Roman Catholic Bishop Wants Everyone To Call God 'allah'

[Budge]

[i] Yes I know... there are some Christians who semantically use Allah for God in the Middle East.[/i]

However this guy definitely has the other idea....

[quote]Roman Catholic Bishop Wants Everyone to Call God 'Allah'

[b]

A proposal by a Roman Catholic bishop in the Netherlands that people of all faiths refer to God as "Allah" is not sitting well with the Catholic community.

Tiny Muskens, an outgoing bishop who is retiring in a few weeks from the southern diocese of Breda, said God doesn't care what he is called.

"Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn't we all say that from now on we will name God Allah? ... What does God care what we call him? It is our problem," Muskens told Dutch television.[/b]

"I'm sure his intentions are good but his theology needs a little fine-tuning," said Father Jonathan Morris, a Roman Catholic priest based in Rome. Morris, a news analyst for FOX News Channel, also called the idea impractical.

"Words and names mean things," Morris said. "Referring to God as Allah means something."

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group, backs the idea as a way to help interfaith understanding.

"It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God," Hooper told FOXNews.com. "I don't think the name is as important as the belief in God and following God's moral principles. I think that's true for all faiths."

Christians who are Arabic speakers speak of Allah when they speak of God, Hooper added.

"There's not a theological leap to make on the part of Christians," Hooper said.

The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago supports the idea.

“I think it will open up doors,” said Janaan Hashim, a spokeswoman for the group representing more than 400,000 Muslim Americans in the Chicago area. “Language is a man-made limitation. I think what God cares about is how we fulfill our purpose in life.”

The nation’s largest Catholic civil rights group says Catholics won't get behind the proposal.

“Bishop Martinus “Tiny” Muskens can pray to “Allah” all he wants, but only addlepated Catholics will follow his lead,” Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said in a statement. “It is not a good sign when members of the Catholic hierarchy indulge in a fawning exchange with Muslims, or those of any other religion.”

Muskens spent eight years in Indonesia, where he said priests used the word "Allah" during Mass.

Muskens also has drawn attention for other ideas such as encouraging the hungry to steal bread and offering condoms to combat HIV and AIDS.

FOXNews.com's Melissa Drosjack and The Associated Press contributed to this report.[/quote]

Hey at least there were a few who were outraged...


SYDNEY'S Muslim leaders have offered to open their mosques and school halls to Catholic pilgrims for World Youth Day as the Catholic Church seeks to ease tensions between the two faiths.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils is also considering staging mixed-faith sporting competitions and mosque open days for the largest religious gathering to be staged in Australia, which will bring Pope Benedict here for the first time.

[b]The Catholic Church has given a commitment that it will not try to convert members of other religious denominations taking part in inter-faith forums and volunteering facilities.[/b]

[url="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/truce-as-catholics-invited-to-mosques/2007/08/15/1186857597017.html#"]LINK[/url]


[img]http://www.apokalupsis.net/images/055_popekissesKoran.jpg[/img]

[homeschoolmom]

[url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=67979"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=67979[/url]
Please read.

[Budge]

Do you agree or not agree?

{there I made it debateable}

[goldenchild17]

[quote]"It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God," Hooper told FOXNews.com.[/quote]

basically what it comes down to... Allah can be a valid term in middle-eastern countries but outside of there it only serves (and in this case intentionally I think) to confuse the issue and push heretical notions such as the above.

[homeschoolmom]

English- and Dutch-speaking Christians should not use "Allah"... that's silly.

[Farsight one]

meh. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. At least "Allah" literally means "God". I might take issue if they wanted everyone to call Him "Steve", but just as long as it doesn't create widespread confusion, I can't say I really mind. He's still God, no matter what you call him.

[geetarplayer]

It's sort of like the way I view liturgical music. Jamaican music (like that of Father Richard Ho Lung) may be appropriate for a Mass in Jamaica, but I feel it is just silly and unnecessary in the United States and Europe. (Exception: Father Richard's music works wonders at children's Masses.)

[Budge]

[quote]basically what it comes down to... Allah can be a valid term in middle-eastern countries but outside of there it only serves (and in this case intentionally I think) to confuse the issue and push heretical notions such as the above.[/quote]

Glad you understand that golden child.

[Ora et Labora]

[quote name='geetarplayer' post='1360277' date='Aug 16 2007, 05:01 PM']It's sort of like the way I view liturgical music. Jamaican music (like that of Father Richard Ho Lung) may be appropriate for a Mass in Jamaica, but I feel it is just silly and unnecessary in the United States and Europe.[/quote]

Agreed.

[kujo]

Blech.

I'm down for careful ecumenism, but this is just pandering to a group to create a false-sense of harmony. Will calling Our Lord "Allah" make Muslim extremists put down their arms and stop bombing our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? No. Will calling Our Lord "Allah" put an end to the persecution Christians in the Middle East face? No.

So, really, what does this accomplish, other than pissing off Catholics who are tired of being told to make concessions?

Until the Church infallibly-states that Allah is an acceptable name to use to refer to God, I'm gonna continue calling Him by the names I read in the Bible next to my night stand.