Sometimes I think that if more Christians and muslims got together to discuss religion, the better off we'd be. Think about this, every muslim I have ever talked to is unable to comprehend the trinity. They have been taught from a very early age that the trinity is equivalent to three distinct gods. Many muslims have told me that God can only be one thing, not three. I've always found this silly, after all God can be whatever He wants to be. If He chooses to present Himself in three ways, what's to stop Him? What I also found interesting was that even though they were adamant in their view of God being one thing only, they regularly think of Him in many different ways.
Curiously enough, many Christians do claim that God is only one thing. I don't know how many times I've heard "God is love." For the record, I think that anytime someone says that God is "x," you can follow it up with "Yes, but..." Anyway, whereas many Christians say that they have a single, tripartite God that is one thing (love), muslims have a single, monotonic god that is at least 99 things!
In Islamic tradition, there are 99 names of God. Yes, "the Lover" is included in there along with "the Majestic," "the Vast," "the Truth," and more. Interestingly enough, there are also names like "the Avenger," "the Destroyer," and "the Bringer of Death." I really do think that muslims have a broader view of God than most Christians do. They have both the nice and frightening aspects of Him in mind.
In the Christian world, there is a split. Typically, the evangelicals and more conservative Protestant groups concentrate in the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation. This shows God as wrathful, jealous, judgmental, and lots of other scary things. On the other hand, the more moderate and liberal churches tend to concentrate on the Gospels only. That shows God as a forgiving, loving one. I find it rare to meet a Christian that can keep both views in mind at the same time.
That's really just a long winded way of saying that people are funny when it comes to how they think about God. We swear that He is one thing, and then proceed to break HIm into three or think about Him in 99 ways. In truth, there are an endless number of attributes to God. It would be nice if we could all talk together and appreciate how the other "side" thinks.
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2 comments:
Im a Yemeni raised in England with a roman catholic education! I agree that interfaith debates and conversations would make the world a better place.
I was thought about God's threefold nature, and did not have problem with that. What I could not comprehend was the concepts of God as the saviour, original sin, and how accountability for sins takes a very different turn than found in islam and orthodox jewish beliefs.
However, going beyond defining what God is to be thought of you will find that muslims are actually taught about christianity and Judaism in the Quran and have understanding of both of the religions' history. After all muslims believe that islam is the natural progression of of both of those celestial faiths.
Mona min Sana'a
Well I'm glad to hear that at least one muslim doesn't have a problem with the trinity!:-) I'm sure that the Catholic teaching had something to do with that understanding. Don't worry, there are plenty of Christians that have problems with the Catholic concepts of original sin and how we end up being accountable for our sins. Thanks for checking out the blog!
Isshak min welyat Virginia fee Amreeka :-)
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