On God and Allah
Okay. I’m taking this one from my other blog (leftback92.wordpress.com) because I just wanted to.
One thing I hear people say often is that Jesus and Mohammed are the same. This is not true whatsoever. Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was just a man, a prophet of less importance than Mohammed. Christians (true Christians, at least) believe that Jesus Christ is the perfect, sinless Son of God and Son of Man who dwells with at the Father’s right hand.
Another thing I hear is that Allah and God are the same. This, also, is completely false. Muslims believe that Allah is one, period; which means that Muslims do not believe in the Trinty. Christians (true Christians) believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one and has three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, this idea cannot be supported, because Allah and God are absolutely contradictory.
Muslims also believe that all men must earn their salvation, an idea that is explicitly contradicted in the Bible (see Ephesians 2:8-10). Yet another difference between God and Allah is the fact that Muslims believe that Allah is unloving toward those who do wrong, while God is just the opposite. Why would any divine being send down His only Son to save sinners if he does not love sinners? Islam and Christianity just aren’t the same. Muslims and Christians don’t worship the same God.
Now for some cultural issues. Consider these facts:
1) America was founded by Christian men based on the Bible.
2) Most Western European nations are considered “Christian nations.”
3) The vast, vast majority of terrorist groups are radical Muslims (note: I did not say that the vast majority of Muslims are terrorists).
4) The vast majority of terrorist attacks occur in either the U.S. or Western Europe.
Now consider these facts:
1) In Sudan, the Muslim government in the north is waging a civil war against the predominately Christian south.
2) Thousands of Christians living in the Middle East, Africa, and most Muslim Asian nations suffer persecution on a daily bases, being tortured, imprisoned, and killed for believing in the name of Christ. I’m not making this up either, it’s a fact.
Now tell me this: if Muslims and Christians believe in the same God, then why are Muslims persecuting Christians? Not just radical terrorist groups, either. In countries such as Laos, Indonesia, and Sudan, the Muslim governments are waging an undeclared jihad against all Christians. Now, answer the question above and tell me, why is it, if Muslims and Christians believe in the same God, that Muslims persecute Christians across the world?
February 10, 2009 at 8:54 pm
That is a falsehood. 95% of suicidal terrorism is committed by nationalists:
As for your post, you show a true ignorance of Islam. You don’t even know that God is “the Compassionate, the Merciful” throughout the Quran and the Muslim prayers.
Muslims believe Jesus (peace be upon him) was the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and he was conceived immaculately. He is the Prophet most honoured by Muslims after Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him).
Islam is a religion of inner spiritual peace and love for humanity. The Prophet Muhammad said that the Christians are the closest people to the Muslims. Yet he was clearly talking about the “true” Christians, as in the followers of Christ’s message of love, not hate.
February 12, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Dear Zanjabila:
True Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to Father. John 14:6. That’s a big difference from Islam. I am not hating; what leads you to say that? “Yet he was clearly talking about the “true” Christians, as in the followers of Christ’s message of love, not hate.”
“That is a falsehood. 95% of suicidal terrorism is committed by nationalists”
Does that mean they aren’t Muslims? Perhaps the reason they are terrorists isn’t because they are Islamic, but the majority are Islamic. I have no doubts that they believe they are freedom fighters, but they doesn’t mean their religion doesn’t play a role in their motivation.
March 13, 2009 at 4:05 pm
“The majority are Islamic”:
Why do you talk about things you don’t understand?
Here is what world authority on suicide bombing Robert Pape has to say:
“Over the past two years, I have compiled a database of every suicide bombing and attack around the globe from 1980 through 2003 – 315 in all. This includes every episode in which at least one terrorist killed himself or herself while trying to kill others, but excludes attacks authorized by a national government (like those by North Korean agents against South Korea). The data show that there is far less of a connection between suicide terrorism and religious fundamentalism than most people think.
The leading instigator of suicide attacks is the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a Marxist-Leninist group whose members are from Hindu families but who are adamantly opposed to religion.”
From The New York Times
http://www.fromoccupiedpalestine.org/node/1532
2. People cannot be “Islamic”. The followers of Islam are called “Muslim”.
3. Arab Christians call God “Allah”. The word simply means “God” in Arabic.
March 17, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Dear Zanjabila:
If you don’t mind, I would like to work my way from the bottom up. I like to throw a little variety into the fray.
You’re right, “Allah” does mean “God,” but the God that Muslims worship is not the God of the Bible. They are two completely separate beings. If you would like, I would be glad to expand on that, but seeing as it isn’t the main point of our conversation, I’ll leave that up for you to decide.
You’re right, I’m sorry about the mistake. People cannot be “Islamic,” they are “Muslim.”
Now, about Mr. Pape’s article. I would agree that their primary goal is “to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland.” (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pape) However, does that mean that their religion plays no role in their motivation? I have a hard time believing that. Very, very many devote followers of any religion are motivate by their religion. That is not to say that all suicide bombers (or terrorists) are motivated by their religion, should they have one. Maybe he is right about the instigators, but if you look at history, it is never the instigators who get killed, it’s always the foot soldiers, so to speak. So I would agree that the instigators aren’t Muslim, maybe. But that doesn’t mean that the men and women who are blowing themselves up aren’t.