Austin's Blog A Thorny Question
Here’s a thorny question.
If the President of the United States tells you that Allah and the God of the Bible are one and the same, do you believe him? After all, if you’re the President, you’re supposed to understand these kinds of things, right? If George W. Bush says it’s so… that they’re the same God… and if the media and many of the people you read or watch on television say they are the same God, does that make the statement true? Are they the same God… the Christian Jesus, the Jewish Jehovah and the Muslim’s Allah?
They are not. President Bush, and millions more Americans, have it terribly wrong.
Allah is not God, and that’s the subject of this week’s lesson at Equipping the Saints: Understanding Islam ™. It’s a core issue, one that we have to deal with early before we learn more about who Muhammad was, or where the Qur’an came from. If you believe that they are one and the same… Allah and Jesus… then nothing we’ll discuss for the next year will make much sense.
On October 26, 2004 President George W. Bush was on the campaign trail, about a week prior to Election Day and his second term. Here’s what he had to say to ABC News in an exclusive interview with reporter Charles Gibson:
Q. “Do we all worship the same God, Christian and Muslim?”
A. “I think we do. We have different routes of getting to the Almighty.”Q. “Do Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind?”
A. “Yes they do. We have different routes of getting there.”
President Bush is wrong and he’s not alone. Many people, unaware of what the Bible and the Qur’an say, draw the same conclusion. If you’ll dive into this week’s lesson, you’ll learn why they are wrong. Islamic scholars and practicing Muslims all agree on this, even if President Bush and millions of others miss the point: according to Islam, Jesus is not part of the Holy Trinity. He did not die on the cross. He did not take our sins upon Himself and does not offer us a path to Heaven through His atoning grace. In fact, Muslims are quite adamant about the fact that Jesus is not the Son of God, so much so as to state that belief in a Holy Trinity is blasphemy. So, if Muslims and the Qur’an are of one mind about this issue, why does the rest of the world have such a tough time getting it right?
Allah is not God. Learn more about what the Qur’an says in this week’s Equipping the Saints: Understanding Islam ™. And join us each week to learn more about Islam and how to share your faith in Christ with Muslim friends and co-workers. Students across the nation have joined this course, with participation from Oregon to Virginia, from Wisconsin to Texas, and about 80 people in Huntsville, Alabama. Tell your friends, and share the link to Equipping the Saints. Join us each week. Our next lesson: “Who was Muhammad?”
Thanks for your interest in our year-long course designed to help you better understand Muslims and develop relationships with them. Equip yourself to tell others about the REAL Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Austin Boyd
This is a fascinating topic to explore and discuss, especially since there are many more Muslims in the world than Christians. I believe that President Bush reflects a general level of understanding for Christianity in America. Why? People in the U.S. are heavily leveraged by credit; they are in-debt to credit card companies, mortgage companies, and car companies. Interestingly, even TV’s are expensive now, so much so that people even buy those on credit, and it is from the T.V. that people receive their education on many issues, including Christian culture.
Simply put, because of indebtedness, people cannot afford to do anything else but watch TV. From TV they receive an understanding from Hollywood’s biased interpretation of our culture. Powered by commercial advertising, producers are only interested in perpetuating a culture of sex and apathy. Why? Sex and apathy sells.
Indebtedness creates demand for more TV because TV is a cheap source of entertainment.
Meanwhile, in countries where credit isn’t as available and TV programming is censured, or simply isn’t as available as it is in the west, Islam is expanding. They are having more children, they have a better understanding for their culture, and they believe that western influence is dangerous to their culture which in-turn fosters hatred and militancy. As the world Muslim population blooms our ecosystems are colliding, and rather than understanding who we are, and who they are, we are simply trying to build walls between us and them. This means that as Americans, and probably most Europeans as well, we are not interested in understanding the Qur’an, or the people that worship Muhammad.
Austin’s question on how so many people get it wrong is important. In his question we see what is happening to our culture and who we are, and how we got here. In the end, unbridled materialism and TV isn’t really to blame; it is merely a well which we fell into. We can reverse this course through an understanding in the differences in our cultures and religions, and teach our children to do the same. We should learn from Muslims and celebrate Jesus more, and make a big deal about him. We need to talk to our children about the importance of family and good governance of our finances, and the immense satisfaction of being industrious and purchasing goods and services with cash rather than credit.
God forgive you for spreading hate. I preached in the Christian church for many years. I performed missionary work overseas. I’m a retired Marine combat veteran. I’m a new Muslim. After witnessing the REALITY of Islam and pursuing my own studies into trying to understand “my enemy”… I found the truth to be shocking. There is only ONE God. The God of the Jews, Christians, and Islam IS THE SAME GOD!!! To say anything different is to be a tool of the devil. One should ask questions, study, and try to communicate with people of the three monotheistic faiths and try to understand the differences instead of dismissing others as worshiping a different deity.
God have mercy on us all and grant us wisdom and guidance.
In love,
Ben
Hey Austin-
Do you feel that some Muslims are worshiping the same God that Christians are? Do you feel that you may still call God Allah and still go to heaven? Do you believe God will have mercy on some Muslims who are just misled on a few facts?
Thanks
Austin,
I am interested in hearing more about your position on Islam’s effect on the political side of the United States. In response to stillwwg’s question I would encourage you to look at the main differences that truly separate Christianity from Islam, especially “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” Acts 16:31.
Saying that Christians believe that Allah and God are the same, do Muslims also believe we have the same God?
Ben,
Would you be willing to share why you believe “The God of the Jews, Christians, and Islam IS THE SAME GOD!!!”? I have read through several Surahs and have not found anything supporting this. Allah is the word for god, I do understand that. I would appreciate hearing more on your position. Thanks!
Austin, you speak the truth! Unfortunately, many Christians take the tenants of the faith alle carte…”I’ll take this, and this, but not that.” When Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life” he didn’t add the caveat “unless you choose a different path.”
In response to Ben’s comment above, if Muslims are willing to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and One with God the Father, then we are serving the same god. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Thank you for sharing this Austin. The more I learn about Islam, the more I am reminded of Mormonism. I was a Mormon convert for two years before finding God again. But I know enough about that religion from being on the inside that I see similarities. The claims that we all worship the same God, but the differences in the story of the Trinity or how Jesus came to be etc. Thank you for sharing this.
It confuses me that some Christians seem adament about saying that these major religions have the same god, when Muslims are so overwhelmingly opposed to it. Why are these Christians trying to seemingly “compromise” when the Islamic religion is so set against this being true.
I believe that a Christian who says that these major religions worship the same god is making a terrible mistake and not paying attention to the Bible. Jesus said that He is THE way, THE truth and THE life, not one of the many ways, truths and lives.
Austin,
Ergun Caner suggests that Muslims who convert to Christianity take approximately seven years from their introduction. Do you think that the Holy Trinity is a pivotal factor in this conversion, or there are other areas that are more influential?
Thanks.
What is the punishment for blasphemy in Islam? Do Muslims have the same judgment as Christians, or are there major differences?
I’m not sure if George Bush really believes that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, and I know I can’t believe something that profound until I read the Qur’an and think on what it says. It’s awful hard to sit through a class on Islam when I’ve never even read the Qur’an, and haven’t learned that much about Islam other than in high school. That, and we are learning about what motivates the Muslims to think the way they do, but we don’t even have the basic knowledge of their religion. If George Bush says that we have the same God, he may have learned about the basics of Islam, but never read the Qur’an, thus his opinion is only secondhand, rather than firsthand.
That, and just because someone is the president doesn’t make them always right. They’re just as human as the rest of us. In that way, it’s up to each and every individual to listen to the opinions of others, and then do their own research to see what is really conclusive with the actual facts.
The idea that Muslims and Christians all worship the same God was strongly held by a family I lived with in Spain. For them, this belief felt loving, accepting, and harmonious. They talked about the beauty of all Muslims and Christians worshipping and praying to the same merciful God who loves us all. Yes- one true God does love all humans, but not all humans are worshiping that God. To say that Muslims and Christians don’t worship the same God does in no way take away from the love that God has for people, as this couple felt and probably others do as well.
I find the Islamic faith to be steadfast in its nature, and I respect how its very traditional. I’m not sure why we’re trying to combine or compare religions? I see similarities, but the differences are rooted in the fundamentals. God is God to Christians and Allah is Allah to Muslims.
I don’t believe that Christians, Muslims, and Jews worship the same God for one reason: Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus is God, therefore it is not applicable to the other religions. It is really that simple.
The fact of whether or not George Bush believes that they do frightens me. I hope he was making a blanket statement to appease the masses. Either way, I have lost a lot of respect for him.
It seems that this issue is so obvious to those who are willing to search for the truth and do some investigating instead of merely relying on what they’re told. If you have read the Bible it is clear in the fact that Jesus is God and is the only way to salvation and other religions that discredit that are completely denying the foundation for Christianity and therefore cannot be the same or even a similar religion. And Jesus cannot merely be called a prophet or a good teacher either because he claimed to be God and that would either make him crazy or a liar. If you look at the Qur’an as well and just even do a word search for “christian” it seems that there are verses saying that christians will go to heaven and some saying that they wont. To me these don’t seem like the same religion and if you search Jesus as well it is obvious that it is not the same Jesus of the Bible. Here is one verse from the Qur’an to look at:
An-Nisa
4:171 O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ jesus, son of Mary, was but God’s Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, “[God is] a trinity”. Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God
I think if someone takes the time to seek out the truth of this issue and read the Bible and Qur’an they would see the obvious fact that they cannot compare. In the bible Jesus claims to be God and not just a prophet, which the Qur’an claims. In verses like:
An-Nisa
4:171 O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ jesus, son of Mary, was but God’s Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, “[God is] a trinity”. Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God
But you cannot say he was a prophet when he claimed to be God because that would make him a lunatic or a liar. So it just doesn’t work out!
The US embassy in Yemen was recently attacked by terrorists. The assault occurred during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Most Muslims expressed outrage at the incident. Does Islamic law expressly prohibit violence during this fasting period? What are the exceptions, if any?
I understand that Muslims do not worship the same God as Christians, because Christians believe in the holy trinity. However, you mentioned that Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the son of God, so therefore, they do not believe in the same God. Do they believe that we still to some extent believe in the same God? In other words, do Muslims believe we worship the same God, but disagree about the trinity?
Austin-
With all this talk of understanding Islam and coming together as believers of the same concepts of our respected religions, what do you think we should ultimately expect to gain from all this? Do you believe we will eventually have an extreme understanding for eachother? Or do you believe because of our cultural background there will always be some type of viod?
Thanks!
There is validity to the statements above, and I certainly agree that Muslims have a faith very different from Christianity. I do have a question for you, though. Is the Jewish God, Jehovah, the one of the Old Testament, the same as the God that Christians worship?
The primary basis for the statements is that Muslims don’t believe in the Trinity, or in Jesus as the Messiah, which, is the same belief as the Jews. . . because they are still waiting for the Messiah. With that said, according to the inferences above, we do worship a different God than the Jews.
Conversely, maybe we all worship the same God (the Father), but Christians obviously worship a triune entity in addition. I would argue that Jesus is the main difference in Christianity and Islam not God (the Father). Yes, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in Jesus, but we all have vastly differing approaches to His role on Earth (and beyond).
Therefore, while I do believe that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that we are saved by Him for eternal life, I still think that Jews, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God (Jehovah, Allah, the God of Abraham). Islam may be compared to other religions that were on the same track as us, and diverged, rather than religions that historically worship a different Creator.
After reading your blog Austin, and reading all the responses to it I am compelled to hear from a certain group. That group being Muslims who have converted to Christianity. How do they view this issue? Do they believe that the only difference is the Trinity? Or will some of them point out other factors about how the gods are different? I know that for me, and my very limited knowledge about the subject of Islam, my initial answer was “yes” we could worship the same God” Now, however I am not completely convinced it is impossible, I am much closer to believing that we cannot worship the same got.
Muslims and Christians don’t worship the same God. To Muslim’s Jesus is seen a prophet not the son of God or God in the flesh. So, to hear people say that the two religions worship the same God is not correct at all. To answer the other question: Do Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind? Each of the religions bealives that their religion’s beliefs are the correct way to get into heaven. Islam the scales decide your fate if you go to heaven or not. Christianity excepting Jesus as lord an Savior is the route.
The way that I have been approaching faith lately is that religion, and reality began with God, therefore what we humans are doing is seeking, discerning, living in and experience the reality and truth of God. God’s exsistence is present to humanity- all creation is witness and we are without excuse if we ignore. With this in mind, my perspective is that we have, as Christians, an illuminated, or Paul uses the word Unveiled interaction/beleif in God. We have experienced the grace of God through Christ and this enables us to live more fully in reality. But I believe that there is some- a significant amount of truth to what Muslims believe- they know one sovereign God who is all powerful, all knowing, kind, just, holy and the Creator of the universe and worthy of our complete surrender/submission. I think all of these are pieices of truth, and that we should never discount the important of these truths that Muslims embrace as they are the very links that could help them come to the light of Christ, in whom is all Truth, all things brought together, and made known.
I appreciate this discussion. if Muslims worship a different God, than so do the Jews is a very good point to bring up. i think it’s also a great idea that someone thought about asking someone who converted. what is their experience…
I agree with what you have to say Austin. Allah and God are not the same being. I feel that a lot of people think that everyone is going to heaven, but that is not true. We need to know why we believe what we believe. The media so often distorts information. We need to continually be searching for the truth.