Is the Jewish, Christian and Islamic "god" the same god?

Question

Christianity is a form of Judaism, you cannot debate this as the first Chistians were Jews who believed in Christ the messiah.
So why is there such a great divide between the two faiths? They have a common base but different interpretations.
Islam and Judaism do, i believe have a common base, hence the fact that Jerusalem is each respective faith's main holy city.

This in mind, how can Jews call Christians or Musilms infidels when they believe in the same god?
How can Christians call Jews or Musilms infidels when they believe in the same god?
How can Muslims call Jews or Christians infidels when they believe in the same god?

Coherent and specualtive answers welcome, single-minded religous propaganda is not.
I am not trying to promote one faith over another.

Answer 1

Surely Christianity sprang from Judaism, and the first Christians were Jews. But it's a non-sequitur (that is, it does not logically follow) to say that Christianity is "a form of Judaism". Christianity started as a Jewish sect, and then evolved into an entirely different religion, with a different worldview, a different theology. These are core issues that can't be dismissed simply because the founders were Jews. Think about it: A lot of the early communist leadership in Russia was Jewish. Does that make Communism a Jewish ideology? Your average Ku Klux Klansman would probably say yes. An educated individual would differ based on the fact that Communist doctrine is in direct opposition to many of the Torah's teachings (that is, Judaism itself). In any event, Christianity comes from Judaism, but that does not make it Judaism. And if you're upset that the two aren't more similar - well, you can blame Paul of Tarsus, who really founded the religion as we know it (ha - and I bet you thought it was Jesus!) Christianity is really more like Judaism's red-headed stepchild. I'm just kidding. (: Christianity is alright, and teaches a lot of nice things - it's just not for us Jews is all. We have our arrangements made with the Almighty, and respect the right of others to make their own.

Now getting to your actual question...

Well, I guess I kind of already did, touching on the profound contrast in Jewish and Christian ideas. Might I suggest a book? "Christianity and Judaism: The Differences" by Dr. Trude Weiss-Rosmarin offers a concise but thorough (if dry) explanation of the subject that you may find enlightening. You can get it used on Amazon for really cheap. If you need to know more now, a brief essay touching on some of the main points can be found here: http://www.convert.org/differ.htm

Suffice it to say that it's not as simple as Judaism + Jesus = Christianity, or Christianity - Jesus = Judaism. There are more profound differences than that, and I think it's important that we learn to understand and respect those differences.

Personally, I've never referred to Christians or Muslims as infidels, and I don't know any Jews who have. So was that a hypothetical argument, or one based on experience? If it's the former, I would take a step back and re-evaluate my position if I were you. If you're not Jewish, please don't presume to speak for the Jews. That's how blood libels get started. Hell, I'm Jewish, and *I* don't presume to speak for the Jews! There's an old saying: Where you find two Jews you'll find three opinions. That being said, many of us would take issue with the Christian doctrine of Trinitarianism, which borders on polytheism. As for Islam, the problem isn't a lack of monotheism. We acknowledge Islam as a valid Noachide religion (that is, one that basically follows the covenant between G-d and Noah). It's not that it's not monotheism, it's just that, in many of its interpretations today, it's not ETHICAL monotheism. One need look no further than the smoldering rubble that was once an Israeli pizza joint, or to the pickpocket who had his hands chopped off in a public exhibition in Mecca, to see that this is the case. Now, a Muslim might take offense to that and say that these aren't examples of true Islam (at least in the case of the former). And I can respect that. I just wish that someone would tell the guy wearing the belt made out of C4.

In the end, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam DO worship the same G-d. The Jewish and Muslim views of G-d are a lot closer than that of either to the Christian view. Neither Judaism nor Islam view Jesus as G-d incarnate. In Judaism, he's simply not a factor. In Islam, he's considered a prophet, and the messiah ("massiyah" in Arabic, I think). But the role of the messiah in Islam is more akin to that ascribed by Jews to Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet), who will herald the coming of the Messiah, whose role has been delegated in Islam to a figure called Al-Mahdi (the Rightly-Guided One).

So again, all three Abrahamic religions acknowledge the same G-d. So we've got that going for us, which is nice. You might be interested to know that the phrase "Our Father Who is in Heaven" occurs repeatedly in Jewish liturgy. I just noticed this myself. There are certain prayers which address "Avinu shebashamayim" which translates exactly as that.

I don't presume to speak for every Jew, but there are certainly Jewish halakhic authorities who agree that the G-d of the Torah (Y-H-V-H) is the same as G-d the Father (again, we are not down with the Trinity - but many consider it an acceptable compromise for non-Jews who would otherwise be straight up polytheists - it is NOT okay for Jews, whose souls were at Sinai and who should know better), is the same as Allah. That's not to say that Jews believe that everything that occurs in the Christian Gospels, or the Qur'an, is accurate. Simply that we all acknowledge and worship the same one G-d, the Creator, yisborach shemo, the author of reality itself. And this, I'm sure we can agree, is a step in the right direction.

Answer 2

The Jewish God, (True) Christian God, and Islamic God, are all believed to be the Almighty, however, if the adherents to any religion fail tounderstand their own God correctly, or even to be so presumtuous as to change their God's message, then they are bound to be off the mark and therefore different in faith from those that are clser to the mark. That is how there can be such hate between the groups because each feel that all the others are wrong, but the true way to test this is to examine the actual teachings of that God, not the men that came after that pollute and distract.

Answer 3

I have never called anyone an infidel, however I do know the Jews do not believe in the NT, therefore do not beleive Jesus was the Mesiah, so we (Christians) and Jews both believe in the Almighty father, however Christians believe Jesus was the Lord as well, along with the Holy Spirit. As for Muslims, they believe in something COMPLETLY different then the Bible that we have today. It is not the same god that we worship.

Answer 4

The Jews are gods chosen people,but yet they denied his son and hung him from a cross.The Jews do not accept Jesus Christ as the messiah.
Jesus defeated death,hell and the grave,and is alive forever more.
As far as gods.The god islamofascists worship is the devil himself,although they don't realize it.The devil won't let them quit hating long enough to see the truth.That's his strategy.The devil came to Muhammad as a ray of light claiming himself as Gabriel.The deceit began that very day.Sounds a little hard to grasp doesn't it?Look.Too much evidence is pointing in the way of the christian religion.That is why violence is getting worse.The truth is at hand and will flip a lot of people's lives upside down.
Remember the trinity.The father ,the son,and the holy spirit.Jesus is the only way into the kingdom of heaven.

Answer 5

Actually, there are three different gods--or god concepts--here.

The god of the Jews (the Old Testament of the Christian bible) is a vain, egoistical, genocidal, selfish, self-centered, jealous god with no self-confidence or self-esteem. The Christians then added a trinity of gods, keeping the old man from the old testament, but adding a holy spirit god who works wonders, and a son god who supposedly opposes his old man's arrogant ways and wants to help all people. In both of these god is a 'father', and in the second god is also a son and a spirit (the Catholics add a sorta fourth--Mary).

One of the things that Mohammed criticizes the Jews and Christians for is in making their god a father, having a sex, being part of a family system. For Islam, god is wholly transcendent and has no sexual characteristics (isn't a mother or father or son).

Mohammed traces Islam back to Abraham (so, yes, all three are Abrahamic), but Islam rejects the gods of the Jews and Christians, claiming that only the wholly transcendent Allah is really god. Islam also opposes polytheism and one of the reasons for starting the religion was to combat polytheism. Now, clearly Christianity is a polytheistic religion--god as father, son, hold spirit, Mary, and maybe a bunch of saints, angels, etc.--and Judaism also had (or has) polytheistic elements (at least Judaism also created their god concept by selecting one of their many gods as THE god).

Christians have a two-sided view of Judaism. On the one hand, it is half their testament (old testament), but on the other, the Jews aren't the only chosen people (as the Jews claim), for Jesus chose all people as his people. So Christians both accept and reject Judaism. Jews regard Christianity as a bizarre salvation cult (there is no salvation in Judaism). Islam opposes both--wrong god concept and polytheism.

The basic solution to these three--to me totally bizarre--religions is to replace them with a scientific humanism. So long as these three yoyos are on earth, we will have these incessant culture or civilization wars without end.

Answer 6

Muslims who know something about their religion do NOT think of the Jews and Christians as infidels - Al Quran places Jews and Christians in the special category of People of The Book. All three cults share the same God, the God who liked to mess with Abraham's mind.

Answer 7

Both Jews and Christians believe in the Abrahamic God. Christians just believe that Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah. I am not sure about Islam. I think so though.

Answer 8

Christians and Jews share the same God. But Muslims have been tricked by the Deceiver. That's why the Koran claims to agree with Scripture while at the same time denying its message.

Answer 9

A true Christians/True Jews/True Muslims never call others infidels. All have one God and one Father.

Answer 10

Yes, the origin of the 3 religions is the same. God of Abraham, who had a first son from a maid (Ismael, who originated Muslim) and then a son from his wife (Isaac) The Ismael branch separated from the Isaac and later this one split in two when Jesus came along, resulting in Jews and Christians.
Now they call names to one another but they all come from the same bag.