If there is but one true god, then all theists (regardless of religion) must be worshipping the same god?

Question

...or are there as many different gods as there are theistic religions?

Ninja, I'm an atheist. I am posing this question to theists, primarily.

spibbles: I'm making no assumptions, merely asking a question.

Answer 1

That is absolutely correct, we all worship the same God.
Only He is known to different religions under different names.

The Sufis say, based on individual interpretation, there are as many Gods as there are people (roughly 7 billion)
because everyone worships their own interpretation of the God in their mind.

Answer 2

It's really a matter of perception, when you get down to it.

Obviously, there's a reason why different religions' deities appear different from one another and have different names, or what would the point be? You also have to look at the fact that many religions are polytheistic, or in other words, worship multiple gods. If the followers of these faiths thought there was only one "true" god, then why would they bother worshipping multiple forms of the same being, unless there was still fundamental difference between them?

Then, on the other hand, one should take into account the philosophy many Hindus hold true, that being that, though varied in form and name, all of the miscellaneous manifestations of deities in existence are but differing facets of the same omnipotent being. And while many cultures and religious faiths have adopted figures from other regions and made them their own to the extent of changing their names, alterring their appearances, and even adapting their folklore, a god by any other name is still the same god.

To sum it up, I personally think that there certainly are many different gods out there, and that many other people would agree with me, but I also believe that they all trace their roots back to the same place. But then again, the whole "One true God" concept in Christianity never sat right with me anyway...

Answer 3

I think you might be mistaken in your assumption that, if there is a god, theists are worshipping it and not some fairy-tale psycho out of an old mythology book.

If you address your letter to Santa Claus to Jackson, Mississippi, does that mean that the real Santa is ever going to read it or even care what it says? As far as the real Santa is concerned, you're not talking to him anyway...

(me = agnostic)

Answer 4

You seem to be ruling out the possibility that some theists just might be worshipping a false god.

Answer 5

I think there are as many different gods as there are religions. Every theist will claim that the god that they worship is not similar to somebody else's god.

Answer 6

If there is only one true God, then the vast differences in religions throughout the world mean that:
a) A lot of people are getting it wrong, and
b) God doesn't care about a).

Answer 7

Nice try, but high school sophistry at best. Most religions claim the one true god, but condemn all other religions as worshiping a false god.

So, no.

Answer 8

Try this one on for size In the ten comandments God says to have no other gods before him.

If there are no other Gods or Goddess's then how can one put them before him.

Answer 9

c-there are no gods-so far are track record on gods is perfect-none have been proven and each time we humans find another one-it seems a winning formula why change--just my theoughts-smile and enjoy the night

Answer 10

no they all believe that they are following a different god and that the others gods are false