Islamforwest: Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

When Baylor University researchers asked their 1700 participants about what they think God looks like, 60 percent drew abstract or nature scenes.[1]

Stated in another way, the sons and daughters of the Abrahamic faiths, believe in a Deist God, Who is the Creator of our universe and is Transcendent, beyond time, space and matter.

Pope Francis has been making headlines recently by some of his liberal yet controversial remarks.  In a recent interview he talked about God, which was covered by International Business Times, with the heading, Pope Francis: ‘I Believe In God, Not In A Catholic God.’

The Pope said in the interview with  the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, as quoted by the Inquisitr. “Jesus is my teacher and my  pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my  Being. Do you think we are very far apart?”

The Pope did equivocate and hedge his bets, in his interview, but, if we go with the statement quoted, he is describing Islam rather than Catholicism and the heading covering the news, certainly talks about Unitarian understanding of God.

However, this Islamic influence is not a recent phenomenon, rather it dates to the very first interaction between the Muslims and the Christians, in the seventh and the eighth centuries.

The Holy Quran presents and demonstrates pure Monotheism and repeatedly stresses humanity of all the prophets, especially of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet Jesus, may peace be on both of them.

It is said that a third of the Holy Quran is about describing and illustrating Monotheism of Islam and the Jewish and other prophets.

Since the time of Umar Farooq (Caliph from 634-644 CE), the Christians had constant interaction with the Muslims in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia Minor and gradually the pure teachings of Monotheism in Islam, influenced some of the Christians.

The Islamic influence is most apparent, in the life history of Emperor Leo III (c. 685 – 18 June 741), who was Byzantine Emperor from 717 until his death in 741.  According to a three hour documentary, Christianity, the First 1000 years:

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