Do Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God?

tonychanyt · May 14, 2024

The one true God is the creator of all things, visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).

Do not make an image representing the true God to bow down to it (Exodus 20:4-5).

2 Chronicles 35:

20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple,

Josiah was a good king of Judah. He repaired the temple.

Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him.

Neco was a gentile. By God, he tried to dissuade Josiah from fighting him.

21 But he sent envoys to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me,

i.e., elohim

lest he destroy you.” 22 Nevertheless, Josiah did not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight in the plain of Megiddo.

A good king of Judah fought against a gentile king. God was with the gentile king. Josiah died as a result.

I am not even sure that Neco knew the name YWHW. Yet, it seems that the true God was with him.

Later, in Isaiah 45:

1 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him

The Lord (the true God) called Cyrus his anointed.

4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

Even though Cyrus did not acknowledge the true God.

In the NT, Acts 17:

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

but they did not know the LORD personally

23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

god is a multifaceted concept.

26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God,

the one true God

and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.

The Lord God accepted worship from Athenians who didn't know Him exactly. But then, who knows Him exactly?

Acts 17:

30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.

God is gracious to everyone who repents, even if they don't know Him exactly. See What about people of other cultures?.

Do Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God? Do Christians worship the same God?

Most Christians seem to worship the same God, the creator God with no idols/images. Buddhists and Christians worship different gods because of their heavy use of idols. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam worship more or less the same God: creator God and no idols. I spent four years working in Saudi Arabia. The longer I stayed there, the more I felt that they were worshiping the God of Abraham. I had joined their worship in their mosques. Notably, only Christians can be born of the Paraclete.

Jonaitis · May 14, 2024

If Paul said that God made himself evident in creation, leaving the ignorant without excuse, then any projection of God among different cultures is tied to this same natural revelation. Therefore, they would be the same deity, but their perspective and interpretation would differ. If you read some of the earliest Christian writers, like Justin Martyr, they would apologetically refer certain pagan deities to God. Paul does that in one of his epistles, where he quotes a Greek philosopher ("in him we live, move and have our being) who was originally referring to Zeus.

Vambram · May 14, 2024

Allah is NOT YWHW. Allah is very, very clearly a different god than the LORD whom Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah and all of the rest of the prophets worshipped in the Old Testament. Although many Muslims may believe that they are worshiping the God of Abraham, I know that the Scriptures are extremely clear that Allah is not God the Father. The Muslims concept of the LORD is completely different than what the LORD, the God of Abraham, has revealed in the OT and the NT.

I'm currently at break on my job, so therefore, I don't have enough time right now to post the Biblical truth showing the vast differences between the LORD God and Allah.

JosephZ · May 14, 2024

Vambram said:
Allah is NOT YWHW. Allah is very, very clearly a different god than the LORD whom Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah and all of the rest of the prophets worshipped in the Old Testament. Although many Muslims may believe that they are worshiping the God of Abraham, I know that the Scriptures are extremely clear that Allah is not God the Father.

Based on the teachings of Islam a Muslim will be worshiping the God of Bible because their holy book, the Qur'an, instructs them to worship the God of Abraham. While they may reject the deity of Christ, that in no way changes who the one true God is, hence, Christians, and Muslims are worshiping the same God. The God of Abraham.

Below are a few verses from the Qur'an:

“We believe in God, and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses, and Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.” (Qur'an 3:84)

"Who would forsake the religion of Abraham, except he who fools himself?" We chose him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. (Qur'an 130)

"We will worship thy God, the God of our forefathers Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, the One God; and unto Him will we surrender ourselves." (Qur'an 2:133)

"...there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal... He sent down the Torah and the Gospel." (Qur'an 3:2-3)

All food was permissible to the Children of Israel, except what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was revealed. Say, “Bring the Torah, and read it, if you are truthful.” Whoever forges lies about God after that—these are the unjust. Say, “God has spoken the truth, so follow the religion of Abraham... (Qur'an 3:93-95)

In their footsteps, We sent Jesus son of Mary, fulfilling the Torah that preceded him; and We gave him the Gospel, wherein is guidance and light, and confirming the Torah that preceded him, and guidance and counsel for the righteous. So let the people of the Gospel rule according to what God revealed in it. Those who do not rule according to what God revealed are the sinners. (Qur'an 5:46-47)

What god are these verses describing if not the God of Abraham?

Vambram · May 14, 2024

What is written in the Koran is far different than what the Muslims actually believe and practice. The God of Abraham would never ever in a million years condone the Muslim hatred towards Jews.

d taylor · May 14, 2024

-

No they do not.

Reluctant Theologian · May 14, 2024

The words 'El' / 'Elohim' and 'Allah' are strongly etymologically related. Also e.g. in countries like Indonesia (the largest country of Muslims in the world population-wise) and Malaysia, ALL Christian Bibles use the word 'Allah' to refer to the God of the Bible, simply because their language has no other word for the concept of God.

Many theological truths in the Qu'ran are simply copied from the Bible, and unfortunately many others twisted as well. However like others have stated the Qu'ran professes Allah to be the one God of Abraham, of the people of Israel, of Joseph, Moses, Jesus (Isa), etc. I do not find difficulty in expressing that is the same God - the depiction/characterisation of that one God however is significantly different.

Actually we would have to choose a methodology first to answer the question, what method/criteria would determine whether two descriptions of a divine entity actually refer to the same divine entity in reality?

Many use the argument that the Allah of the Qu'ran is different from YHWH in the Bible because he is described/attributed differently. But that is not a usable argument because when applied to the TNK/OT and New Covenant/NT books we would no doubt arrive at the conclusion that the God of the TNK/OT is not the same God as the one we find in the New Covenant/NT books ...

Diamond72 · May 14, 2024

tonychanyt said:
Do Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God? Do Christians worship the same God?

Buddhists do not believe in God. There is only one God. The Muslims have a covenant with God through their father Abraham with Hagar the Egyptian maid. Genesis 16 10 “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.” 11The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.…

It seems a little strange here that the "angel of the lord" said "I well". It looks like a translation error because clearly it is God and not the angle that will multiply her offspring.

Diamond72 · May 14, 2024

Vambram said:
The God of Abraham would never ever in a million years condone the Muslim hatred towards Jews.

The Koran says they are to treat the Hebrew children and Christians with respect. In the Quran, there are verses that emphasize treating people of the Book (which includes Jews and Christians) with respect and kindness. For instance, in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:62), it states: “Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans—those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness—will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.” This verse highlights the importance of recognizing the common ground among believers and encourages respectful interactions.

tonychanyt · May 14, 2024

Reluctant Theologian said:
Actually we would have to choose a methodology first to answer the question, what method/criteria would determine whether two descriptions of a divine entity actually refer to the same divine entity in reality?

Here I am taking a minimalist approach. The One True God is the Creator of all things and cannot be represented by anything.

Mark Quayle · May 14, 2024

tonychanyt said:
The one true God is the creator of all things, visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).

Do not make an image representing the true God to bow down to it (Exodus 20:4-5).

2 Chronicles 35:

Josiah was a good king of Judah. He repaired the temple.

Neco was a gentile. By God, he tried to dissuade Josiah from fighting him.

i.e., elohim

A good king of Judah fought against a gentile king. God was with the gentile king. Josiah died as a result.

I am not even sure that Neco knew the name YWHW. Yet, it seems that the true God was with him.

Later, in Isaiah 45:

The Lord (the true God) called Cyrus his anointed.

Even though Cyrus did not acknowledge the true God.

In the NT, Acts 17:

but they did not know the LORD personally

god is a multifaceted concept.

the one true God

The Lord God accepted worship from Athenians who didn't know Him exactly. But then, who knows Him exactly?

Acts 17:

God is gracious to everyone who repents, even if they don't know Him exactly. See What about people of other cultures?.

Do Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God? Do Christians worship the same God?

Most Christians seem to worship the same God, the creator God with no idols/images. Buddhists and Christians worship different gods because of their heavy use of idols. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam worship more or less the same God: creator God and no idols. I spent four years working in Saudi Arabia. The longer I stayed there, the more I felt that they were worshiping the God of Abraham. I had joined their worship in their mosques. Notably, only Christians can be born of the Paraclete.

I'd have to say that not even self-identifying Christians all worship the same God. But no doubt there are similarities.

Vambram · May 14, 2024

Diamond7 said:
The Koran says they are to treat the Hebrew children and Christians with respect. In the Quran, there are verses that emphasize treating people of the Book (which includes Jews and Christians) with respect and kindness. For instance, in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:62), it states: “Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans—those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness—will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.” This verse highlights the importance of recognizing the common ground among believers and encourages respectful interactions.

It's a shame that far too many Muslim are influenced too much by hateful ideology.

tturt · May 14, 2024

Muslims and Christian don't worship the same God.

God does not lie (Num 23:19, Tit 1:2, Heb 6:18). He won't contradict Himself. God isn't going to tell one group kill everyone who doesn't believe like you do while telling another group, Christians, to love everybody.

Also, Muslims don't believe God has a Son, Jesus.

Diamond72 · May 14, 2024

Vambram said:
It's a shame that far too many Muslim are influenced too much by hateful ideology.

Paul talks about this in Romans 9:8. The children of Ishmael represents the flesh and the children of Sarah represents the children of promise or the spirit.

…7Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” 8So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.

Diamond72 · May 14, 2024

tturt said:
Also, Muslims don't believe in Jesus.

Like the Buddhists they consider Jesus to be a great teacher and prophet but not the Son of God.

JosephZ · May 14, 2024

tturt said:
Muslims don't believe in Jesus.

The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is." And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord... I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers. And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” (Qur'an 3:45,47-50)

God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” (Quran 3:55-57)

Muslims believe:

Jesus was born of a virgin
Jesus was a "Word" from God
Jesus was the Messiah sent to the children of Israel to confirm the Torah and bring them the gospel.
Jesus lived a righteous life
Jesus performed miracles. Healed the blind, the sick, and raised the dead.
He removed some of the law of Moses
Jesus was raised into heaven and sits with God and will return at the day of the Resurrection (Judgement Day)
Those who do not believe will face punishment in this life and the afterlife, those who believe and do good deeds will be rewarded.

Vambram · May 14, 2024

Muslims don

JosephZ said:
The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is." And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord... I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers. And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” (Qur'an 3:45,47-50)

God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” (Quran 3:55-57)

Muslims believe:

Jesus was born of a virgin

Jesus was a "Word" from God

Jesus was the Messiah sent to the children of Israel to confirm the Torah and bring them the gospel.

Jesus lived a righteous life

Jesus performed miracles. Healed the blind, the sick, and raised the dead.

He removed some of the law of Moses

Jesus was raised into heaven and sits with God and will return at the day of the Resurrection (Judgement Day)

Those who do not believe will face punishment in this life and the afterlife, those who believe and do good deeds will be rewarded

Muslims don't believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who died for the sins of the world. Muslims don't believe that Jesus Christ is Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

Allah is NOT a true eternal deity. Allah is not YWHW the LORD. According to the OT and the NT, There is only one true God, or Elohim, or YWHW. His name is most certainly not Allah. The god the Muslims serve and worship is most definitely NOT the one true God in the Bible.

JosephZ · May 14, 2024

Vambram said:
Muslims don't believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who died for the sins of the world. Muslims don't believe that Jesus Christ is Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

This is true, but as I said in my earlier post; "While they [Muslims] may reject the deity of Christ, that in no way changes who the one true God is, hence, Christians, and Muslims are worshiping the same God. The God of Abraham."

Vambram said:
Allah is NOT a true eternal deity. Allah is not YWHW the LORD. According to the OT and the NT, There is only one true God, or Elohim, or YWHW. His name is most certainly not Allah.

Do you believe that Arab Christians are in error when they call God "Allah?" What about Bibles in Southeast Asia that use the word "Allah" rather than God?

Vambram said:
The god the Muslims serve and worship is most definitely NOT the one true God in the Bible.

Earlier I posted some verses from the Qur'an:

JosephZ said:
“We believe in God, and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses, and Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.” (Qur'an 3:84)

"Who would forsake the religion of Abraham, except he who fools himself?" We chose him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. (Qur'an 130)

"We will worship thy God, the God of our forefathers Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, the One God; and unto Him will we surrender ourselves." (Qur'an 2:133)

"...there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal... He sent down the Torah and the Gospel." (Qur'an 3:2-3)

All food was permissible to the Children of Israel, except what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was revealed. Say, “Bring the Torah, and read it, if you are truthful.” Whoever forges lies about God after that—these are the unjust. Say, “God has spoken the truth, so follow the religion of Abraham... (Qur'an 3:93-95)

In their footsteps, We sent Jesus son of Mary, fulfilling the Torah that preceded him; and We gave him the Gospel, wherein is guidance and light, and confirming the Torah that preceded him, and guidance and counsel for the righteous. So let the people of the Gospel rule according to what God revealed in it. Those who do not rule according to what God revealed are the sinners. (Qur'an 5:46-47)

With the above verses in mind, what god are they describing?

Vambram · May 14, 2024

Yes, I truly do believe that born again Arab Christians ought not address the Lord God as Allah.

Vambram · May 14, 2024

If Muslims truly believe those verses from the Qur'an, then they should believe and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior. If Muslims really do believe those words from their book, then they ought to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, they are just as lost as are the secularists, the humanists, and the followers of false religions according to the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Do Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians worship the same God?

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