Our Al-Ilāh, Who Art In Heaven
In the spirit of Ecumania
Common sense dictates that the word "Allah" didn't just pop-up out of left field when the false prophet, Mohammed came onto the scene long ago and far away. As noted in E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936, the pre-islamic Meccans recognized a certain pagan god they called Allāh [Arabic: al-, the + ’ilāh , god] who they recognized as the supreme diety.
As Political Correctness marches on, many state that "Allah" is a correct translation for God the Father. There's even the case of a Dutch Bishop who exhorts us to refer to God as "Allah" to promote better relations with moslems.
That got me wondering --- from now on;
Scandinavian Catholics can start praying "Our Odin, who art in Heaven..."
Palestinian-Melkite Catholics can start praying "Our Ba'äl, who art in Heaven..."
Byzantine-Greek Catholics can start praying "Our Zeus, who art in Heaven..."
Mexican Catholics can start praying "Our Quetzalcoatl, who art in Heaven..."
Italian Catholics can start praying "Our Jupiter, who art in Heaven..."
Egyptian-Coptic Catholics can start praying "Our Ammon-Ra, who art in Heaven..."
Irish Catholics can start praying "Our Dagda, who art in Heaven..."
If God the Father = Jupiter (Giove), I guess that would make Jesus the equivilent of Mars. Well, looks that will throw all those Jesus was the 1st hippie peace-nik for a loop won't it?
ReplyDelete(All the above said with the same attitude to PC as Cavey's)
Umm--what--or who--are us american catholics gonna call Father?
ReplyDeleteGeeze--the difficulties of living multiculturalism!
I have always rejected that notion, because God the Father can only be truly known in the context of God the Son.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot divide what is divinely united.
paganism + nestorism = Islam, what do you know, it wasn't all that complicated of a math equation after all.
ReplyDeleteFalse analogy:
ReplyDelete"The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself..." - Nostra Aetate, #3
Also see http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0301fea4.asp for an excellent explanation and refutation of the idea that Muslims do not worship / adore the one true God.
Allah (which is also the Christian Arab name for "God") is identified with the God of the Old Testament prophets in the Koran; in addition, Islam is considered to be one of the three Abrahamic religions, which share that early revelation as a common source. This cannot be said of Zeus or Odin or any other pagan god. While there is no lack of error in Islam and it can easily be considered heretical, it also would probably be unfair to say they do not worship the one true God.
In contradiction to what others here have said...
ReplyDelete"The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself..." - Nostra Aetate, #3
and
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0301fea4.asp
It really is a false analogy to equate the pagan gods with Allah. Allah is identified with the Old Testament prophets in the Koran, and is also the Christian Arab name for God. While Islam is full of error, it still recognizes the One True God.
Jacob,
ReplyDeleteYou might want to do more than scratch the surface to support your argument. I suggest you read all of #841 of the CCC where it clearly states; "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."
You are alos failing to mention #846 of the CCC that states; Outside the Church there is no salvation
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.
And of course, Invincable Ignorance being the exception.
The Church clearly is stating that the moslems believe in God The Father (Creator), period. What you are leaving out is that they also deny the Divinity of Christ as well as the complete existance of The Holy Ghost.
I don't know what "God" you worship.... but I worship The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Not some bastardized version thereof.
I'm sure if you put forth the same effort you did in defending the heretical moslem version of God, you will also find New Testament passages stating that denial of The Holy Trinity is denial of God Himself.
But thank you for posting.