come to that conclusion? Is it just based on what others have said and convinced you or is it based on Biblical evidence? Just as in this thread, I don't expect anyone to change their mind based on what I said but I would like to see someone to continue to look at evidence presented.

 

[mei lan]

Cliff notes. Jews and Christians serve the same God the Father but Islam (created 600 years after Christ) is just a made up copulation of different things.

copulation - n. sexual intercourse

compilation - n. the act of combining several different things into one work

:laugh :laugh :laugh

Sorry - had to pull a honeybunny there. Of course, you could pull a Sadie and blame it on autocorrect.