What are the differences between the gods of monotheistic religions? I mean other than people the people of origin. Is the portrayal of the god essentially the same or are there major differences? Can it be said that all monotheistic religions represent the same god?

I suppose that it depends on the interpretation of an individual or of a community within those religions. There may be Muslims that there is only one God (Allah) and that the God of Christianity and Judaism is not the true God. There may be Christians who believe the same thing. And there may be believers from all monotheistic religions who believe that it is all essentially the same God. That would be the position taken by the Bah'ai faith, which holds that all of those religions point to the same one God.

Actualy, the opposite is true. Muslims believe that god had sent out 3 messengers each one stating a revised and more final version of Allah’s laws. The first was Abraham for the Jews, then Jesus for the Christians, and finally Mohammad. Muslims believe that Mohammad gave the world Gods final and absolute rules.

I understand that Islam belief does not fully reject Judaic/Christian teaching, and that in fact acknowledges Abraham and Jesus as prophets. I understand that for Muslims, the God of Islam is the same God that came to Abraham and the same God that Jesus preached about.

However, there is the saying, "There is only one God, Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet." There are some Muslims who take that to believe that the God that Christians believe in, is in fact NOT the same God that Muslims believe in (if it were the same God, could those same Muslims claim Christians to truly be infidels?) In other words, these Muslims might believe that while their God is the same God revealed through Abraham and Jesus, it is NOT the same God that contemporary Jews and Christians speak of. However, I have also met Muslims who see what you have pointed out and say, well there is only one God, so anyone who believes in one God is believing in the same God.

Likewise, there are Christians who say, "only if you accept Jesus into your heart will you know God." AND, there are Christians who say, "well I don't care if you are Jewish or Muslim, if you believe in one God, you believe in my God."

In other words, I think it's not nuanced enough to say "Christians believe X and Muslims believe Z."

The original question was, "Can it be said that all monotheistic religions represent the same god?" What I"m saying is that varying interpretations within EACH religion that might answer that question differently.

Muslims believe that dar El Harb (nonmuslim lands) has two types of people. The people of the book who believe in god but they don’t perform the right practices and then there are those who reject Allah all together. That is why Jihhadists sided with America against the communists. For more information, read Future Jihad by Walid Phares.

In the cases where it is not the same as for Muslims, the fact that America is educationally very Isolationist comes into play. The average redneck doesn’t know about other cultures and assume whatever they hear on Loony Toons.

I'm not sure what you're referring to here. Are you talking about Muslims in America?

While it is clear to most that Islam suggests that Jews and Christians are people of the book, there are others who take the above passage to suggest that the God that today's Christians profess to believe in may not be Allah.

Well if it comes down to a personal choice of interpretations I guess I feel opposed to any religious institution taking position which at such opposition with any part of humanity, that it triggers survival instincts into play. That doesn't serve humanity. What good is a god that doesn't love all humanity to me? My god must love all humanity for me to worship. Take us all or take none.

Wanted: One equal opportunity God. :D

Christians (for the most part) believe the God of Christianity is the same God the Jews believe in. Christians (for the most part) view Jews as God's chosen people. There isn't (as far as I know) a specific mention of the relationship between Christianity and Islam in The Bible.

I don't know what Jews think of Christians' belief in God, but I don't think either see the Islamic version to be the same God.

So no, I don't belive it's all the same God. I believe Christianity and Judism have the same view of God, and Islam has a completely different view of their god.

Another point of difference: most Christians believe that Jesus was God incarnate, that the Holy Trinity is the fulllness of God. Neither Judaism nor Islam will say that Jesus was God incarnate.

As I understand it, "God" all comes from the Abrahamic conceptions of Him, somthing that links all of the relgions together (Abraham, that is).

When it comes down to it, they seem basiclly the same, and the way I understand the relgions, yeah, He is the same. Only my interpretation though.

I was refering to Christian Americans. They don't know much about other cultures and religions and generaly pull most facts out of their ass.

That's true, and I'm certainly guilty about that when it comes to many things. I guess that's part of why we're here.

Christian theology tends to agree that the God of Judaism and the Christian God are in fact the same God, but just that Jews have not had the fullness of Christian revelation (in a similar way, I suppose, that Muslims feel about People of the Book).

Part of the problem with this question is that it assumes that there can be an "objective" standpoint--that you can extricate and idea of "God" by looking at each of these religions. This is certainly possible, but the minute that you "remove" the concept of God from any one of them, it ceases to REALLY be the God from that particular religion.

In other words, in trying to say that this "God" is the God of all religions, you in a way do not really acknowledge it to be the God of any of them.

Well if there is a god or god's and an afterlife, I'm kind of interested in seeing how the issue of justice gets meted out for the world. I don't honestly care about much else a god or gods would offer. Not even my own afterlife.

Ermm....I resent that.

In essence, yes it's the same God. And I think there really is no arguement, when it comes down to the bible. Isaac was the birth of Judaism, Ishmael was the birth of Muslim. Christianity came from Christ, and all three worship God. They are viewed in much different ways, and the three worship him in different ways, and thats what starts conflict. And unfortunately, in religion, it's hard for people to come to a compromise or just love as Christ did. Because humans are imperfect, and we're stuck like this. I'd like to think that if I talked to a Muslim I could have a genuinely good conversation without religion coming up, but the chances of that happening are very small indeed.

You mean justice in the material, every day world, or justice in the apocalyptic, eschatological, judgment after death kind of way?

Islam and Judaism basically worship the same god, although a lot of atheism is tolerated in the Jewish community. Christianity believes Jesus is a manifestation of that same God. Same as the holy spirit. Islam considers this to be worshiping 3 gods, but I don't.

Could you explain why you believe this?

It does seem rather similar - and on this theme, I've often thought of a similar link between Brahman, Nibbana and the Holy Spirit.

I believe that Sikhism follows the belief that Hindus and Muslims worship the same god...?

Christianity and Islam both sprang from Judaism…for the Jews god is just for them while Christianity and Islam is more universal.

I say it's just a matter of interpretation, mine is that it's all the same God interpreted as a different God or many Gods. A good friend of mine said that there is only one God, but that he has many names.