Recently it was reported that Pope Francis had stated that Christians, Muslims and Jews, all worship the same God. I was interested therefore to find out if previous Popes had ever made that sort of statement or not. The following internet site confirms that they had. The reading comes from :-
Full Question
“Pope Benedict XVI has stated that Muslims worship the same God as Christians do. Is this just his private opinion?”
Answer “No. The Second Vatican Council taught that Muslims worship the one true God: The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. (Nostra Aetate 3)”
Pope Francis simply reaffirmed the Catholic belief in his address as seen in :-
http://nationalreport.net/pope-francis-followers-koran-holy-bible/#sthash.yeGFFyJR.dpuf
On Monday the Bishop Of Rome addressed Catholic followers regarding the dire importance of exhibiting religious tolerance. During his hour-long speech, a smiling Pope Francis was quoted telling the Vatican’s guests that the Koran, and the spiritual teachings contained therein, are just as valid as the Holy Bible. (He stated) “Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Allah. These are all names employed to describe an entity that is distinctly the same across the world. For centuries, blood has been needlessly shed because of the desire to segregate our faiths. This, however, should be the very concept which unites us as people, as nations, and as a world bound by faith.”
Another article :- Do Christians, Muslims and Jews Worship the Same God .. By Maureen Fiedler, Spokesperson for the National Catholic Reporter – Jan. 22, 2016 states :- “This week, I interviewed a Jewish rabbi, a Muslim imam and scholar, and a Methodist minister about this question: “Do Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God?” All three said, “yes … basically they do.” Obviously the Catholic church is not alone in this belief.
It seems also that the Interfaith Centre also agrees:- see Interfaith dialogue Temple Israel opened on the campus in October 2013. The American Muslim Institute broke ground in May 2015 and Countryside Community Church is in the midst of making plans with an architect. A Tri-Faith Center, which will be shared by all three groups, will break ground sometime in 2016.
“We are going to call it Abraham’s Tent,” said Mohiuddin. “He’s the father of all three religions and the building will be shaped like a tent.” ”
I also believe that the major Abrahamic religions have a big role to play in the world as the majority of humans who practice religion belong to one of these traditions,” she continued. “Therefore, in large part, peace is dependent on the understandings fostered among and between them.”
The Universal One Church at :- Newer Post – Universal One Church Is adamant about the fact that we all worship the same God:- “Absolutely yes – Anyone who says to the contrary does not know what they are speaking about.”
So let us see “What The Bible Says”
Let’s start with the obvious: Christians believe Jesus is God, but the Quran is so opposed to this belief that it condemns Jesus worshipers to Hell. “Surah 5.72 Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode.”
For Christians, Jesus is certainly God, and for Muslims Jesus is certainly not God. So how can it be said that Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
According to Jesus, God is our Father, yet the Quran very specifically denies that Allah is a father Surah 112.1-4.1. Say O Muhammad: “He is Allah, the One. 2. “Allah-us-Samad The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks. 3. “He begets not, nor was He begotten; 4. “And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.” In fact, in Surah 5.18, the Quran tells Muslims to rebuke Jews and Christians for calling God their loving Father because humans are just things that God has created. 18. And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: “We are the children of Allah and His loved ones.” Say: “Why then does He punish you for your sins?” Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created, He forgives whom He wills and He punishes whom He wills.
If Allah is not “Our Father who art in heaven”, then Allah is NOT our GOD.
The same is the case when we consider the doctrine of the Trinity. Islam roundly condemns worship of the Trinity (Surah 5.73) 73. Surely, disbelievers are those who said: “Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity).” …… And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them.
But the Christian faith is based around the TRINITY of the GODHEAD.
Right from the beginning Christians are baptised into the TRINITY “Mat 28:19 Go then, and make disciples of all the nations, giving them baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:”
At Jesus’ baptism it was the same. “Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Once again we see the TRINITY in action.
OK so lets see if Allah’s names give us any clues!
“Al-Mumit” is one of Allah’s 99 Names. The meaning of Al-Mumit is “The Destroyer, The Bringer of Death” http://www.iqrasense.com/allahs-99-names/al-mumitthe-destroyer-the-bringer-of-death-allahs-name.html
Who does The Bible say is the great destroyer, the bringer of death? “1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” “John 10:10 The thief comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
So Allah is the great destroyer according to the Quran, but the Bible says the great destroyer is Satan.
“Al-Makr” is another one of Allah’s 99 Names. The meaning of Al-Makr is “The Great Deceiver, The Qur’an openly states many times that Allah is the ‘best deceiver’. The root word used in these verses is Makr which means deception. Sura 3:54—And they (the unbelievers) planned to deceive, and Allah planned to deceive (the unbelievers), and Allah is the best of deceivers. http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2014/03/is-allah-best-of-deceivers.html
BUT who does the Bible say is the great deceiver? “John 8:44 For you (Pharisees) are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
So the Quran says Allah is the greatest deceiver, but the Bible says Satan is the greatest deceiver, and the father of ALL lies.
So it seems those who say “Christians, Jews & Moslems all worship the same God” may NOT know what they are talking about after all. None of these things are a secret in Islam, and they are written around the inside walls of most of their mosques.
Next time I will show how the Quran makes clear that the Muslim Messiah, (“Mahdi”) is the antichrist of the Bible. While as Christians we love the Moslem people, it does not mean that we worship the same God.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS 