Christianity And Islam Worship The Same God Essay

Throughout history there has been the much debated topic of whether or not Christians and Muslims worship the same God. This controversy still continues today, and both sides present very informative arguments. It is important to make clear that if one does argue that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, it does not mean they believe that both religions are the same. Many people on the side that Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God will argue that although both religions worship one God, the God they worship different vastly. While those on the other side of the argument will dispute that both their Gods are in fact the same due to their loving nature and depictions within their sacred texts. With that being said, both …show more content…
Volf explains that although both religions have different names for their God, they mean and represent the same higher being. The Arabic word Allah, used by Muslims, is simply the English equivalent to the word God, which Christians use. Patheos, a website that writes on a variety of different religions, especially Christianity and Islam, states that, “On the surface, it appears different because we say God, and Muslims say Allah, but that’s simply because that’s the word for God in Arabic. In fact, Christians in that part of the world also call God Allah. “Allah is just a word- if Islam were born in a different culture, they’d use a different word” (Corey). The author of this article, Mr. Corey, explains that just because Christians and Muslims use different names for their God it doesn 't mean they are different. In addition, Corey also explains that both religions worship one central God, both of which are Abraham’s God, according to their sacred texts. Moreover, there are a variety of different characteristics and beliefs that both religions attribute to their God and believe in, such as that “there is only one God, the one and only divine being, God created everything that is not God, God is radically different from everything that is not God, God is good, God commands that we love God with our whole being, God commands that we love our …show more content…
Within Christianity, followers of Christ call God “Father,” and build a partner and companion type relationship through their faith. As Brown explains, Christians believe that “through Jesus, we can have intimate fellowship—even friendship—with God. This is an unthinkable concept for Muslims given their view of God 's transcendency” (Brown). On the other hand, Muslims view their God as purely transcendent and avoid using such friendly terms when describing their relationship with him. Muslims view their God as far beyond their physical aspects of life, while Christians hold a more interactive and companion type relationship with their God through the materialistic aspects of the world. These different relationships that each religion builds with their God can be seen within their unique biblical texts. In Bible’s the book of John, the relationship that God wants His followers to have with him is depicted as follows: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:13-14). Here, the type of relationship that Christians have with their God is portrayed as a loving and open relationship, with a God who interacts with humans through the sacrifice of his only son. On the other hand, the relationship that Muslims have with their God is vastly different. Muslims worship their God through