UPDATE: There is an extension of this discussion going on over at Doorman-Priest’s blog http://theworldofdoormanpriest.blogspot.com/
Here is a story from the Kuwait Times.
Christians-use-the-word-“Allah”-in-place-of-the-Word-“God
“
I’d like to get your reaction.
Should we care?
Do you think it matters to God?
Could there be factors that we don’t know about?
Filed under: Christianity vs. Islam |
The Old Adam Lives! 
Personally, since “Allah” does not represent the Christian version of “God”, it would be misleading at best to substitute the names. It is popular, I suppose, to think that “God is God by any other name”, but it’s just not so. It would be as bad as switching to “Thor”, for instance. “Hey, it’s a name of a god. What’s the big deal?” Yeah … but we’re not talking about the same Being!
I understand trying to use terms your audience recognizes. I’d rather define the correct term for my audience and then use it because using their incorrect CONCEPT of Allah will distort their understanding of God. i.e., I’m not doing them any favors either.
Allah is actually the generic name they called God in Arabic before the Qur’an. It’s likely the Muslim authorities don’t want people to make a direct comparison.
It compromises the Gospel, which is apostacy. “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name.”
As Jim says, Allah in Arabic is the generic word for God, and from what I see in the news story, we’re not talking about people trying to accomodate to Muslim cultures by using the Muslim name for God. The story is about Christians who speak Arabic using the word for God in Arabic. To tell them they can’t use that word for God seems like saying they can’t call God, God. So I see no compromise or apostacy. Just people who speak a different language. To call God something other than God (Allah for the Arabic speaker) would be the compromise.
Mr. Robertson,
Do you have a problem with Spanish-speakers calling Him Dios, or French-speakers calling Him Dieu? I frequently call Him or refer to Him as God, not always as Father. Am I committing apostasy or compromising? Of course not.
My (Christian) in-laws refer to Him as Allah all the time. Why? Because they’re Arabic-speakers. What else would they call Him if they want to refer to Him as God? If I ever get where I speak Arabic well enough to do more than curse someone out or order dinner, I’m sure I’ll be referring to Him as Allah in church as well. (When we’re in Lebanon, that is. Here in Kuwait my church is in English. 😀 )
As has been mentioned, “Allah” means “God” in Arabic. Actually I think it means “the God’ which is even more to the point, It’s the same one true God!
The sooner we all get over this idiotic fighting over whose religious beliefs are best and focus on the many things we agree on the better.
And by the way, jim, neither God not Allah are God’s name, these are words which signify (or try to) what God is…
Frankly, if we wanted to take the idea that God’s name is that serious, we wouldn’t call Him God either. His Name as He revealed it is in Hebrew, but you don’t find many insisting on that. But since men from every tribe and tongue are going to call on His name, I would suppose they can and should do it in their own language. So, Allah as the Arabic word for God is perfectly normal for them.
Yeah… the main word in the Arabic Bible is Allah, though there are other words too. Google it and you get some good info. Arabic speaking Christians are speaking of Yahweh/Jehovah God when they say the word ‘Allah’.
It’s important to make the distinction for Islam though. Despite what Dubya said, we do not worship the same God as the Muslims. The Islamic Allah is a quite different deity than Yahweh God.
I would go so far as to say that we worship the same God as the Jews, even though they do not recognize His trinity. Nonetheless, when they think of God, they are speaking of the actual One despite their significantly different view of Him.
It’s not so easy answering this question one way or another. Every missionary and bible translator who has encountered a new language and culture has a decision to make: do I use an existing term for a deity that comes closest to the biblical understanding of God but also carries a lot of baggage contradicting it in many aspects, or do you introduce a brand-new term which has none of that baggage but also no point of reference or meaning for the people in that culture?
Linguistically, meaning of words are not static but actually can and do change over time. It’s not inconceivable (and probably the case in most Arab Christian churches) that “Allah” is filled with a different meaning than in the surrounding Islamic culture. Terms can be rebaptized and reclaimed for God!
It would be interesting to hear from Arab Christians whether that makes evangelism easier or more complicated among their Muslim neighbors.
Oops, seemed they already reinstated the ban ahead of an impending court ruling. We can all go home now.
P.S. – I find the French word for God, Dieu, offensive; sounds too much like “Duh”.
If Allah is the god of the Qur’an he is not my God. If the Qur’an was dictated to Mohamed by a supernatural being, that being had a different God than I . The Christ of the Qur’an escaped the cross, was born of man and woman, and was just a prophet. That god says terrorism is an acceptable evangelical tactic. as are fake truces and war. NOT MY GOD. I would not pray with someone who prays to Allah, as I think those prayers are headed in the opposite direction. If you disagree, please read the Qur’an. Then you will agree.
But that’s kind of like saying that a New Ager who says “God” and a Christian who says “God” are talking about the same being. They are not. Would you then refuse to pray with the Christian because someone else uses the name wrongly?
The Allah of Arab Christians and the Allah of the Qur’an and Muslims are two different beings. It is simply Arabic for “God”.
I don’t understand where you’re coming from, my brother.
Let me put it another way…
You said, “If Allah is the god of the Qur’an he is not my God.”
I would respectfully answer that it depends. When a Muslim says “Allah” he is speaking of the being that Mohammed invented. Not Yahweh.
When an Arabic speaking Christian says “Allah”, he is speaking of Yahweh.
So “Allah” is not necessarily the god of the Qur’an. It depends on who is speaking – a Christian or a Muslim. Just as someone saying “God” isn’t necessarily talking about the God of the Bible.
When Muslims speak English, they sometimes refer to Allah as God with a capital G, but they are not talking about the real God of the Bible.
Think about that…
“If Allah is the god of the Qur’an he is not my God.”
Um, you might want to remember that Christian Arabs were calling Him Allah LONG before Mohammed was a gleam in his daddy’s eye. 😉
Thanks all, for your great comments here!
I find your comments very interesting historically, and theologically.
As always, I appreciate and want to thank you for the wonderful, civil, and thoughtful manner in which you are discussing the topic.
I was away yesterday at our church council’s annual retreat to work on plans for mission and general church business for the year at hand and near future.
Thanks for taking the ball and running with this one!
Yours in Christ,
Steve (the old Adam)
So what do YOU think, Steve?
😉
Steve L.,
I dunno!
Something in me naturally associates the word “Allah” with satan, because I believe that Islam was satan’s counterpunch to the gospel.
But if Arab Christians were using that word before that creep Mohammed came around, then maybe it’s not as bad as I thought.
I guess I would have to say that in view of everything that has taken place since the invention of Islam, I would prefer that Christians stick with ‘God’ and ‘ Christ Jesus’.
Leave Allah to the Muslims.
The problem with “allah” in Arabic is the same problem with “god” in English.
You have to define terms.
Christians often take the easy (cowardly) way out by using the generic common noun (“god”) rather than specifying Christ.
And Muslims hoping to deceive gullible and ignorant Westerners use that ambiguity to grant legitimacy to their devil.
Amillennialist,
OK…that cinches it.
NO “allah”.
Not now…not ever.
At least not for English speakers 🙂
I like the thought of redeeming and reclaiming terms, though. Arab Christians (likely) used the term first. Why should the Muslims co-opt that?
When the Mormons use the English word “God” they are not speaking of Yahweh of Scripture – the triune creator of the universe. But that doesn’t mean Christians should stop using “God” as the English term for Yahweh. I think the same principle applies in any language – even when there’s baggage as in Arabic.
But seriously, can we tell our Arab Christian brothers and sisters what words they can use in their own language? I am not going to use the term “Allah” because I do not speak Arabic, but it’s their word, you know?
revolutioninthespirit,
I agree with your comment about others choosing their own vocabulary. 🙂
Mormonism’s co-opting of pretty much all Christian terminology (even music!) shows also the importance of clarifying of Whom we speak.
Using proper nouns will clear up any confusion in discussions of Islam.
Regards,
Amillennialist
There is only one God therefore that God is Allah, YHWH, God the Father, Waheguru and so on. I doubt she gives a stuff.
Would you refer to your Dad as Marvin if his name was Leon?
It might be funny a time or two, but after awhile your dad might wonder if you even knew who he was.
That Jesus refers to God as His Father gives me a clue as to how I should think of Him.
Doorman-Priest,
On the chance that your comment is offered in good faith . . .
If your wife were to indulge her marital urge with Bob or Kevin or Derek, would that be a problem? Would her defense of, “They’re all men” satisfy you?
You are confusing the use of the common noun “god” for all deities being the same one.
Christ is not Vishnu is not Allah is not Abaangui.
There is only one God therefore whatever name we call him/her, whatever we perceive that God to be and however inadequate that revelation, (or perhaps more to the point in this context however inadequate we believe that revelation to others to be), it can only be the same God.
Why do we think God cares what we call him when people are trying to have communion with him and are approaching in reverence and faith? The other titles I used are all respectful and recognise God’s transcendence and Lordship. We may not believe “others” have got it quite right: it’s a good job God isn’t bound by our prejudices and shortsightedness and can apply his grace wherever he chooses. I am not going to put limits on the grace of God.
Remember: You have made God in your own image when his enemies are exactly the same as yours.
Would you refer to your Dad as Marvin if his name was Leon?
It might be funny a time or two, but after awhile your dad might wonder if you even knew who he was.
I don’t think it helps to ascribe petty human emotions to God: he is beyond that.
My Dad would be totally pissed off after a while but then he doesn’t have either infinite love or infinite patience.
However, using my Dad as an example he does answer variously to Jack, Dad, Big Fella, Mister,Grandad and Love, depending on who is talking to him. He understands that they are all his titles. I don’t call him Love, my Mum does: he still responds. I don’t call him Grandad, the kids do: he still responds. His friends call him Jack: he still responds and so on. Only one of those is his given name but he answers to them all.
Is he a difeferent person because people use different names and may see a different aspect of his personality or know him in a different way?
Why should God be any different?
Doorman-Priest (Saddam Hussein? Walt Disney? Diana Ross? What does it matter? There is only one Man, and she doesn’t care what we call it, does he?)
That’s quite a few errors for so brief a post. I’ll address each one:
“There is only one God”
According to you, but as you admit, you don’t really know, so why should we listen, right?
YHWH says there are many gods. And none of them shall you have before Him.
Only one god is true, and He has revealed Himself to us. His name is I AM That I AM.
His Son, Jesus, claimed that name for Himself also.
“therefore whatever name we call him/her”
As I just noted, He told us His name. At least have the decency to respect what Someone wants to call Himself.
“whatever we perceive that God to be”
Here, as later, you imply that everyone’s opinions of god(s) are equally true. Even if our knowledge of God came only from Nature and Conscience, that would be false.
Since YHWH has revealed Himself to Humanity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you’ve gone past natural, human ignorance and self-deception and into outright blasphemy.
You call YHWH a liar.
So, you claim that Christ ordains genocidal prophets marry their best friend’s daughters when they’re six-years-old and begin raping them when they’re nine. You’re a liar.
“and however inadequate that revelation”
YHWH’s revelation is sufficient. The only inadequacy is your willingness or ability to tell the truth about it.
“(or perhaps more to the point in this context however inadequate we believe that revelation to others to be), it can only be the same God.”
Equating a god commanding the slaughter of all who refuse to submit to its rule with the Christ Who taught, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” is not “inadequate revelation,” it is lie straight from the pit of Hell.
“Why do we think God cares what we call him”
Something along the lines of, “You shall not take the name of YHWH in vain,” perhaps?
“when people are trying to have communion with him”
So, monsters ripping Christian schoolgirls’ heads from their bodies to shouts of “allahu akbar!” is “communion” with the one, true god? You’re sick.
“and are approaching in reverence and faith?”
So, was Mohammed approaching the one, true god in “reverence and faith” when he began raping little nine-year-old Aisha? He said he was: “If this is from Allah, then it must happen.”
“We may not believe “others” have got it quite right”
What does Christ say?
“it’s a good job God isn’t bound by our prejudices and shortsightedness”
Isn’t denying the clear word of Christ, isn’t denying the truth, “prejudiced and shortsighted”?
“and can apply his grace wherever he chooses. I am not going to put limits on the grace of God.”
Your lies limit the grace of God by denying it to billions.
True humility would say what Christ says. It would definitely *not* blaspheme YHWH by equating Him with deities from Hell.
True humility, true religion, would say what Christ says, not multiculturalist, intellectual cowardice.
“You have made God in your own image when his enemies are exactly the same as yours.”
The faithful Christian makes Christ’s enemies — the devil, all his works, and all his ways — his own. The devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. And sons of hell bar Heaven to those who want to enter it.
Doorman-Priest,
“Only one of those is his given name but he answers to them all.”
You’re confusing multiple names for one person to mean that one name for many persons makes them all the same person.
exodus 6:2-3
god spoke to moses and said to him ‘i am YHWH. i appeared to abraham to isaac and to jacob as god almighty but by my name YHWH i did not make myself known to them.’
You’re confusing multiple names for one person to mean that one name for many persons makes them all the same person.
No you’re making the reverse mistake.
Dear Amillennialist, thank you for your perceptive, considered and gracious response to my earlier comments: it is always a joy to feel welcomed onto a blog and to be able to converse with those who have a different perspective in a spirit of respectful and civilized discourse, knowing that we can each learn one from the other. In that context it must merely have been an oversight that you called me coward, liar and blasphemer as if, somehow, that would show the righteousness of your cause and win me over to your point of view. How you must be laughing now at that little misunderstanding.
It must also have been a misunderstanding on Steve’s part which allowed the protocol against one guest being rude to another to be broken. Still, where there is spirited debate and all that…. I fully understand. As I also do the general convention that when one’s argument is weak one can attempt to deflect attention from it by instituting a slanging match and resorting to name calling.
I am grateful too that that you have taken the trouble to analyse my comments in such detail and are able to put me right where I have fallen into error.
In all humility, then, might I just raise one or two areas about which I remain unclear – what with me being intellectually challenged and all – so that I may continue to benefit from your extensive knowledge? I should really appreciate the clarification.
In no particular order then…
To be continued at my place.
Do we call Him Jesus or Joshua? I’m not looking for an answer it’s rhetorical. But the term “god” is different. This is what happens when we fundamentally leave the Revealed God, that is Christ Jesus (Joshua, etc…) – that is to say specifically He Who took our sins upon Himself and gave us His righteousness.
Something to note here is that one can keep the Biblical term for God and even the bible, be bible believing (per se), believe that the Bible is the soul source of competence and guidance for the believer, have a faith in the God of the bible (you believe that God is one, sovereign, etc…a demons faith only – Jas. & the Pharisees, Rome, modern evangelicals), even in a sense Yaweh but not have THE God at all or even recognize THE GOD revealed. “You search the Scriptures (not the Koran, Tipitaka, Book of Mormon, Origin of the Species, etc…) and think that by them you have life. But it are these (the Scriptures) that bear witness continually to Me”.
As Luther put it, inside or outside of the church, by this or that doctrine IN the church, ‘loose the revealed God and you loose the hidden God with Him’.
Furthermore, antichrist even comes closer by going out not as these David Koresh bafoons that even a pagan can pin as fake but these very close to Jesus types that preach, teach and confess another jesus who is not JESUS, the revealed God (e.g. WWJD, Jesus the example to follow, Law/Gospel/Law preaching, etc…) and THIS is a false god though named “jesus”, “gospel”, “spirit”. What is stunning in Paul’s warning is that he names the deception as coming under the moniker of other “gospels”, “christs”, “spirits” as opposed to Vishnu or some such. Though the later is certainly truly false.
Thus, even in some “Christian” services they use the names “jesus” and “gospel” and “spirit” but have only false gods and demons being proclaimed and taught. Loose the revealed God, loose the hidden god – but we might add – still retain the Bible, bible names and so forth.
Because even two Christians can be talking about two different gods, one God revealed Who is God and the other the hidden God which has become not really GOD but a distillation of some of his omni- traits disfigured by loosing the Revealed God.
So if Allah is being used as a generic term for the English “God”, and I’m NOT a speaker of that language so I’m assuming what some say concerning this is true, then I suppose it could be used to bridge the gap to eventually preach the Revealed God who is Christ the Lord and what He DID for us not us for Him. Even Paul used the temple dedicated to the unknown god to the Athenians to make a bridge to Christ. He quite literally took the “unknown God” and showed them the “Revealed God” – loose the revealed God loose the hidden God (the unknown God). Because if all a Muslim has done has been to effectively take the Allah of the Koran and in principle taken the omni- traits of God in the Bible and flipped over to that religion, all they really are is twice the sons of hell as those converting them. That’s very different than seeing the naked unconditional proclaimed “I forgive you even if you don’t believe it, nothing left to do EVER because I’VE done it” Revealed God Who is IN FACT God. As Luther points out Jesus extinguishes this flighty thought of seeing the hidden God through the revealed God in John’s Gospel, “Phillip, have I been with you so long. If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father”.
It depends situationally, I suppose, how the term “allah” is being used. Generic for God to form a link to the Revealed God, or naming a particular false god from the Koran?
L
“thank you for your perceptive, considered and gracious response to my earlier comments: it is always a joy to feel welcomed onto a blog and to be able to converse with those who have a different perspective in a spirit of respectful and civilized discourse, knowing that we can each learn one from the other. In that context it must merely have been an oversight that you called me coward, liar and blasphemer as if, somehow, that would show the righteousness of your cause and win me over to your point of view.”
Playing the victim. Classy.
The truth is, you are interested in neither “civil discourse” nor learning. On your own site you admit to going to other forums to instigate.
It is obvious from your follow-up comments here that you are not interested in truth, only in placing stumbling blocks before others.
As for calling names, I have not done that. Telling someone who intentionally persists in falsehood and blasphemy that they are doing so is correction, not personal attack.
If you don’t want me to say you’re lying, stop lying.
“It must also have been a misunderstanding on Steve’s part which allowed the protocol against one guest being rude to another to be broken.”
How is it “rude” to point out that you equate Christ with demons? Are you not being “rude” when you obstinately blaspheme the living God?
“I am grateful too that that you have taken the trouble to analyse my comments in such detail and are able to put me right where I have fallen into error.”
You’re welcome.
“what with me being intellectually challenged and all”
Never said that; I only said that you were lying and blaspheming. I will admit that I speculated that the reason you engage in false religious equivalences was out of multiculturalist cowardice. Am I wrong?
So, why do you persist in trying to confuse others? Malice? Perversion? If you were intellectually-challenged, your guilt would be less.
If I wanted to call you names, would “viper” or “white-washed sepulchre” be a sin?
If pointing out error only begets more and bolder error, what is a person to do? You claim to be a Lutheran. You should know better than to utter refuse like this:
“There is only one God therefore that God is Allah, YHWH, God the Father, Waheguru and so on. I doubt she gives a stuff.”
Your own words condemn you.
Guys and Gals,
Forgive me for not keeping up with the discussion here.
I see it’s getting a little rough.
Please keep it non-personal… and where it is non personal…don’t take it as such.
If you want to play rough and it’s mutual…fine.
There is always your private e-mails, as well, or your blogs if you have them.
Please keep it civil here.
Thanks very much!
– Steve
My place is open.
Doorman-Priest,
I updated the post and out a link to your site.
I’m not running anyone off, here…but it will be fun to kick it around over at your place for awhile too!
“So if Allah is being used as a generic term for the English “God”, and I’m NOT a speaker of that language so I’m assuming what some say concerning this is true, then I suppose it could be used to bridge the gap to eventually preach the Revealed God who is Christ the Lord and what He DID for us not us for Him. Even Paul used the temple dedicated to the unknown god to the Athenians to make a bridge to Christ. He quite literally took the “unknown God” and showed them the “Revealed God””
Excellent point.
Here’s the CORRECT link:
http://theworldofdoorman-priest.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Josh!
Islam is a Heretical mixture of Judaism, Christianity, with a little Zoroastrianism thrown in. Toss in a touch of Mohamed’s own original ideas (which are not exceptionally common) and you get Islam. Most people make the mistake of thinking Islam is a different religion, just like they make the same mistake of thinking Judaism is another religion. Neither of them are, they’re both Heresies. So to say that Muslims worship another God is incorrect. They worship the same God as both Christians and Jews. It’s just that their views of God are even more heretical than the Jewish views of God.
That said, people who think Islam is by nature a violent religion forget that for over a thousand years it was better to be a Christian living in a Muslim Country than a Muslim living in a Christian Country. To call Muslims violent, lying, and murderous is hypocritical in light of our own long and bloody past. Compare the conquest of Egypt in the 7th century by the Muslims to the Christian Conquest of the Holy Land in the first crusade; there’s no comparison.
As far as God’s name goes, well, God doesn’t really have a name. YHWH isn’t a name so much as it’s a way of saying “no, I don’t have a name you can understand. My name is above every name, the finite human mind cannot grasp the infinite, and you can’t control me.”
Joshua,
You gave some good info. in your comments. Thank you, very much!.
The one area of diagreement I have is where you compare Islam and Christianity by the way it’s followers act.
Christians did engage in a lot of violent acts againt Muslims (mostly in response to what the Muslims did to the Christians when Islam first started up and started to take by force Christian cities and churches and force people into conversion or second class citizenship.
There were a lot of sinners (all, of course), but some real stupid, and controlling, power laden sinners who ran large parts of the Christian church for a long time.
They were certainly not following Jesus, or the scriptures in what they were doing.
The Muslims did, and are following Mohammed’s lead and the words of their religious book.
Islam is hell bent on taking over the world, (by force if necessary) and the good, or moderate Muslims have virtually no say in it. Like all forms of totalitarianism, the few rule the many by instilling fear and with lies about their own superiority and lies about the infidel’s inferiority.
Almost all the trouble (war, terror) in the world at this moment revolves around Islam.
Here is a short article on the Crusades
http://lightofthemaster.com/The_Crusades.html
Thanks Joshua!
A pleasure to have you and your perspectives on ‘the old Adam’ !
– Steve
“Islam is hell bent on taking over the world, (by force if necessary) and the good, or moderate Muslims have virtually no say in it. Like all forms of totalitarianism, the few rule the manner by instilling fear and with lies about their own superiority and lies about the infidel’s inferiority.”
Well put, Steve
Revolutioninthespirit,
Thank you, Steve!
Steve wrote:
“Islam is hell bent on taking over the world, (by force if necessary) and the good, or moderate Muslims have virtually no say in it. Like all forms of totalitarianism, the few rule the manner by instilling fear and with lies about their own superiority and lies about the infidel’s inferiority.”
Islam’s authoritative texts state:
“Allah’s Apostle said: ‘I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle . . . ‘” (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 24).
“Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been made victorious with terror’” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 220).
“Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57).
Joshua,
“They worship the same God as both Christians and Jews. It’s just that their views of God are even more heretical than the Jewish views of God.”
The same god?
Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” Allah said, “kill the unbelievers wherever you find them.”
Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” Mohammed said, “The blaspheme who say Allah has a son.”
A Jew who speaks the words of the Law and Prophets truthfully cannot speak heresy, for the Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus’ day.
“people who think Islam is by nature a violent religion forget that for over a thousand years it was better to be a Christian living in a Muslim Country than a Muslim living in a Christian Country.”
According to whom? Averroes and Avicenna — Jews living in that multiculturalist paradise al-Andalus — lamented their mistreatment at the hands of their Muslim overlords.
Spain fought for eight hundred years to reclaim their land from Islam. Most nations were not so fortunate.
You’re repeating jihadist/leftist propaganda.
“To call Muslims violent, lying, and murderous”
Is to tell the truth about those Muslims who are “violent, lying, and murderous,” usually in obedience to Allah.
More importantly, those adjectives describe accurately Allah’s commands and Mohammed’s words and deeds.
“is hypocritical in light of our own long and bloody past.”
When nuns start hiding bombs under their habits to kill for Jesus, then we can talk.
No Christians have ever slaughtered in obedience to Christ’s command. You’re making a false moral equivalence and tu quoque argument, just like jihadists, their propagandists, and their Useful Idiots do.
“Compare the conquest of Egypt in the 7th century by the Muslims to the Christian Conquest of the Holy Land in the first crusade; there’s no comparison.”
That’s absolutely right, but not the way in which you intend.
Jihad conquests were carried out in fulfillment of Allah’s commands to enslave or slaughter all who refuse conversion.
The first Crusade was called by Pope Urban II to aid Christians in the east under siege from . . . jihad.
(Yes, the crimes committed by Crusaders along the way against Jews and fellow Christians were deplorable.)
Amillennialist
“They blaspheme who . . . .”
Nice work, Amillennialist!
Ok Allah is not the muslim name for God it has nothing to do with being muslim. It is just a word in a language that means the one and only creator. Muslims can also say God or any other name for him, but we choose to say Allah b/c it is the only name that cannot be changed to mean other things. For instance God can mean Hindu God Greek God, Godess, False God, Idol God, etc….. But Allah only means one and only one thing. Most religions in the world say God even though it is an entirely different make believe person. We Muslims believe in the Torah and the Bible, we believe the Quran was the last book sent down from Allah after the Bible. We do not believe all that is in the Bible b/c it has been changed and all of the scripts are not there. The Quran however is still in its original condition, it is still in Arabic, and has all of the same stories as the Bible we believe in Moses, Noah and the Arc, Abraham, and most others. The only difference in Muslim is that we believe that Jesus was a prophet not the son of Allah. We believe everything else that he was born of the virgin Mary and healed the blind and so forth, but at time of crucifiction Allah changed the face of the man who betrayed Jesus to look like him so he would be killed in his place..
American Muslim,
“…but at time of crucifiction Allah changed the face of the man who betrayed Jesus to look like him so he would be killed in his place..”
Jesus Christ was God, is God and wll always be God.
He hung on that cross and died so that we would not have to go through all this religious baloney of trying to make ourselves right before God, which we cannot do because we are sinners who actually like being bound to sin.
His death and resurrection broke those chains of our sinfulness and now we can have peace with God…not because of our best efforts, but in spite of them.
This is the Good News of Christ Jesus!
All of this was accomplished for our sakes. For my sake and for yours!
Because of what Jesus did on the cross, all of your sins are forgiven, and you are free!
If you believe this, you are free!
If you don’t, then you are left with yourself and your best efforts. Not something that I would want to rely upon.
Thanks, American Muslim!