The Same God?

[Richpo64]

The Same God?
By Cal Thomas
Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Whatever else his critics say of him, no one can fault President Bush for failing to go the extra mile in his efforts to show that neither he, nor the United States, is opposed to the Islamic faith, or to Muslim nations.

Last week, the president and Mrs. Bush hosted their seventh Iftaar Dinner, the celebration that breaks the Muslim fast during Ramadan. Immediately after 9/11, the president visited a Washington, D.C., mosque and proclaimed Islam a "religion of peace." He has frequently said that terrorists are not real Muslims, anymore than people who proclaim to be Christian and engage in violence are genuine Christians.

The president is the most openly evangelical Christian and faithful churchgoer since Jimmy Carter. And the evangelical community has mostly embraced him and twice voted for him in overwhelming numbers. But that constituency is likely to be troubled over something the president said in an interview with Al Arabiya television. In an official transcript released by the White House, the president said, "?I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God." Later in the interview, the president repeated his statement: "I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality."

To paraphrase a remark often attributed to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, everyone is entitled to his or her own faith, but everyone is not entitled to define the central doctrines of that faith. The doctrines of what is called Christianity not only stand in stark contrast to Islam, they also teach something contrary to what the president says he believes.

It is one thing to try to reach out to moderate and sincerely peaceful Muslims. It is quite another to say the claims of your own faith are of no greater importance than the often contradictory claims of another faith. If we all worship the same God, the president should answer the call of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Osama bin Laden, convert to Islam and no longer be a target of their wrath. What difference would it make if we all worship the same God?

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (carm.org) has created a useful chart that shows the conflicting claims of classic Christian belief and Muslim doctrines. It is worth studying whatever one's faith.

The central doctrine of the Christian faith is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for sinners and by repenting of sin and accepting Christ as Savior, one is "saved" and is guaranteed a home in Heaven. Muslims do not believe God had a son and, therefore, no atonement for sin is necessary. Muslims believe simply telling God one is sorry and repenting of sin is enough, if one also lives up to the five "pillars" of Islam. Furthermore, according to Muslims, Jesus did not die on a cross (as Christians believe); instead, God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and it was Judas who was crucified.

Evangelical Christians believe the Bible is God's Word and is without error in the original manuscripts. Muslims respect the word of the prophets, but claim the Bible has been corrupted (mostly by Jews) and is only correct insofar as it agrees with the Koran.

God calls himself "I Am" and says He is one, but with three personalities. Muslims believe God's name is Allah and reject the Trinity.

How can the president say that we all worship the same God when Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus, whom the president accepts as the One through whom all must pass for salvation? Do both political parties have the same beliefs? Are all baseball teams equal (clearly not, because only two will go to the World Series)?

The president can be commended for sincerely reaching out to Muslims, but he should not be commended for watering down his beliefs and the doctrines of his professed faith in order to do so. That's universalism. There are "churches" that believe in universalism, his Methodist church does not. No Christian who believes the Bible believes in universalism. And No Muslim who believes the Koran does either.

President Bush is wrong - dangerously wrong - in proclaiming that all religions worship the same God.


Cal Thomas is co-author (with Bob Beckel) of the forthcoming book, "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America"

[_JS]

Rich, what do you think of the article?

What do you think of CARM?

[Richpo64]

>>Rich, what do you think of the article?<<

I found it interesting.

You?

[BT]

What do you think of CARM?

Apparently they don't think much of Catholicism.

[_JS]

What do you think of CARM?

Apparently they don't think much of Catholicism.

No, they have quite a bit of webspace devoted to attacking Catholicism.

Also, Cal Thomas has been known to stretch the truth (read: lie) about Islamic beliefs. I wouldn't put much stock in what he has to say regarding Islam.

[Richpo64]

>>Apparently they don't think much of Catholicism.<<

I'd be surprised if JS has some kind of problem with them. I mean, he has no problem defendind Muslim terrorists, why would he have a problem with these people?

[BT]

Religion seems to have devolved into brand wars.

If you could distill the message of Christ into one sentence what would it be?

[_JS]

>>Apparently they don't think much of Catholicism.<<

I'd be surprised if JS has some kind of problem with them. I mean, he has no problem defendind Muslim terrorists, why would he have a problem with these people?

Hmmm.

You're the one that posted the views of Cal Thomas who suggests that every good Christian go to the CARM website.

Have you read it? Pretty nasty attitude towards Catholics.

You may find that acceptable. I found it very offensive.

[Richpo64]

The opinion of an anti-american Communist on anything religious means less than nothing to me. People like you are responsible for millions of dead Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, to name just a few.

So spare me your ridiculous attempts to lecture religious.

[_JS]

The opinion of an anti-american Communist on anything religious means less than nothing to me. People like you are responsible for millions of dead Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, to name just a few.

So spare me your ridiculous attempts to lecture religious.

Oh pray tell how I am responsible for dead Catholics? And if you can show me how I personally am responsible more so than Ford was responsible for the dead Timorese.


Otherwise, go lick some Protestant's orifice.

[Richpo64]

You're a Communist shit for brains.

Communists killed thousands if not millions of Catholics, both Roman, Byzantine and Orthodox. In Europe and in Asia. You're hero Uncle Joe mowed them down like blades of grass.

I'm sure it give you a chubby just thinking about it.

[_JS]

You're a Communist shit for brains.

Communists killed thousands if not millions of Catholics, both Roman, Byzantine and Orthodox. In Europe and in Asia. You're hero Uncle Joe mowed them down like blades of grass.

I'm sure it give you a chubby just thinking about it.

Ah...so name calling is the best you can do?

I've never killed anyone, thank you.

Liar.

[Xavier_Onassis]

If you could distill the message of Christ into one sentence what would it be?
=================================================
That is easy. "Do unto others as ye would have others do unto you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is obvious that most religions do not believe the same things.
Either Jesus was the Son of God, or he wasn't.
Either Mohammad was the last and greatest prophet of Allah, or he wasn't.
Either we are reincarnated, or we aren't.
Either there is some form of existence before and/or after we are born and die or there isn't.

It is possible that one is correct. It is also possible that all of them are wrong.

The best way to live in harmony is simply to allow others to believe whatever they wish, in return for them allowing us to do the same.

The T'ao and Zen Buddhism make more sense to me than the other religions, being as they stress that doing the right thing to produce positive results is a better message from my perspective than the message of the "Big Three" middle eastern religions, which srtess not doing the wrong thing or God will get you for it, which seems rather more infantile.

Being reincarnated into what the preparations you have learned in your previous lives prepare you to do seems much more logical and interesting than spending Eternity singing hymns of praise in the Choir Celestial, which seems quite boring to me. Surely an omniscient, omnipresent, omnibenevolent deity could do better than that.


I don't consider Cal Thomas to be the sharpest tack in the box. He seems to be a pretty uptight square to me. A less amusing version of Pat Buchanon, keeping in mind that ol' Pat is not all that amusing.

[BT]

That is easy. "Do unto others as ye would have others do unto you."

Would that also be the distilled primary  tenet of the other major religions?

[Xavier_Onassis]

Communists killed thousands if not millions of Catholics, both Roman, Byzantine and Orthodox. In Europe and in Asia. You're hero Uncle Joe mowed them down like blades of grass.

I'm sure it give you a chubby just thinking about it.
========================================================
I find it amusing, yet curiously unwholesome, that Richpo blames the crimes of Joseph Stalin on JS.

Whose crimes can we blame Richpo for? I am thinking Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Franciso Franco, Perez Jimenez, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, Chaing Kai Shek, Syngman Rhee, and Lon Nol.

Put them all in party hats and sit them around Richpo's cake.