Anyway… just to clarify for the group, don’t get confused by simple issues like this. In a possible world where there are two or three deities, it makes sense to ask “do we worship the same deity?” In a world with only one deity, the question is flawed, unless it is properly qualified. Instead of giving a wrong answer and saying “oh yes!, we both worship Yahweh **in some sense!**“, be brave enough to point out the problem with the question. You know the old saying “ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer”. Don’t be forced into making an answer that sounds even worse than the question. (not directed ay anyone) If Islam is sacrilege, then it cannot be worship and sacrilege at the same time. So if you want to “be patient”, as someone suggested, then tell the truth at least- the question is wrong If you want to break down the question, there are only two terms in it. Both the terms are wrong unless qualified. The first is “Muslims worship”. Are we supposed to accept without debate that Muslim practices equate to worship? The second is “same God”, the problem of which I just described. Basically everything is wrong with the question Or you can demonstrate this by substituting “Yahweh/ Jesus” for “same God” term. The question then becomes “Do Muslims worship Yahweh?” or “Do Muslims worship Jesus?” Forget about Christians in this group, even Muslims will answer “NO”! You literally wrote it’s “NOT true worship”. Again, the subjective angle hardly helps, isn’t that the definition of falsehood, when we hold true what is objectively false? The sort of approach seems to smack of a sort of evangelical desperation, which I feel is not appropriate Again, I think V2 is just making a diplomatic statement, hoping that by it, we might secure less antipathic attitude toward Christians in the Middle East I don’t take Church documents as definitive or binding when it comes to teaching on other religions, nor that they are intended to be After 2000 years there’s one sentence about Islam. I feel that hardly represents an effort at magisterial teaching “If there is anything in a Muslim’s life that is acceptable to God (and here we cannot state with certainty what, if anything, this constitutes), then it is Jesus doing the accepting. If a Muslim does have a favourable eternal outcome it will have been through a certain “invincible ignorance”, which is an insurmountable mental hurdle preventing one from accepting the deity of Christ, that Christ himself permitted to remain in place in this life.” That is the entire truth content of “Muslims and Christians worship the same God” I appreciate your efforts to defend the letter of V2 through these copious descriptions, Gerald. I wondered if the Vatican themselves had anything by way of explanation that you’re aware of?

To an atheist, it looks like Muslims and Christians worship the same God. In reality I think what it does is give the appearance of putting Islam on a spectrum of sanctity with Christianity. I don’t think Catholics are bound by faith to believe that what seems a carnal blasphemy called constitutes worship of Jesus. Complex arguments are meant to solve difficult theological problems, not to be employed to complicate simple issues like this which should have never been a problem in the first place, leave alone people writing endless articles about it. How can it be a “simple issue” if I still don’t understand it.

Basically I’m saying I don’t understand the defense of “we worship the same God” in V2

I’m also finding it hard to believe that this is the “contribution” of Roman Catholicism to Christianity.

That’s why I’ve relegated it in my mind to a “mere” political comment