One God for Christians, Muslims and Jews? Good Question
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-12-20/one-god-for-christians-muslims-and-jews-good-question...
The fascinating philosophical-theological question at stake here is worth understanding if not answering. It depends on what we mean by the word “same.” Pope Francis obviously believes that the teachings of Christianity are true, and he presumably doesn’t believe the Koran is the word of God -- otherwise he’d be a Muslim.
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What the administration of Wheaton College believes is that the distinctive features of the Christian God -- in particular, the mystery of the Trinity and the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ -- are so different from the Islamic conception of God as to make the two no longer the same.
This, too, is a perfectly logical view, if logic is the right word to discuss such matters of faith. Islam affirms God’s radical unity. Tawhid, the Arabic word for that affirmation, is at the core of Islamic theology. The Koran treats Jesus as a servant of God, but not God’s son, and certainly not as an element of the Godhead.
And perhaps after this is resolved, the wise theologians can finally count those angels dancing on the pinhead.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Based on a strain of theology that was prominent in the 1800s. Note that many theologians gamed tenure: As theologians, they gained professorships and the tenure that came with it. However, many ultimately altered or nearly disavowed their faith. In taking a stance above belief, they managed to lose belief.
In viewing religion as myth, it was easy to say that the various deities involved were "the same." After all, there are archetypes for characters in many traditions, and they're viewed as the "same." Diana was Artemis, and in many ways Odin was Zeus was Jupiter. Abstract away from the details to see the underlying unity--because the details of belief didn't matter.
This played into some polemicists' hands, because it's a nice tool for arguing for either tolerance or to help proselytizing. "C'mon, Muslims also believe in Jesus and Mary, and we worship the same god." Ignore all the doctrinal differences, what the god involved allegedly says. Really, trust me, they're the same. (Bernie is really Jeb is really Hillary is really Cruz is really O'Malley is really Trump. They're all the same.)
Ecumenists also found it handy. Ignore the details, tradition isn't worth anything, what matters is social unity and social justice. Most conservative Xians had contempt for the ecumenical Xian movement in the '70s and '80s. I suppose it must still exist. Most of them, however, were like Episcopals--Bible, tradition, and "inspiration" were their pillars of faith, with inspiration and revision trumping (or Cruzing) tradition and the Bible being a "living testament" that needed to be fitted and reinterpreted by context. Moreover, to avoid giving offence ("Baptists can be saved but Jews aren't"
piety and zeal is all but prohibited. Heck, even Hindus and Buddhists can go to Xian heaven. Why this is less offensive than Mormons' posthumous baptizing of Jews is a mystery to me. Perhaps it's because we all need to be validated by others to avoid existential angst and self-doubt. "Sure, I'm ok and you're okay, but let's talk about how you think I'm really, really okay some more. Otherwise I'll assume you hate me."
But if you're a believer, the entire issue falls flat as playing semantic games for manipulation. Salafists agree as do many Baptists: You can't say Allah is like the Triune God of traditional Xianity, and the idea of a Jesus-as-God directly contradicts a fundamental text of Islam while denying Jesus as deity contradicts a fundamental principle of Xianity.
