Sacred Name Movement

Originally posted by usmc7257
Muslims and Christians believe in the same God.

I am guessing based on experience at this forum that hardly any two people worship the same god; in fact, all but the shallowest will find everyone else to be heretical.

Originally posted by usmc7257
Did he get a forum ban for that one? The thread got shut down after I told him to go choke on a carrot stick. I bet Dasa is just some big, hairy, meat-eating trucker who just likes to get a rise out of people.

His genocide thread last 'night' [my time] was interesting. [I have a copy of it]. There's long been a theory here that he is an artful satirist/parodist. Last night seemed like drink or something might have made him drop his guard slightly and the parody was not so artful. That, or... he is the real deal. And we just got a blast of his true colours last night.

Originally posted by FMF
No. It's the word used by Christians. It means [the one and only] "God".

I just figured that since Allah is used predominantly in the Quran (not to mention that it is Arabic), that it would be used only because the Indonesians are mainly Muslim. I mean there's probably not much call to use it if they weren't Muslim.

Originally posted by JS357
I am guessing based on experience at this forum that hardly any two people worship the same god; in fact, all but the shallowest will find everyone else to be heretical.

Fantastic. So we're all either shallow or heretical.

Originally posted by Suzianne
I just figured that since Allah is used predominantly in the Quran (not to mention that it is Arabic), that it would be used only because the Indonesians are mainly Muslim. I mean there's probably not much call to use it if they weren't Muslim.

Well, Suzianne, Christian Indonesians are not "mainly Muslim". So they don't use the word "Allah" for that reason.

Originally posted by FMF
Well, Suzianne, Christian Indonesians are not "mainly Muslim". So they don't use the word "Allah" for that reason.

You know, going back to your post I quoted earlier, it seems I just did not absorb the fact that you were talking about Christians. I guess I thought you were speaking of Indonesians in general.

Given this "new" information (lol) then, why would Indonesian Christians use the word Allah? It's Arabic. And mainly from the Quran.

Originally posted by Suzianne
Given this "new" information (lol) then, why would Indonesian Christians use the word Allah? It's Arabic. And mainly from the Quran.

Why do you use the word "God"?

How can you claim that the word "Allah" is "mainly from the Quran" when I have let you know that it's used by Christians too?

It's my understanding that the closest Hebrew words to Allah are "alah" which means to mourn or to curse, and "Elah" which is a type of tree.
Although some other words have forms of Allah in them i.e. Kabbalah, which means tradition.

Originally posted by FMF
Why do you use the word "God"?

How can you claim that the word "Allah" is "mainly from the Quran" when I have let you know that it's used by Christians too?

This is what I'm trying to get to the heart of.

I'm wanting to know if the Christians there in Indonesia are using the word Allah mainly because most of the population there is Muslim and the Muslims speak of Allah in the Quran, because among Christian groups in America, you *never* hear them use the word Allah.

Yes, I understand that Indonesia is a multi-cultural, multiple language country. I'm trying to understand *why* the Christians there (and possibly nowhere else on earth) would use a word for God that is Arabic and primarily shows up in the Quran, which is the holy book of the majority of the population. Is there a connection? I don't think I'm too wacko to suggest there must be.

Originally posted by Suzianne
I'm wanting to know if the Christians there in Indonesia are using the word Allah mainly because most of the population there is Muslim and the Muslims speak of Allah in the Quran, because among Christian groups in America, you *never* hear them use the word Allah.

"[You *never* hear] Christian groups in America [...] use the word Allah"?

What does "America" have to do with Indonesian Christians?

Originally posted by ChessPraxis
It's my understanding that the closest Hebrew words to Allah are "alah" which means to mourn or to curse, and "Elah" which is a type of tree.
Although some other words have forms of Allah in them i.e. Kabbalah, which means tradition.

Actually, the closest Hebrew gets to Allah (which is Arabic for "the" + "God", al + Ilāh, and is related closely to the Hebrew word "elōah" or "Elohim".

Originally posted by FMF
"[You *never* hear] Christian groups in America [...] use the word Allah"?

What does "America" have to do with Indonesian Christians?

Getting semantic on me now?

I don't hear them say it when they refer to God. Of course I do hear them say it when they refer to Islam.

Since you seem reluctant to answer my questions, just try this one. Are most Indonesian Christians by any chance Arabic?

Originally posted by Suzianne
Getting semantic on me now?

I don't hear them say it when they refer to God. Of course I do hear them say it when they refer to Islam.

Semantic? Me? Not at all. Indeed I have a feeling that it is you who is - perhaps - seeking to define "God" through "English" and through semantics. I'll ask again because the thing I am asking about seems to me to be the root of your problem with all this. You introduced "America" into this, not me. What does "America" have to do with Indonesian Christians? Do you think that "American English" is the mother tongue of Indonesians?

Originally posted by FMF
Semantic? Me? Not at all. Indeed I have a feeling that it is you who is - perhaps - seeking to define "God" through "English" and through semantics. I'll ask again because the thing I am asking about seems to me to be the root of your problem with all this. You introduced "America" into this, not me. What does "America" have to do with Indonesian Christians? Do you think that "American English" is the mother tongue of Indonesians?

*sigh*

No. (Amazed I have to spell this out, frankly.)

I am an American. My main exposure to Christians is Christians in America. Christians in America never use the word Allah (which is ARABIC) for God. Why on God's green earth would Christians in INDONESIA use the ARABIC word for God?

Now can you possibly answer ANY of the questions I've asked in the last fifteen minutes?

Like for example, if Arabic is the national language of Indonesia, then that one simple statement would have answered my questions!

Originally posted by Suzianne
I am an American. My main exposure to Christians is Christians in America. Christians in America never use the word Allah (which is ARABIC) for God.

You keep talking about "America". What does "America" have to do with Indonesian Christians? What does "America English" have to do with the languages spoken by Indonesian Christians?