Weblog Entry - 11/22/2003: "The same God?"

11/22/2003 Entry: "The same God?"

Reported with disapproval by Jerusalem Newswire:

Attending an event during his state visit to the United Kingdom, Bush fielded a question from a reporter who wanted to know whether the president believed that Muslims worshiped the same god he did.
According to BP News, the reporter asked Bush his thoughts on how the war on terrorism and his promotion of freedom intersected with his Christian faith.
"Mr. President, when you talk about peace in the Middle East, you've often said that freedom is granted by the Almighty," the reporter asked. "Some people who share your beliefs don't believe that Muslims worship the same Almighty. I wonder about your views on that…"
"I do say that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every person. I also condition it by saying freedom is not America's gift to the world. It's much greater than that, of course. And I believe we worship the same God."

For once I can agree with George W. Bush. I'm sure he'd be thrilled if he knew!

Replies:

I thought so. ;)

Posted by Wood @ 11/26/2003 08:18 AM CST

Now that's what I call dialogue.

Posted by Rick O'Donnell @ 11/26/2003 01:47 AM CST

Ooh, look. The voice of reason.

Gosh.

I have never heard that before. I will immediately go and do as this wise, stunningly insightful and tolerant person says. I have seen the light!

Posted by Wood @ 11/25/2003 08:40 AM CST

It amazes me that in the 21st century we still have supposedly intelligent people arguing and competing about different brands of non-existent supernatural entities. Get a life, throw your pathetic bibles/quorans/torahs away and start solving the worlds problems.

Posted by Ann Atheist @ 11/25/2003 01:08 AM CST

Just because a Jew or a Muslim doesn't have a Trinitarian theology doesn't mean they don't worship the same God. It just means they don't understand God in the exact same way as we do (and vice versa).

And good point Richard...exactly what other God is there for them to worship? Last I checked, we Christians were Monotheists...which means we not only worship one God, but that we believe there only IS one God. To say that Jews and Muslims worship a different God is to subscribe to all-out polytheism.

Unless, of course, you want to drag an Evil Almost-Supreme Being into the picture (i.e. "Satan") and claim they worship that. That may be a conclusion Pieter is comfortable with, but I (and the vast majority of Christian orthodoxy that I'm aware of) am not.

If the Muslims worship Satan then so do the Jews. You sure that's where you want to go with this, Pieter?

Posted by Jonathan @ 11/24/2003 04:32 AM CST

So do the Jews, but that doesn't mean they don't worship the same God.You don't to "give anything away" to acknowledge that Islam arises out of the same historical roots as Judaism and Christianity. They explicitly worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Do you know of any other?

Posted by Richard @ 11/23/2003 12:28 PM CST

If you're Trinitarian, then how can you agree with Bush that we worship the same God the Muslims do? The Muslims deny the deity of Christ.

Posted by Pieter Friedrich @ 11/23/2003 08:40 AM CST

Yes.

Posted by Richard @ 11/23/2003 07:15 AM CST

Are you Trinitarian, Richard?

Posted by Pieter Friedrich @ 11/23/2003 03:51 AM CST

Heh. That's going to bring his approval rating down with certain conservatives for sure...

Posted by Jonathan @ 11/23/2003 02:04 AM CST

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