Pray to Allah??!!!

[Parrot1965]

I just got this in my Church Report e-newsletter:

http://www.thechurchreport.com/

Pray to Allah, Dutch Bishop Suggests

A Dutch Catholic bishop has suggested that Christians should refer to God as "Allah" to promote better relations with Muslims.

Bishop Martinus "Tiny" Muskens of Breda told the "Network" television show that "God doesn't really care how we address Him."

Pointing out that "Allah" is a term already used by Christians who speak Arabic, Bishop Muskens said that humans are needlessly divided over such terminology. God, the bishop said, is above such "bickering."

The Dutch bishop admitted that his suggestion was not likely to gain widespread acceptance. But he predicted that within a century or two, Dutch Catholics would be addressing prayers to "Allah."

Bishop Muskens has a history of creating occasional controversy within the Church. He has broken with Vatican leadership to endorse the use of condoms as a means of preventing the spread of AIDS, and in 2006 he traveled to Uganda to endorse the work of a group called Stop AIDS Now, which emphasized condom distribution.

My understanding is that Allah is not one of the names of God, period, so I'm not buying that it's acceptable to pray to the Lord in this way. Any thoughts?

[clemsontigers23]

This guy is crazy. Period. Any guy who would tell people that they should use condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS (which, by the way, doesn't work) is an idiot.

[freakysoccer]

all i know is that my god is GOD the only god in the universe and for me there will never be any praying to allah, i will only worship the one true god in the universe.

[middletree]

Allah is most likely the name of an actual demon. I would not recommend praying to him.

[sandie]

I think I'll stick with expressions like Lord, and loving heavenly Father. :)

[Valpo]

although this is a ridiculous idea, allah is simply the arabic word for God. Christians in arab lands use allah, but certainly not the way islam uses it. But time and time again people like this from certain backgrounds would rather re-interpret or compromise truths to appease the enemy.

[Andi]

Why would anyone want to basically bow down to the beliefs of other religions? That is not something I am going to be a part of.

[Parrot1965]

although this is a ridiculous idea, allah is simply the arabic word for God. Christians in arab lands use allah, but certainly not the way islam uses it. But time and time again people like this from certain backgrounds would rather re-interpret or compromise truths to appease the enemy.

I agree- Western and English Christians might be confused or offended by such usage. And I don't think Muslims would be convinced of our efforts to be more "accepting" by using it, either.

[rossid]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293394,00.html

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group, backs the idea as a way to help interfaith understanding.

"It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God," Hooper told FOXNews.com. "I don't think the name is as important as the belief in God and following God's moral principles. I think that's true for all faiths."

[DareDevil]

I agree- Western and English Christians might be confused or offended by such usage. And I don't think Muslims would be convinced of our efforts to be more "accepting" by using it, either.
Besides, God is all knowing after all. I am sure that he has no problem to discern whether a believer who is using the name "Allah" is actually praying to him or not.

[Jason]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293394,00.html

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group, backs the idea as a way to help interfaith understanding.

"It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God," Hooper told FOXNews.com. "I don't think the name is as important as the belief in God and following God's moral principles. I think that's true for all faiths."

That's why as an English-speaking Christian, I won't pray to Allah. Doing so would imply that I believe Muslims and Christians worship the same God. I do not believe that.

[Andi]

That's why as an English-speaking Christian, I won't pray to Allah. Doing so would imply that I believe Muslims and Christians worship the same God. I do not believe that.

Nor do I.

[middletree]

"God" is not a name. It's a title. His actual name is Yahweh. Well, that's the closest we're going to get to it in English. At any rate, it ain't Allah.

The bible makes it clear that the name of God is very important. It's probably important in ways that we don't understand. For this reason, I don't buy the idea that "He will understand who I'm praying to if I say Allah."

As I said earlier, Allah is probably a demon. We know that demons have territories, or areas that they have some sort of control or authority. And by "area" I don't necessarily mean a geographic area.

I don't profess to know all the details of this; it's mostly just hunch, but it's a somewhat educated hunch (learned from friends who do know a lot about this).

I do know that if I were Satan, and I knew that Yahweh's name was important, I'd invent a religion where people prayed to a god under a different name, and then I'd try to convince as many people as I could that it was really the same God as the God of the bible.

[Jason]

"God" is not a name. It's a title. His actual name is Yahweh. Well, that's the closest we're going to get to it in English. At any rate, it ain't Allah.

The bible makes it clear that the name of God is very important. It's probably important in ways that we don't understand. For this reason, I don't buy the idea that "He will understand who I'm praying to if I say Allah."

As I said earlier, Allah is probably a demon. We know that demons have territories, or areas that they have some sort of control or authority. And by "area" I don't necessarily mean a geographic area.

I don't profess to know all the details of this; it's mostly just hunch, but it's a somewhat educated hunch (learned from friends who do know a lot about this).

I do know that if I were Satan, and I knew that Yahweh's name was important, I'd invent a religion where people prayed to a god under a different name, and then I'd try to convince as many people as I could that it was really the same God as the God of the bible.

There's debate as to whether Allah is a pre-Islamic moon-God.

I'll continue to pray to Yahweh.

[Thirddaywannabe]

Let me take a swing at this. I'm pretty sure you all would know more than me, so correct me if I am wrong...


Christians and Muslims worship the same God. (God the Father) Despite the different names used through the years, They were the same entity. The differences trace back to days of Abraham and the blessing promised to be in his bloodline. The debate on who was to be the one to be blessed - Isaac or Ishmael - is the seperation of Judism (later to be called Christians, at the coming of Christ) and the followers of Islam. The ones who believed in the promise to Isaac became Jews, and the ones who believed the promise to be to Ishmael became Muslim.

Proceed further along history, to the coming of Jesus. The followers of Judaism become Christians, believing that Jesus followed the proper bloodline and prophecies. There were those who also didn't believe that Jesus was the Son of God - who stayed Jews.

At this point there were three: Christians, believing that the promise was made to Isaac and that Jesus is the Messiah;Jews, who believe in the promise made to Isaac but do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah; and the followers of Islam, who do not believe in the promise to Isaac but in the promise to Ishmael. (pretty sure this is where Muhamed comes in, but I'm not sure.)


Following this train of thought, wouldn't it all root to the same God? I would think it would all root down to "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," with the primary root being Abraham.

This is also why I believe it to be important for the geneology of Jesus to be be kept in the Scriptures. (they are, but some people don't see the reasons for the long lineology at the beginnings of some of the books of the Bible at first glance.)

This being said, I do not believe in using the name of Allah. When I pray, I pray to God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Yahweh. I believe using the name of Allah would show neglect to the facts of the promise to Abraham and Isaac.

If I am wrong in this, please let me know.

[Jason]

As Islam is a false religion, no we do not worship the same God as Muslims.

[DareDevil]

"God" is not a name. It's a title. His actual name is Yahweh. Well, that's the closest we're going to get to it in English. At any rate, it ain't Allah.

The bible makes it clear that the name of God is very important. It's probably important in ways that we don't understand. For this reason, I don't buy the idea that "He will understand who I'm praying to if I say Allah."

As I said earlier, Allah is probably a demon. We know that demons have territories, or areas that they have some sort of control or authority. And by "area" I don't necessarily mean a geographic area.

I don't profess to know all the details of this; it's mostly just hunch, but it's a somewhat educated hunch (learned from friends who do know a lot about this).

I do know that if I were Satan, and I knew that Yahweh's name was important, I'd invent a religion where people prayed to a god under a different name, and then I'd try to convince as many people as I could that it was really the same God as the God of the bible.
Maybe I am wrong, but the way I understand these things differs from yours. The way I see it it is all about intention and not about the actual words. This does also mean that God's name is only of importance because God made it so clear to us that we should treat both his title and his name with respect in our *heart*s. The words are actually just a reflection of this inner attitude, imho. That's also why I can live with it when an Arabic Christian is using the name/title "Allah" to express this inner attitude of his heart. This doesn't mean that words are unimportant, but it means that they are just a way to express the ways of ones heart.

So no, I don't believe that a Christian can accidentally pray to a demon simply because he made a mistake in respect to terminology. Still, I admit that the way how Arabic Christians are using the term "Allah" both for God and the god of Islam is quite confusing and therefore also a source of confusion and trouble.

[sandie]

Allah is also missing the Son and the Holy Spirit. He is not the same God by a different name.

We have faith in a personal God who has entered mankind's existence to pay the penalty for our sins, and this same God indwells us, teaches and counsels us through the Holy Spirit. :)

[middletree]

Maybe I am wrong, but the way I understand these things differs from yours. The way I see it it is all about intention and not about the actual words.

The more I read the bible, especially the Old Testament, the more I realize that there are things going on in the spiritual realm that we are not aware of. In the case of the name of God, there is something there that is of huge importance. We aren't told the details of why it's important, or the power that is unleashed when we call on His name, but we are called to obey without knowing why.

[middletree]

Christians and Muslims worship the same God. (God the Father) Despite the different names used through the years, They were the same entity.

This is how Muslims and one-worlders like to present it, but it's false. They aren't the same.

[HotWireD]

Muslims definately do not believe in 'G_d the Father'.

I often exclaim 'G_d is Great' when something wonderful happens, but I am not reffering to the god of Islam.

There has been a lot of reconciliation movement in the past decade with many interfaith dialogues.

The following picture disturbed me when I first saw it.

[Parrot1965]

From what I understand about Islam (not much) Muslims don't refer to Allah as God the Father, or Father God, as it implies a sexual relationship. And they don't understand the Trinity as we do.

[Sam!]

Muslims do not believe in a God who would condescend to his own creation. Notice how he wouldn't even give his own revelation to Mohammed? Islam believes an Angel had to come to reveal it. Islam does not believe in a God whose nature it is to forgive--how does that square with Exodus 34:6-7?

So YHWH passed over his [Moses'] face and he proclaimed, “YHWH, YHWH, a God who is loving and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in Hesed [covenant loyalty/steadfast love] and faithfulness, preserving Hesed [steadfast love/covenant loyalty] for thousands, taking away guilt and wrongdoing and sin, but surely not leaving it unpunished, visiting the sin of fathers upon their sons, and their sons, and upon the third and fourth generations.”

God's nature, by his own revelation to Moses, includes forgiveness. The Islamic god would never come down and reveal his glory to Moses, and would never declare forgiveness (especially forgiveness of an idolatrous people!) one of his primary attributes.

All of that being said, "Allah" is likely from the same root as the Hebrew word "El" (god, or God) - from which "Elohim" (God) comes. So to me, praying to Allah is pointless. Pray to God, pray to Father, pray to Jesus, pray to YHWH. Whenever you say "so and so called on the name of the LORD" - well, LORD is how most translations represent YHWH... which also isn't his full name as given in Exodus 3. So, whatever. People are making a bigger deal out of the wrong issue. The big issue is the conception that Jews and Christians worship the same God as Muslims do. They do not (though Christians and Jews do worship one and the same).

[Thirddaywannabe]

This is how Muslims and one-worlders like to present it, but it's false. They aren't the same.

Perhaps I should have said it this way...in theory, it is supposed to be the same. Not that Islam is just another variation of worship to God, because we are called to live for Jesus, the Messiah that followed the prophecies and bloodlines required.

And about your comment on the names being important, I must say that I agree with you.

[Sam!]

By whose theory? Because it's not true. Muslims would be horrified at an accurate description of God according to any real Jews or Christians. Christians ought to be horrified at the caricature of their God that Mohammed created.

[Pouye]

We are getting into two different topics.

In Indonesia (the most populous Muslim country in the world), Christians often use the word "Allah" to address God. "Allah" is the term for God even in protestant churches. I've heard missionaries praying "Allah Bapak kami di surga..." (Our Father God in heaven...)

We all know that Islam is not synonymous with Christianity.

I wouldn't call God "Allah" because I think of Allah as the embodiment of the god of Islam. However, it is not the word, but the concept in the mind of the worshiper that matters. The word "God" is not in the Hebrew Bible anywhere. You will not find it. It is an English word that embodies a concept, just like "El" in the tongue of Semitic ancients in Salem, or "Yahweh" in Hebrew.

In the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis attempted to illustrate this idea using a false/demon god named "Tash" as compared to Aslan, who represents Christ. In the story, a group of people called the Calormenes who have done good in the name of Tash are rewarded after their death for having really honoured Aslan; likewise those Narnians who do evil in Aslan's name are counted as having done that evil in the name of Tash.

This illustrates Lewis's inclusive belief that the idea being worshiped, and the honesty with which it is worshiped, is more important than the name by which it is referred to. This is made clear in The Last Battle, where an honest Calormene soldier enters "Aslan's Country". In fact, the Calormene capital city has an existence in Aslan's Country.

In many cultures, God has different names. Shangdi, in China, for instance. Shangdi (or Shang ti) literally translates as, "Above Sovereign", "Above ", or "Lord On High". In Chinese culture, it is an ancient name, the name used of the supreme deity in traditional Chinese religion. Interestingly, the name has been "redeemed" (like the alter to the "Unknown God" in Acts 17) and is being used today by many Chinese in Christianity, even in Bible translations. Just as amazing, Shangdi has never been represented with images or idols in Chinese tradition (it is forbidden!).

In Pouye, the title of God is "Irpupoyu Ramu" which is, "The Creator".

Rock