What's in a (God's) Name?
Terminology matters, but it's not always simple.
December, 2019
In English, the word god is a noun, referring to a deity. In Arabic, the word al'lah has the same literal meaning. Hebrew words like 'adon and 'elohiym literally mean "lord" and "the mighty," respectively. Ancient Hebrew speakers used their terms as names for the God of the Bible, as Christians use the noun "god / God." Arabic speakers, even non-Muslims, use the term "al'lah / Allah" the same way. That raises a specific and common question: does it matter what word we use?
Here, two separate questions are in play. One is whether it matters what symbols or syllables we use to refer to the specific being Christians call "God." The other question is whether using the same word means we're speaking of the same being. These are extremely important when assessing how supposedly monotheistic religions, like Islam, speak of God. It's also important when we examine sects which use Christian terms, such as Mormonism.
For example, consider a married man who lives in a blue house and has three children. His legal name is "William," but his friends call him "Bill," and his nickname is "Red." We might legitimately use any of those words to describe the same person.
Imagine someone saying, "I'm talking about Bob, the married man with three children who lives in the blue house." In that case, we have good reason to think they're referring to the same person, but using a different name. The object of their thoughts, and their words, is the same as ours, even if the term they use is different.
In that sense, it makes no difference what term we use, so long as the people we're speaking to know to whom we're referring. If the object—the end result—of that reference is the right entity, then the words themselves aren't disqualifying.
At the same time, merely using one of those words—"William," "Bill," or "Red"—does not automatically mean we are thinking of the same person. Someone who says "I know Bill, he lives in a green house," is either wrong about that fact or thinking of a different person entirely. If someone said, "William is single and lives in an apartment," it's clear they're not referring to the same person, at all. Even if their intentions are good, they're entirely unaware of who William / Bill / Red really is.
Looking at religions connected to the term monotheism, it's important to consider both of those factors. What we find is that those faiths are closer to the truth, compared to other concepts, but not entirely accurate to the God of the Bible. Many are actually examples of monolatry (worshipping one of many deities) or henotheism (believing in many deities where one is supreme). Hinduism and Buddhism might use the term "one god" to refer to their concept of pantheism. The details of who that "god" is and how they interact with reality are typically very different from what Scripture says. And, there are very few examples of true monotheism prior to Judeo-Christianity.
Scripture indicates that false religions are all mutations of the truth over time. Just as we see various versions of the flood in ancient myths, we might see more accurate representations of God in supposedly-monotheistic approaches than in others. At the same time, and for the same reason, just because some religious group uses the "right" words doesn't mean they're using those words the same way as biblical Christianity. The Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons, are a key example of this. They may use terms like "Jesus," "Christian," and "God," but their concept of those is different from what biblical Christians believe, just as much as the examples given above.
In short, it's possible that monotheistic language in a religion might point in the right direction: to the God of the Bible. That's even true if the faith doesn't have a fully developed sense of the gospel—such as an indigenous religion in an unreached area. But that's all: either that evidence leads such people to continue pursuing truth (Matthew 7:7–8), or it's simply another example of error. Speaking to those who claim belief in a deity like that, we should follow the examples of Paul and (Acts 17:23) Priscilla (Acts 18:24–26). We can acknowledge where they are correct, and the sincerity of their search, while pointing them to the full truth.
-- Editor
