Question:

Recently I heard a Muslim talking about how Jews say that they do not worship the same god as Christians and that Jews say that Muslims worship the same God as Muslims. They also went on to mention that Christians were pagans who believe in human sacrifice. I honestly couldn’t believe that someone actually thought this but for argument’s sake how do you point out the falsehood in these claims? I would assume in the latter accusation that one only need mention the fact that Muhammad commanded his followers to take the hajj to Mecca where they dance around the kabbah which was an idol house and kiss the black stone which was worshipped by pagan Arabs. I assume that would be proof enough but why is it people believe such stuff?

Answer:

Whether Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God is debatable.  I can say this.  Muhammad believed that his God was the God of the Jews and the Christians.  He makes this clear in the Qur’an.  Believe or not, in Malaysia and Indonesia Christians call the Christian God Allah, because this is the word for God in the native language.  As I already said, whether the God of Islam, Christianity and Judaism is the same God, this is a matter of definition.  Personally, I like to find ways to bring people together, not to create anger and division.  Christians are peacemakers.  For me, I prefer to say that the God of the three religions is the same, but that the Muslim concept of that God is quite different from the Jewish or Christian idea of God.  I believe that their concept of God is wrong—very wrong, but it is the same God.  To me, personally, based on my understanding of the Old Testament, the God of Christianity and of Judaism is EXACTLY the same God.  The God of the New Testament is the same as the God of the Old Testament.  There is no difference whatsoever between the Christian and the Jewish God.

For a Muslim to say that Jews claim they worship a different God than Christians, he ought to supply an example of someone who says this.  Is this person just trying to make trouble? I believe that is what he is doing, but I do not know this gentleman, so perhaps I should be cautious about making this charge.

The idea that Christians were pagans who believe in human sacrifice is such a terribly false accusation as to be completely dishonest and disingenuous.  Muhammad would be very angry at a person who claimed to be a Muslim making such a false claim.  This person should be ashamed of himself.  You should not even enter into a discussion with a person who make such an outrageous lie.   How can I point out the falsehood?  I cannot.   If someone said that there was a horse with five legs, it is their job to prove it.  I cannot prove that there exists no horse with five legs.  If a Muslim wants to make this charge, he must produce evidence to back up this outrageous charge.  Such evidence does not exist.

You cannot disprove that Christians are pagans by trying to prove that Muslims are pagans.  How would this disprove the charge?  This would be a logical fallacy.  We should not be involved is such unchristian discussions.  Muslims are NOT idolaters.  They are NOT pagans.  You should not make this charge because it is false.  It is true that Muslims worship at the Kaaba, which is the site of a former pagan idol, but to accuse Muslims of idolatry because they walk around this place of worship is unfair.  We need to treat Muslims according to the Golden Rule.   We must treat our enemies with kindness and not throw around provocative false charges.  They certainly do not “dance” around the stone in Mecca.  You should not use such charged language.  They do not kiss the Kaaba.  Again, to make this charge is almost as wrong as a Muslim saying that Christians  are pagans who perform human sacrifice.  Before you make such strong negative charges against all Muslims, you should make sure that what you say is true.  It is surprising and perhaps even disturbing to us as Christians that Muslims travel to Mecca to worship before that black stone known as the Kaaba, but if you talk to a Muslim and ask them respectful questions you will learn that as far as ther are concerned, this is not idolatry, they do not dance around and they definitely do not kiss the stone.

I hope I am not coming across too strongly here, but if you do not like Muslims making unfair provocative charges against Christianity, then you ought to look in the mirror and make sure that you are not doing the same sort of thing to Muslims.   Christians ought to set the example to the entire world of arguing fairly, gently and kindly.  It absolutely is true that this stone in Mecca was formerly a site of pagan, polytheistic worship, but since the time of Muhammad it has been a place where only Allah—a monotheistic God—is worshipped.

John Oakes