Catholics in Malaysia refer to God as Allah

[DiligentlySeekingGod]

I want to go to some Islamic websites to see what Muslims are saying about it among each other. That's the only way we can find out for sure what they believe. But I'm afraid that I might stumble on an Islamic terrorist website. There is a real risk of this.

That is so true. Please be careful.

 

[RileyG]

I am astonished that you even believed that Muslims worship a different God than Christians or Jews.

Christians believe in the Trinity--but all three religions believe in the God of the Old Testament.

I have no studied much of Islam, nor do i know much about it- so I'm rather ignorant.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I have no studied much of Islam, nor do i know much about it- so I'm rather ignorant.

You will receive the politically correct version of Islam if you attend a secular university. But I recommend Robert Spencer's books especially his book The Truth About Muhammad to balance ideal with reality. If you read the reviews of this book you can tell that none of the ones who gave it a 1 star out of 5 rating read the book. I also recommend Epic: A Journey through Church History.

 

[Zeek]

According to an article on today's CNN homepage, not only do Catholics in Malaysia call God Allah, but even some of their Bibles use the term Allah for God. This would seem to lend credence to the thesis that Muslims and Christians (and Jews for that matter) all worship the God of Abraham.

...In some Arabic speaking countries when a Moslem is converted to Christianity, they now use the word Allah to refer to the G-d whom they have recognized in the Bible...and some Arabic Bibles also use that word.
( It does cause some heated debate)

Moslems do not worship the same G-d as Jews and Christians...the Allah of the Qur'an is simply a false god, and the religion of Islam is quite frankly unbelievable...the results of which can be seen in nearly every major conflict going on today.

 

[GoingByzantine]

...In some Arabic speaking countries when a Moslem is converted to Christianity, they now use the word Allah to refer to the G-d whom they have recognized in the Bible...and some Arabic Bibles also use that word.
( It does cause some heated debate)

Moslems do not worship the same G-d as Jews and Christians...the Allah of the Qur'an is simply a false god, and the religion of Islam is quite frankly unbelievable...the results of which can be seen in nearly every major conflict going on today.

Only someone in ignorance would find the fact that an Arabic Christian calls God the Father "Allah" debate worthy. Allah means "God" in Arabic so what is the problem?

Is there a controversy over Spanish calling God "Dios", or Germans calling God "Gott"? No, because these are accepted as linguistic variations of his name, Allah is no different for many Christians. Christians were calling God the Father "Allah" even before Islam came into being.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

Only someone in ignorance would find the fact that an Arabic Christian calls God the Father "Allah" debate worthy. Allah means "God" in Arabic so what is the problem?

Is there a controversy over Spanish calling God "Dios", or Germans calling God "Gott"? No, because these are accepted as linguistic variations of his name, Allah is no different for many Christians. Christians were calling God the Father "Allah" even before Islam came into being.

If the word "Allah" was originally the name of a pagan moon god then I think that would be significant even if the popular usage of the word has changed. I would like to find out what pagan religion it was that Muhammad was likely brought up in and what the beliefs and worship practices of that religion were.

 

[GoingByzantine]

If the word "Allah" was originally the name of a pagan moon god then I think that would be significant even if the popular usage of the word has changed. I would like to find out what pagan religion it was that Muhammad was likely brought up in and what the beliefs and worship practices of that religion were.

From Theology in the Context of World Christianity by theologian Timothy Tennent:

"In fact, the oldest Biblical Arabic manuscript, known as Codex 151, which contains a large portion of the New Testament, begins all but three of the books with the inscription, 'In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate'...Interestingly the other 3 books begin with the inscription, "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."​

The book also discusses how the word Allah has been used by generations of Arabic Christians. "Allah" predates Islam, and no matter what bizarre claim about Moon Gods or whatever garbage some overzealous Western Christian "discovered" about the word, it has been used by our brethren in the East to proclaim God the Father. It also has a liturgical use in the Catholic Church, so that should be enough for us as Catholics.

Note: I'm not calling anybody on this thread a zealot, I just get fired up over this debate.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

From Theology in the Context of World Christianity by theologian Timothy Tennent:

"In fact, the oldest Biblical Arabic manuscript, known as Codex 151, which contains a large portion of the New Testament, begins all but three of the books with the inscription, 'In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate'...Interestingly the other 3 books begin with the inscription, "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."​

There are good theologians, and there are bad ones. I don't know of the theologian you cite. But Arabic was not one of the original languages of the Holy Bible. The original languages were Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Aramaic. Arabic is a more modern language that developed in later centuries out of the ancient Aramaic language. Arabic is not the same language as Aramaic.

 

[Dylan Michael]

There are good theologians, and there are bad ones. I don't know of the theologian you cite. But Arabic was not one of the original languages of the Holy Bible. The original languages were Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Aramaic. Arabic is a language that developed in later centuries out of Aramaic. It is not the same language.

What? He's not saying that it was an original language, but that the oldest Arabic Manuscript is a translation of the NT.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

What? He's not saying that it was an original language, but that the oldest Arabic Manuscript is a translation of the NT.

Are you sure that the oldest manuscripts of the NT are Arabic? Because I was sure that the oldest manuscripts of the NT were in Greek. I will have to look it up.

 

[Dylan Michael]

Are you sure that the oldest manuscripts of the NT are Arabic? Because I was sure that the oldest manuscripts of the NT were in Greek. I will have to look it up.

Reread what I wrote.
That is not what I said.

The oldest Arabic manuscript is a translation of the NT.
Not that the oldest fragment of the NT is in Arabic.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

Reread what I wrote.
That is not what I said.

The oldest Arabic manuscript is a translation of the NT.

Here's what I found about Arabic Codex 151:

"It appears to be the oldest Arabic translation of the Bible in existence which was done in 867 AD. Certainly it is the oldest Arabic translation with commentary supplied by the translator." (Source)

This is not from a pre-Islamic period, so I don't see what point it proves. I said I wanted to find out whether "Allah" was the name for a moon god in pre-Islamic Arabia. By the time this codex was done the usage of the word could have changed.

 

[GoingByzantine]

LivingWordUnity, check out this link:

God the Holy Trinity: Reflections on Christian Faith and Practice - Google Books

 

[LivingWordUnity]

LivingWordUnity, check out this link:

God the Holy Trinity: Reflections on Christian Faith and Practice - Google Books

Was there a moon god in pre-Islamic Arabia? Yes or no? If so, what was his name? That's what I want to know.

 

[Dylan Michael]

Here's what I found about Arabic Codex 151:

"It appears to be the oldest Arabic translation of the Bible in existence which was done in 867 AD. Certainly it is the oldest Arabic translation with commentary supplied by the translator." (Source)

This is not from a pre-Islamic period, so I don't see what point it proves. I said I wanted to find out whether "Allah" was the name for a moon god in pre-Islamic Arabia. By the time this codex was done the usage of the word could have changed.

It can't be because Allah is not a name. It is a word.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

It can't be because Allah is not a name. It is a word.

Do you know for a fact that there was never a moon god named "Allah"?

 

[Dylan Michael]

Do you know for a fact that there was never a moon god named "Allah"?

There may have been a moon god. But Allah is a Word, not a name. A contraction of Al and ilah. Meaning The and god. It is not a name.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

There may have been a moon god. But Allah is a Word, not a name. A contraction of Al and ilah. Meaning The and god. It is not a name.

If there was a moon god what was his name?

 

[TheOtherHockeyMom]

If there was a moon god what was his name?

Edit:
I'm finding out some weird things about the history of the "Kaaba." Apparently it is considered by Muslims to be the most sacred thing on earth, but it has pagan origins.

"Also known as the House of God, it is the center of the circumambulations performed during the hajj, and it is toward the Kaaba that Muslims face in their prayers (see liturgy, Islamic). Pre-Islamic Meccans used it as a central shrine housing their many idols, most notable of which were al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat, collectively known as al-Gharaniq or the Daughters of God, and Hubal, a martial deity." (Source)​

The moon god's name was (of all things): Sin.

 

[TheOtherHockeyMom]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_(mythology)