Do Muslems and Christains have the same God?

by Undecided 74 Replies latest jw friends

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  Undecided

  The Koran and the Bible says to do the same acts of violence to anyone who worships a different God.

  Deuteronomy 13:6-8, it reads: "If thy brother, the son of thy mother. Or thy son, or thy daughter, or thy wife of thy bosom. Or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, let us go and serve other Gods which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; (7) namely, of the Gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth unto the other end of the earth (8) thou shalt not consent unto him, nor harken unto him; neither shalt thou conceal him (9) but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. (10) and thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

  Of course God changed when he became a man called Jesus, he said just turn the other cheek. I guess we must just dump the old testiment as it became outdated.

  Ken P.
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  jgnat

  As soon as we've got more than one God going on, we're polytheists, aren't we? I've become more sensitive to this issue since my JW husband disdains the God I worship at my church. I've asked him, WHO DO YOU THINK I worship? He can't answer this question honestly, of course, because it would be too insulting.

  Recently I complained to my Muslim friend how a lady at my church spoiled my worship. She complained of my notebook and my palm pilot, which she said distracted and disturbed her worship. It was too distressing and embarrassing to speak about, so I left. I was offended that the very first conversation this woman ever has with me is about something so personal. My Muslim friend gently suggested that I should not let anyone interfere with my worship to God. She was right, of course, and I spontaneously hugged her and told her she was my spiritual sister. I think I took her aback a little.

  As soon as we talk about other gods, the one-God-concept goes out the window, doesn't it?

  What if we replaced the word "God" with "tribe". I've been reminded lately how very tribal we are. We protect the members of our tribe, and we fight any others that threaten us. We identify with our tribe in order to know who our enemy is. I think the trend is there, and hopefully it expands before we destroy ourselves and our planet, to expand our tribe to the entire world. Then the petty violence will end.

  I got some of these ideas from the September issue of Discovery, an article by Jaron Lanier "..the tangled dance of science, violence, hope, and strange beliefs."
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  worldtraveller

  As it stands now, everyone believes their god is better, or the only god. Sadly if we remove God from the equation, there would be no wars, because evereone would finally be equal. No more I'm better than you. My JW friend thinks he's the cock of the walk-an arrogance that is unbecoming an adult.
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  nicolaou

  Sadly if we remove God from the equation, there would be no wars, because evereone would finally be equal.

  Naive in the extreme. Human beings can be very crappy to each other even without religion. God dogmas have certainly fueled the violence and if an enlightened, atheistic outlook became commonplace I'm sure the level of warfare would decrease markedly but . . . 'no wars'?

  I think not.
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  fedorE

  I recently had a conversation with a strict Muslim at work.THe ones who only eat "hallal" foods which ingredients are approved.No matter what i said to him about anything he saw Allah as GOD using any situation any war any killing to either test you or bring you in closer to Allah or push you away. His perception is that no matter where you are in life today if you dont become a Muslim now your soul will be refined and sooner or later you can attain a 'closer relationship" with Allah...Its Allahs world and he can do whatever he wants..I would say after my conversation that HIS god is NOT your god.

  imo.
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  Gretchen956

  My concept of got/goddess is very much like the analogy of the blind men and the elephant. The blind men knew nothing of what an elephant was and asked to be taken to one. On being shown in to the elephant the first man grasped the elephant's tail, and said, "oh the elephant is a leathery ropelike creature." The second encircled the elephants leg with both arms and said, "the elephant is a leathery column." The third felt the elephant's ear, the fourth it's trunk. Each had a totally different concept of the same thing, much like we do of god/goddess.

  Sherry
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  nicolaou

  The blind men all got to actually touch the elephant (and presumably smell, hear and even taste it if they were so inclined!) God is no elephant. I've heard this analogy dozens of times and am still amazed that people cannot see how false it is.
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  stillajwexelder

  This "My God has got a bigger dick than your God" has started to really piss me off and made me realize it is the source of 80% of the worlds problem
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  SacrificialLoon

  Osama seems to think so.
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  Merry Magdalene

  Undecided, you did not offer a corresponding verse from the Qur'an. The closest thing I can find in the Qur'an to the Biblical scripture you cited is:

  O ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love infidelity above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong. Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious. --Qur'an 9:23, 24
  

  As I understand it, in Islam unbelievers are to be killed only if they have first attacked believers or driven them from their homes or oppressed them. Otherwise, they are to be invited to Islam with kindness and reason. If they refuse, they are to be left to their own choices, and Muslims are to guard themselves from adopting any un-Islamic forms of worship and other activity that they may display.

  Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression. --Qur'an 2:190-193

  Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. And if ye do catch them out, catch them out no worse than they catch you out: But if ye show patience, that is indeed the best (course) for those who are patient. And do thou be patient, for thy patience is but from Allah; nor grieve over them: and distress not thyself because of their plots. For Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good. --Qur'an 16:125-128

  Say : O ye that reject Faith! I worship not that which ye worship, Nor will ye worship that which I worship. And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship, Nor will ye worship that which I worship. To you be your Way, and to me mine. Qur'an 109: 1-6

  Ye shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves; and ye shall certainly Hear much that will grieve you, from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if ye persevere patiently, and guard against evil,-then that will be a determining factor in all affairs. --Qur'an 3:186

  And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!" --Qur'an 25:63

  As to the same God:

  Say: "O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord." It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. But sorrow thou not over (these) people without Faith. Those who believe (in the Qur'an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness,- on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve....Say: "O people of the Book! exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by,- who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the even way."
  --Qur'an 5:68, 69, 77

  ~Merry