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The Same God?
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22748 ^ | Cal Thomas

Posted on 10/10/2007 6:22:49 AM PDT by Finally Awake

Whatever else his critics say of him, no one can fault President Bush for failing to go the extra mile in his efforts to show that neither he, nor the United States, is opposed to the Islamic faith, or to Muslim nations.

Last week, the president and Mrs. Bush hosted their seventh Iftaar Dinner, the celebration that breaks the Muslim fast during Ramadan. Immediately after 9/11, the president visited a Washington, D.C., mosque and proclaimed Islam a “religion of peace.” He has frequently said that terrorists are not real Muslims, anymore than people who proclaim to be Christian and engage in violence are genuine Christians.

The president is the most openly evangelical Christian and faithful churchgoer since Jimmy Carter. And the evangelical community has mostly embraced him and twice voted for him in overwhelming numbers. But that constituency is likely to be troubled over something the president said in an interview with Al Arabiya television. In an official transcript released by the White House, the president said, “…I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God.” Later in the interview, the president repeated his statement: “I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality.”Continued

To paraphrase a remark often attributed to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, everyone is entitled to his or her own faith, but everyone is not entitled to define the central doctrines of that faith. The doctrines of what is called Christianity not only stand in stark contrast to Islam, they also teach something contrary to what the president says he believes.

It is one thing to try to reach out to moderate and sincerely peaceful Muslims. It is quite another to say the claims of your own faith are of no greater importance than the often contradictory claims of another faith. If we all worship the same God, the president should answer the call of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Osama bin Laden, convert to Islam and no longer be a target of their wrath. What difference would it make if we all worship the same God?

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (carm.org) has created a useful chart that shows the conflicting claims of classic Christian belief and Muslim doctrines. It is worth studying whatever one’s faith.

The central doctrine of the Christian faith is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for sinners and by repenting of sin and accepting Christ as Savior, one is “saved” and is guaranteed a home in Heaven. Muslims do not believe God had a son and, therefore, no atonement for sin is necessary. Muslims believe simply telling God one is sorry and repenting of sin is enough, if one also lives up to the five “pillars” of Islam. Furthermore, according to Muslims, Jesus did not die on a cross (as Christians believe); instead, God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and it was Judas who was crucified.

Evangelical Christians believe the Bible is God’s Word and is without error in the original manuscripts. Muslims respect the word of the prophets, but claim the Bible has been corrupted (mostly by Jews) and is only correct insofar as it agrees with the Koran.

God calls himself “I Am” and says He is one, but with three personalities. Muslims believe God’s name is Allah and reject the Trinity.

How can the president say that we all worship the same God when Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus, whom the president accepts as the One through whom all must pass for salvation? Do both political parties have the same beliefs? Are all baseball teams equal (clearly not, because only two will go to the World Series)?

The president can be commended for sincerely reaching out to Muslims, but he should not be commended for watering down his beliefs and the doctrines of his professed faith in order to do so. That’s universalism. There are “churches” that believe in universalism, his Methodist church does not. No Christian who believes the Bible believes in universalism. And No Muslim who believes the Koran does either.

President Bush is wrong -- dangerously wrong -- in proclaiming that all religions worship the same God.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bushandgod; calthomas; islam; wot
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To: VeritatisSplendor
Yes, Islam is radically different from Christianity; but a failure to understand God perfectly is not the same thing as a failure to IDENTIFY him.

There is one God. There are many religions with many beliefs, but there is only one God.

21 posted on 10/10/2007 7:12:52 AM PDT by oldbrowser (Orwell was off the mark by 24 years.)
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To: TexGuy
You can find this there as well:

The Origional sources of the Koran

All good reading. Of course Muslims will try and say anything to make their cult appear legit. As we can see many people take their word for it because they are simply too lazy or uninterested to look into it for themselves, which in this day and age is a lot easier than it used to be thanks to computers.

22 posted on 10/10/2007 7:21:41 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: SubGeniusX
"HE may pray to the same god of the muzzies, but I certainly don’t.
So you don't worship or pray to the G-d of Abraham?

The muzzie version of Abraham is completely different than the Judeo- Christian one.
Everything Islam says about Abraham is made up in an attempt to tie Islam to Abraham.
Islam didn't exist at the time of Abraham, it was invented by Mohammad thousands of years later.
According to Muzzies, he was a Muslim, and lived in an entirely different location thousands of miles from his Biblical location. some Muzzie "scripture" claims Abraham built the Ka'aba" "allah's house" in Mecca, a simple pile of unhewn rocks around a water hole with o roof. Acording to this "scripture' the guy walked thousands of miles at 100 years old to do this.

Other Islamic "scripture" claims Adam built allah's house.

Adam of course was a devout muslim who had a great army, although he had nobody to fight yet. Eve had to wear a Burka even though there was nobody to look at her.
Islamic "scripture" is full of such amusing tales which will keep you laughing for hours on end.

One of my favorites is Noahs ark, in which Satan hitches a ride. Noah, being a devout Muslim had to improvise to keep married men and women separated (why separate married men and women from each other?) during their voyage, so he used Adams corpse as a divider. (why he took Adams corpse along is a mystery)
Of course, just as the waters receded, Noah, being the great sailor he was of a rudderless ship, circumabulated the Ka'aba a few times before putting ashore, and that's why all muslims run around the ka'aba to this day during Ramadama ding dong.

Anyways, It's a pathetic attempt to try tie Mohammads genetics to Abraham bastard son who he cast out.

Realistically, it would be impossible for Mohammad to have ANY genetic link to Abraham or his bastard son thousands of years later, even if he did wander across a near impossible to cross desert, and become the seed of all Arabs, who are Bedouins.

The fact is that Abraham's slave woman which he had this bastard son with was already a Bedouin, so obviously someone else was the seed of all Arabs (Bedouins) before Abraham.

23 posted on 10/10/2007 7:47:26 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: VeritatisSplendor

If we all believe in the same God, then why are muslims murdering their brothers and sisters?


24 posted on 10/10/2007 7:49:43 AM PDT by wizr (A step in Faith will set you free.)
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To: wizr
If we all believe in the same God, then why are muslims murdering their brothers and sisters?

Perhaps the Irish might have an answer...

25 posted on 10/10/2007 7:53:43 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: Finally Awake

Mr. Bush is technically correct, in a Clintonesque sort of way - since there really is only 1 God, when anyone prays to any deity, by definition that 1 God is the only one who hears the prayer. Doesn’t mean He listens or responds....


26 posted on 10/10/2007 7:54:31 AM PDT by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Nope. Not gonna do it.)
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To: wizr
"If we all believe in the same God, then why are muslims murdering their brothers and sisters?"

A Muslim is someone who follows Islam. "Muslim" isn't any particular race of people. According to Mohammad, Allah says those who refuse to convert to Islam, which is Allah's religion, must die. Since Allah is too busy in hell stoking the fires and torturing people, Muslims take it upon themselves to do Allah's work for him.

27 posted on 10/10/2007 8:06:01 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: Finally Awake

My God says “Thou shalt not murder.” He does not say “except that you may murder and enslave infidels.” With regard to murder and kidnap-slavery, my God says you will not forgive these sins but those who commit these acts will be put to death. But, my God has provided a path to salvation for everyone, even including murderers and slavers, who trust in the character of God’s Mercy (usually translated as, “confess on the name of Jesus”). So even at the execution of the heinous criminal, we pray for the salvation of the sinner’s immortal soul. The current Pope in thinking what we Christians have that is unique, that we offer to all people of good will, said it is Jesus. It is the personal relationship we have with God through his son.


28 posted on 10/10/2007 8:33:08 AM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: Nathan Zachary

>>Christians are really just Jews who accepted this fact and through baptism in the blood of the Lamb mark the flesh in his name and are “born again” accepting the new Covenant of Christ which releases us from the old law, which traps everyone in sin.

I thought the Jerusalem church decided that a goy did not have to convert to Judaism in order to convert to Christianity. A goy had only to give up his pagan ways, and he couldn’t tease Jewish believers in Jesus (e.g., by eating a ham and cheese sandwich during a Hafdallah service). So, as for me, I no longer burn insence to my Bhudda god, and I’ve cut way back on sacrificing virgins to the volcano god, but I sure enjoy a crabcake sandwich when I’m in Baltimore.


29 posted on 10/10/2007 8:42:57 AM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: Cletus.D.Yokel
Jews do not worship the same god because their god has no incarnate son.

Psalm 2 proves you wrong. Many Jewish people do not recognize that the Son of God, The Messiah, has come once and will come again. But the Jewish scriptures make it plain for those who have ears to hear.

30 posted on 10/10/2007 8:51:28 AM PDT by savedbygrace (SECURE THE BORDERS FIRST (I'M YELLING ON PURPOSE))
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To: Nathan Zachary
it is.

I have read those theories but do not believe that is the source of islam. Certain elements may have been borrowed to make it more familiar to the inhabitants of that region, but I believe the source is otherwise.

For another interesting read on islam I suggest: http://answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm

As I stated, even satan believes in God.

31 posted on 10/10/2007 9:07:50 AM PDT by Armando Guerra
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To: taxcontrol
I think the moslums took pieces from the Bible and changed them before putting them in the koran. If they truly believed in their religion they wouldn’t use death threats to stop people from doing a critical analysis of it. I don’t know about the president but I know my God has nothing in common with Allah.
32 posted on 10/10/2007 9:09:12 AM PDT by peeps36 (OUTLAWED WORDS--INSURGENT,GLOBAL WARMING,UNDOCUMENTED WORKER,PALESTINIAN,TERMINATED PREGNANCY)
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To: Finally Awake
  CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS & RESEARCH MINISTRY  

www.carm.org

HOME PAGE    


Comparison grid between 
Christianity and Islamic doctrine
(This is a general representation of Islamic beliefs)

Term

Christianity Islam
Afterlife Christians will be with the Lord in heaven (Phil. 1:21-24), in our resurrected bodies (1 Cor. 15:50-58).   Non-Christians will be cast into hell forever (Matt. 25:46). There is an afterlife (75:12) experienced as either an ideal life of Paradise (29:64), for faithful Muslims or Hell for those who are not.
Angels Created beings, non-human, some of which, fell into sin and became evil.  They are very powerful.  The unfallen angels carry out the will of God. Created beings without free will that serve God.  Angels were created from light.
Atonement The sacrifice of Christ on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) whereby His blood becomes the sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2) from the sinner when the sinner receives (John 1:12), by faith (Rom. 5:1), the work of Christ on the cross. There is no atonement work in Islam other than a sincere confession of sin and repentance by the sinner.  
Bible The inspired and inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts (2 Tim. 3:16). Respected word of the prophets but the Bible has been corrupted through the centuries and is only correct in so far as it agrees with the Koran.
  Crucifixion The place where Jesus atoned for the sins of the world.  It is only through this sacrifice that anyone can be saved from the wrath of God (1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus did not die on the cross.  Instead, God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and he was crucified instead.
Devil A fallen Angel who opposes God in all ways.  He also seeks to destroy humanity (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:13-15). Iblis, a fallen jinn.  Jinn are not angels nor men, but created beings with free wills.  Jinn were created from fire, (2:268; 114:1-6).
God God is a trinity of persons:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Trinity is not three gods in one god, nor is it one person who took three forms.  Trinitarianism is strictly monotheistic.  There is no other God in existence. God is known as Allah.  Allah is one person, a strict unity.  There is no other God in existence.  He is the creator of the universe (3:191), sovereign over all (6:61-62).
Heaven (Paradise) The place where God dwells.  Heaven is the eventual home of the Christians who are saved by God's grace.  It is heaven because it is where God is and Christians will enjoy eternal Fellowship with Him. Paradise to Muslims, a place of unimaginable bliss (32:17), a garden with trees and food (13:35;15:45-48) where the desires of faithful Muslims are met, (3:133; 9:38; 13:35; 39:34; 43:71; 53:13-15).
Hell A place of torment in fire out of the presence of God.  There is no escape from Hell (Matt. 25:46). Hell is a place of eternal punishment and torment (14:17; 25:65; 39:26), in fire (104:6-7) for those who are not Muslims (3:131) as well as those who were and whose works and faith were not sufficient (14:17; 25:65; 104:6-7).
Holy Spirit Third person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit is fully God in nature. The arch-angel Gabriel who delivered the words of the Koran to Muhammad.
Jesus Second person of the Trinity.  He is the word who became flesh (John 1:1, 14).  He is both God and man (Col. 2:9).  A very great prophet, second only to Muhammad.  Jesus is not the son of God (9:30) and certainly is not divine (5:17, 75)) and he was not crucified (4:157).  
Judgment Day Occurs on the day of resurrection (John 12;48) where God will judge all people.  Christians go to heaven.  All others to hell (Matt. 25:46). Occurs on the day of resurrection where God will judge all people.  Muslims go to paradise (3:142, 183-185, 198).  All others to hell (3:196-197).  Judgment is based on a person's deeds (5:9; 42:26; 8:29).
Koran, The The work of Muhammad.  It is not inspired, nor is it scripture.  There is no verification for its accurate transmission from the originals. The final revelation of God to all of mankind given through the archangel Gabriel to Muhammad over a 23 year period.  It is without error and guarded from error by Allah.
Man Made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26).  This does not mean that God has a body, but that man is made like God in abilities (reason, faith, love, etc.). Not made in the image of God (42:11).  Man is made out of the dust of the earth (23:12) and Allah breathed life into man (32:9; 15:29).

Muhammad

A non-inspired man born in 570 in Mecca who started the Islamic religion. The last and greatest of all prophets of Allah whose Qur'an is the greatest of all inspired books.
Original Sin This is a term used to describe the effect of Adam's sin on his descendants (Rom. 5:12-23). Specifically, it is our inheritance of a sinful nature from Adam. The sinful nature originated with Adam and is passed down from parent to child. We are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). There is no original sin.  All people are sinless until they rebel against God.  They do not have sinful natures.
Resurrection Bodily resurrection of all people, non-Christians to damnation and Christians are resurrected to eternal life (1 Cor. 15:50-58). Bodily resurrection, some to heaven, some to hell (3:77; 15:25;75:36-40; 22:6).
Salvation A free gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9) to the person who trusts in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross.  He is our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5).  No works are sufficient in any way to merit salvation since our works are all unacceptable to God (Isaiah 64:6). Forgiveness of sins is obtained by Allah's grace without a mediator.  The Muslim must believe Allah exists, believe in the fundamental doctrines of Islam, believe that Muhammad is his prophet, and follow the commands of Allah given in the Koran.
Son of God A term used to designate that Jesus is divine though he is not the literal son of God in a physical sense (John 5:18). A literal son of God.  Therefore, Jesus cannot be the son of Allah.
Word, The "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God...and the word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:1, 14). Allah's command of existence which resulted in Jesus being formed in the womb of Mary.

 


Return to Islam

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33 posted on 10/10/2007 9:11:32 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
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To: Finally Awake

This President doesn’t get it when it comes to Muslims.

Just like Roosevelt/Truman didn’t get it when it came to Commies.


34 posted on 10/10/2007 9:15:47 AM PDT by eleni121 (+ En Touto Nika! By this sign conquer! + Constantine the Great)
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To: VeritatisSplendor

‘Jews do not worship the same god because their god has no incarnate son.’

um what theological institute did you graduate from to come up with this statement; which I will hasten to point out to you is so far from being correct it is astounding.

It is a known fact in many theological circles, that Christianity was born of Judisim; Christ the Lord and Saviour of humanity was a Jew, he believed in the same god as I do, which is the same god as did all those might men of God in the bible.

The contentous point I might think you are aluding to is the fact while we beleive that the Messiah has appeared and await his return, our Hebrew sibling are still in waiting for the Messiah to come, having discounted Jesus as the true King of the Jews and Messiah.

Please check your facts people, as I am not even going to comment on the statements about Islam.


35 posted on 10/10/2007 12:15:44 PM PDT by silentbob (Not Ready to Make Nice)
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To: Finally Awake
...people who proclaim to be Christian and engage in violence are [not] genuine Christians.

What Christians is he talking about??? Do we have Christians who are engaging in violence on a world-wide scope?

I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to.

And I believe that Bush's moronity emboldens them.

36 posted on 10/10/2007 1:22:50 PM PDT by my_pointy_head_is_sharp (Deport 'em all.)
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To: silentbob

Your reply was addressed to me but the quote you take issue with was from Cletus.D.Yokel.

My original point was that if one says Muslims don’t worship the same God as Christians do, it is hard to avoid concluding that neither do Jews. Mr. Yokel took the bait and proved my point.

Since a Muslim’s understanding of God and of what God wants is flawed, some of the prayers he makes are likely to be inappropriate, but it is not the case that God fails to hear those prayers; rather, He answers them as He answers all prayers addressed to Him (and sometimes the answer is “No”). The critics of Islam on this thread seem to feel that Islam is so evil and wrong that God does not even hear the prayers of a Muslim; but sometimes Muslims pray for good things, and I know of no Christian theological teaching that those prayers are always doomed to remain ungranted.

I’ll admit that a Satan-worshipper’s prayers might be ignored in this way, but Islam, bad as it sometimes is, is not Satan-worship.


37 posted on 10/10/2007 2:56:11 PM PDT by VeritatisSplendor
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To: VeritatisSplendor

Then there are others that don’t fit the mold well such as Hinduism and Buddhism.


38 posted on 10/10/2007 2:59:53 PM PDT by RightWhale (50 years later we're still sitting on the ground)
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To: Nathan Zachary; savedbygrace

The Jews worship a false god:

1 John 2:22
1 John 2:23
Luke 12:9
Matthew 10:33


39 posted on 10/10/2007 5:51:11 PM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel
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To: Nathan Zachary
Allah does not mean “God” in Arabic. the arabic word for “God” is lah.

I believe Al lah is The God.

40 posted on 10/10/2007 6:06:16 PM PDT by Doe Eyes
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