Are we talking about the same God? For Muslims and Christians to begin talking with one another about religion, there is a requirement that we share some common assumptions. The first most basic assumption is that we agree that we are talking about the same God. This is not as basic as it seems, for there are those Christians and Muslims who will vehemently assert that the Muslim and Christian God are completely different entities.
Colin Chapman presents a helpful analogy.
Suppose there is a country somwhere in the world where the sun is never clearly visible. People are aware of the sun, because they can see the shape of the sun behind the clouds, and know that the sun is the source of heat. But they can never see the sun in a cloudless sky. Contrast this with people who live in the Mediterranean. They see the sun very clearly, and feel its heat. Is it the same sun for both people in both places? It must of course be the same sun, although each group of people have very different images and experience of it.
If we cannot accept this analogy, we have to think in terms of two completely different astronomical bodies, such as the sun and the moon and assume that Muslims and Christians are talking about two completely diffferent beings. That assumption is likely to make communication between Christians and Muslims extremely difficult, if not impossible.
What do you think?
5 comments:
I think its a great anology. It reminds me of the story of the four blind men and the elephant. each of them were stood at a different part of the elephant. One at the ear, one at the trunk, one at the tail and one at the leg. Each felt, sense and smelt the elephant and described him differently but IT WAS STILL THE SAME ELEPHANT. IT
Thanks IT.
I thought of the same story too when I posted it.
Blessings
Who is IT? Why is his comment under your name, Revq8.
Very interesting analogy. :-)
IT is my better half who shares same email address!
I think a way I'd look at this issue is to focus on what we mean by the word 'God'. Are we talking about God as he is in- himself, or at God as he presents himself in appearance and in relationships to differing cultures and individuals and at different historical times. If we look to the first definition, I see less difficulty in accepting that it is the same God. But if we look to the second, I think it may involve some kind of intellectual dishonesty to deny the real differences in the conceptualisations and understandings of God between the two religions.
So its not either/or but both/and. In Christianity and Islam they both are and are not the same God. In my opinion anyway.
Why should we expect reality to be simple, just becasue it being so makes life easier for us?
Jonathan (from Church)
btw here I write about a small Syrian group of Muslims in Syria (Morshedi) in which i also touch on broader islaic-Christian themes. It may be of interest.
See you soon:)
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