# Christians, Muslims, & Jews: do adherents of the other faiths worship the same God that you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 21, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000 "2011-12-21T21:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/1 "2011-12-21T21:47:41Z")
If not, what is the difference? If so, what makes your faith’s interpretation of that deity superior (if it is) to the other two? I’m not aiming to prove or disprove any thesis here. I just want to hear (well, read) what y’all think. As I hope to remain open-shuttered & passive, I’ll leave the debating to others. Thanks in advance, and I apologize if I spark any abuse from our abusive atheist contingent. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/2 "2011-12-21T22:21:27Z")
Jewish here. And yeah, sure. It’s not as if God needs us to worship him - religion is supposed to benefit humans, not God. So long as a religion makes people better, it’s a good religion. As for why our interpretation is better than theirs, that’s not that important. What’s important is that it’s _ours_. Anyway, it’s more of an obligation than an interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/3 "2011-12-21T22:41:29Z")
IMO, yes. There is only one God, so they must be the same. Christians, Muslims, Jews have different understandings of how God interacts with the world and how we humans relate to God. One religion can be “more right” than another but they all contain elements of truth. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/4 "2011-12-21T22:42:16Z")
I once met a Christian who had never heard the idea that “Allah” was the same as “God.” I pointed out various stories from the Koran: Allah creating Adam and Eve, Allah saving Noah from the Great Flood, etc. It was all wonderfully new to him, and, in the end, he had to concede that, yes, the figure in the Koran was “the same” as his own Christian God. Of course, he rejected the basic revelation of the Koran. He did not believe that Mohammed had received a true revelation. The phrase “fan fiction” was bandied… But in general, only a few die-hard “Jack Chick” types reject the notion that Allah and God are describing the same entity. ---
**Author:** ![raskolnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47c2d/32.png) [@raskolnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raskolnik)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/5 "2011-12-22T02:33:42Z")
Allah is the Arabic for God, used by both Christian and Muslims alike. Thus they are the ‘same’ God. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/6 "2011-12-22T02:45:46Z")
We all have such fundamentally different ideas about what this god is that I say no. Since humans control God’s PR, I’m inclined to say, no, we don’t worship the same god, because any god is an idea. Other people may _think_ they are worshipping the god of my religion, but mine doesn’t split himself off into human form. So while I suppose others direct their worship/praise/scholarship towards HaShem, I’d be of another religion if I thought they had it right. Misguided, at best. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/7 "2011-12-22T03:22:08Z")
> [@raskolnik](#): > > Allah is the Arabic for God, used by both Christian and Muslims alike. Thus they are the ‘same’ God. Minor nitpick. Allah actually means “the God” not “God”, though some translate as “the one true God”. Also, while Arab Christians do make references to “Allah”, they usually try to use other terms such as “Lord”. Unfortunately while Muslims have historically been vastly more tolerant of Christians than the reverse, the fact that Christians in the Muslim lands have historically faced soft discrimination(and recently not so soft discrimination has consequences). Anyway, yes, it’s all the same God. The God of Abraham. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/8 "2011-12-22T03:26:10Z")
Really don’t think there is any room for debate on this one. All three faiths worship the same deity. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/9 "2011-12-22T04:26:08Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > The phrase “fan fiction” was bandied… Now that’s just funny. And fun. But don’t get carried away with the joke and walk slash fiction into that same conversation or you could have a global fatwa on your head. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/10 "2011-12-22T04:38:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Think of it as movies. The Torah is the first one, and the New Testament is the sequel. Then the Qur’an comes out, and it retcons the last one like it never happened. There’s still Jesus, but he’s not the main character anymore, and the messiah hasn’t shown up yet. > > Jews like the first movie, but ignore the sequels. Christians think you need to watch the first two, but the third one doesn’t count. Muslims think the third one was the best, and Mormons liked the second one so much they started writing fan fiction that doesn’t fit with ANY of the series canon. Western religion in a nutshell. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/11 "2011-12-22T08:32:37Z")
To the OP, yes it’s the same. To **FinnAgain** , nice! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/12 "2011-12-22T12:41:56Z")
Basically, yes the same god and same heritage through Abraham. Different lines of descendants therefore different views and such, with the Jewish line through Isaac and the Islamic line through Ishmael, the christian one is one of adoption into the family. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/13 "2011-12-22T13:59:40Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > We all have such fundamentally different ideas about what this god is that I say no. Since humans control God’s PR, I’m inclined to say, no, we don’t worship the same god, because any god is an idea. Other people may _think_ they are worshipping the god of my religion, but mine doesn’t split himself off into human form. So while I suppose others direct their worship/praise/scholarship towards HaShem, I’d be of another religion if I thought they had it right. > > Misguided, at best. As an atheist I think factually it’s hard to deny the three religions worship the same “generalized” concept of a God, but this post here highlights why the three religions don’t get along. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/14 "2011-12-22T14:03:55Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Also, while Arab Christians do make references to “Allah”, they usually try to use other terms such as “Lord”. Yet another similarity between Judaism and Islam. > [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Anyway, yes, it’s all the same God. The God of Abraham. Well, we do disagree if it was Issac or Ishmael. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/15 "2011-12-22T14:08:07Z")
I would be going against my religions beliefs if I did not believe that they did. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/16 "2011-12-22T14:12:20Z")
Am I the only one who read the OP as asking if adherents of the three Abrahamic faiths think those who are not in that religious tradition are worshiping the same God as all three of those faiths do? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/17 "2011-12-22T14:14:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Am I the only one who read the OP as asking if adherents of the three Abrahamic faiths think those who are not in that religious tradition are worshiping the same God as all three of those faiths do? I think so. Skald! Ruling, please. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/18 "2011-12-22T14:17:13Z")
What I’ve always heard from the various sides, as an outsider: **Christians** almost universally tend to accept that they worship the same God as Jews, but that the Jews do not worship him in the appropriate way. The consequences of this vary from sect to sect, with some Christians believing Jews are hell-bound and others believing they are still God’s “special tribe” albeit wayward, and that some provision will be made for them in the end. Despite the fact that the Bible is a holy text in Islam, Islam says it worships the God of Abraham, and many of Christianity’s prophets are Islamic prophets, most Christians I’ve ever heard talk about it reject that Muslims worship their god. They insist Muslims worship a perverted false god that resembles their god in some ways. **Jews** seem to mostly not care, the really devout ones will repeat what was said early in the thread, that it really doesn’t matter as religion is more about the behavior and active practice of the faith and whether or not Christians/Muslims worship the same god is essentially irrelevant, as what is important is how they worship. **Muslims** FWIW almost universally have no problem saying they worship the same God as Christians/Jews, but I don’t interact with enough to say that’s a good representation of Muslims as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/19 "2011-12-22T15:34:28Z")
No they do not worship the same God. Jews deny the Trinity and the Islamic idea of God is only loosely based on a jumble of – often misunderstood - Christian and Judaic texts, which is no more closer to God than for instance later forms of Nordic religion worship the same god, or any other religion which also to some extend have been inspired by Christianity or Judaism. Or for that matter: that modern neopaganism is to ancient worship. Jews perhaps worship the same god, but their idea of god is very imperfect since it lacks a very important aspect. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000/20 "2011-12-22T15:36:55Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > To **FinnAgain** , nice! Thanks. To be fair, I shamelessly stole it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christians-muslims-jews-do-adherents-of-the-other-faiths-worship-the-same-god-that-you-do/607000.md?page=2)