منتديات الحور العين - ( Did God Become Man..? )

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( Did God Become Man..? )

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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][CENTER][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red][B]بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم .. [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/CENTER]
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[COLOR=yellowgreen][/COLOR][CENTER][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][B][COLOR=yellowgreen]ابتداءا نستعين بالله في كتابة هذا الموضوع ، حيث أنه عبارة عن كتيب صغير بعنوان[/COLOR][/B] [/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[CENTER][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red][B]( Did God Become Man..? )[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[CENTER][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=yellowgreen]by Dr. A.B.Philips[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=yellowgreen](PhD Theology , University of Wales , U.K. )[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]--------------------------------[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Foreword[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Belief in God[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]The Gods[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Man is God[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]God Becomes His Creatures[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]God Becomes One Man[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Men Become God[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Why?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Did God Become Man?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Can Man Become God?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Did God Have a Son?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Bibliography[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[CENTER][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]---------------------[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][CENTER][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red][B]Foreword[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]

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[COLOR=yellowgreen][/COLOR][SIZE=4][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black][LEFT][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=yellowgreen]The main purpose for writing this booklet is to reach those who believe in God and cause them to reflect on the nature of their beliefs in the light of reason and revelation. The booklet is actually the edited version of a lecture, which I have delivered on many occasions and in many ******** s around the world. The positive responces of the varied audiences to this lecture encouraged me to prepare it as a booklet in order to make it accessible to a wider audience.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/LEFT]
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[COLOR=yellowgreen][/COLOR][LEFT][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=yellowgreen]I sincerely hope that readers will find the thoughts and discussions in this short booklet usedful in their personal quest for God, because ultimately, there is nothing more important in this world that to find god and to live according to His Will. For those who do not care to begin this quest and by His divine truth, I can only offer a humble prayer that God help them find their way back to Him before their time in this world runs out.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/LEFT]
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[COLOR=yellowgreen][/COLOR][LEFT][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=yellowgreen]Lastly, I would like to thank all those who contributed to preparig and publishing thi work, foremost among them, my wife Esther and Mrs. Dana Bader.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/LEFT]
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[COLOR=yellowgreen][/COLOR][LEFT][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]----------------------------[/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]

[LEFT][COLOR=red][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Dr. A.B.Philips[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Preston University [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Ajman, UAE, March 2003[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]

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[LEFT][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][B][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][B][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=5]Belief in God[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]

[LEFT][COLOR=black][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]The vast majority of human beings have always believed in [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]God. From the most ancient civilizations to the most primitive [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]of modern societies, religions with God at their center have[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]formed the foundation of human culture. In fact, the denial of [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]God's existence ( atheism ) throughout history was limited to [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]a few[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]individual until the rise of communism in the 20 th [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]century. Even today, in the secular societies of the West, where [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]modern social scientists armed with Darwinian theories have [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]argued that God is merely a figment of the human collective [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]imagination, the overwhelming majority of citizens, laymen [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]and even scientists, hold steadfast to their belief in God.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]Consequently, the overwhelming body of archeological data in [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]support of God's existence has led some anthropologists to [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]conclude that belief in God (deism) must be in born and not [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]learnt. Although the vast majority of social scientists [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]proposed otherwise, recent scientific discoveries appear to[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]support the minority view that deism is innate. In an article[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]entitle " God Spot is found in the Brain, " Dr. Vilayanur [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]Ramachandran of the University of California at San Diego [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]said that the phenomenon of religious belief in God is hard- [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]wired into the brain.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]Despite growing evidence that man I hard-wired with a [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]"physical facility for belief," the fact that the concept of God [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]has varied greatly among human societies still leads some [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]thinkers, even those who believe in God, to conclude that [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]religions must be man-made. However, through research [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]reveals a common theological thread linking the various [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]religions. That link is the belief in a Supreme Being among the [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]various gods, a monotheistic foundation that can be found in [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]even the most externally pantheistic of religious systems. For [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]example, the concept of God in Hinduism exists as a single [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]example among many religions, which supports the view that [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]human beings were originally monotheistic and through [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]various degenerative processes became polytheistic. In spite [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]of its many gods and idols, Hinduism has a single Supreme[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]God above all, Brahman.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]Traditionally, most anthropologists have concluded that [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]religion devolved from various stages of polytheism to [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]monotheism, beginning with early man's deification of the [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]forces of nature, then, eventually, devolving into ditheism to [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]consolidate all of the supernatural powers into two main gods [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]( a do of good an a god of evil), and, finally, simplifying into a [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]belief in one god, monotheism. Thus, religion, according to [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]anthropologists and social scientists, has no divine origin; it is [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]merely a by-product of the evolution of early man's [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]superstitions, based on his lack of scientific knowledge. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]Hence, these same theoreticians believe that science will [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]eventually unlock all of the secrets of nature, resulting in the [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]disuse of religion to explain natural phenomena, and, the [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]consequential extinction of religion altogether. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]Man's innate belief in a Supreme Being, however, seems to [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]support the opposite view, proposing instead that man began [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]as a monotheist, but in time, strayed into various forms of [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]polytheism. This view is further supported by fact that all of of [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]the so-called primitive tribes, which have been "discovered," [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]have been found to hold a belief in Supreme Being. No matter [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]what their evolutionary stage of religious development is [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=green][FONT=Comic Sans MS][B][SIZE=3]f[/SIZE][/B][B][SIZE=3]ound to have been at the time of "discovery," most were found [/SIZE][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]to believe in a Supreme God over all other gods and spirits. As [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]such, the concept of a single Supreme Being remains in most of [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]the religions as evidence that the masses strayed away from [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]monotheism by giving some of God's attributes to other[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]aspects of creation, which eventually come to be regarded as [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]lesser gods in some cases and as intercessors in others. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]Nevertheless, a Supreme God, in whatever form He takes, is at[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][B][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=green]the core of most religions.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/LEFT]
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[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][B][SIZE=5]The Gods[/SIZE][/B][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]However, there does remain an aspect of belief in God which defies all logic and [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]reason, but which has become a corner stone of faith. It is the belief that God became [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]man. Where the original monotheistic belief in God degenerated into a belief that there [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]must be intermediaries between human beings and the Supreme Being to either convey [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]human quests or to act on behalf of God in the world, the intermediaries became[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]******s [/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]of worship. The intermediaries were often conceived as spirits found in all [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]manifestations of nature. Consequently, humans from primitive times have worshiped [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]spirits of the forest, rivers, skies and the earth etc., until the present time. Occasionally [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]nature itself was worshiped, and at other times, symbols representing nature were[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]worshiped. The religious systems, which evolved from these types of beliefs tended to [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]be localized and remain scattered among primitive people around the world till today. [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Such beliefs did not converge in the form of a single belief system of international[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]impact, as far as known in the current records of human history.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]On the other hand, where the monotheistic belief degenerated into the personification [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]of God's power as separate in termediary entities represented by images, idols [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]became a focal point for worshipping God. The powers of God became gods. Such [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]beliefs have culminated in ancient and modern times as natural religions of internationa[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]l [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]impact. Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman religions have died out due to the [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]complete subversion of these empires by phenomena, and, the consequential[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]extinction of religion altogether. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Man's innate belief in a Supreme Being, however, seems to support the opposite view, [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]proposing instead that man began as a monotheist, but in time, strayed into various [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]forms of polytheism. This view is further supported by fact that all of the so-called [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]primitive tribes, which have been "discovered", have been found to hold a belief in [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]a Supreme Being. No matter what their evolutionary stage of religious development is [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]found to have been at the time of "discovery," most were found to believe in a [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Supreme God over all other gods and spirits. As such, the concept of a single [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Supreme Being remains in most of the religions as evidence that the masses strayed [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]away from monotheism by giving some of God's attributes to other aspects of [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]creation, which eventually came to be regarded as lesser gods in some cases and as [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]intercessors in others. Nevertheless, a Supreme God, in whatever form He takes, is at [/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]the core of most religions.[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[CENTER][B][SIZE=5][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=yellowgreen]Man is God[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][COLOR=green]According to Hinduism, the basic concept I that everything is God. There is, fundamentally, no distinction between God and His creation. In Hindu philosophy, every living being has a self or a soul that is called Atman. It I generally believed that the soul is actually God, called Brahman. Consequently, the essence of Hindu belief is the idea that Atman and Brahman are one and the same; in other words, the human soul is divine. Furthermore, human society is divided into castes or classes, where each caste represents human beings who came into existence from different parts of the diving being, Brahman. The upper caste, the Brahmins, came from the head of God; whereas, the lowest caste, the Sudras, came from God's feet. Though there are officially only four main castes is subdivided into thousands of lesser castes. Hindus believe that when a person dies, he or she is reincarnated. The soul, Atman, of the dead person never dies but is continually reborn. If people are good in this life, then they will reborn into a higher level of the caste system in their next life. Conversely, if they are bad in this life, they will be reborn into a lower level, which I one of the main reasons why so many Hindus commit suicide annually. Daily, newspapers regularly record incidents of individuals and families hanging themselves from fans in their homes. In a recent edition of one of the local papers, a Hindu man killed himself when India lost a cricket match to Sri Lanka. When one's belief system espouses reincarnation, suicide becomes an easy route to evade difficulties in this live. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][COLOR=green]When a person reaches the top caste, the Brahmins, after various re-incarnations, the cycle of rebirth ends, and he reunites with Brahman. This process of reunification is called Moksha, and in Buddhism it is called Nirvana2 . The Atman becomes once again reunited with Brahman. Thus, man becomes God.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][COLOR=green]This is a Sanskrit term meaning "blown out," referring to the extinction of all worldly desires, or salvation. Though the term originated in Vedantic writings [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][COLOR=green](Bhagaved- Gita and the Vedas), it is most often associated with Buddhism. In Hinayana Buddhism the term is equated with extinction, while in Mahayana Buddhism it is a state of bliss (Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p. 393).[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

God Becomes His Creatures

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][COLOR=red][B]God Becomes His Creatures [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=5][FONT=Comic Sans MS]In Hindu belief, the attributes of Brahman are manifest as different gods. The attribute of creation becomes the creator god, Brahma, the attribute of preservation becomes the presser god, Vishnu, and the attribute of destruction becomes the destroyer god, Siva. The most popular one amongst them, Vishnu, becomes incarnate among human beings at different points in time. This incarnation is called in Sanskrit avatar, which means "descent." It represents the descent of God into the human world by becoming a human being or one of the other creatures of this world. Primarily, the term avatar refers to the ten main appearances of the god Vishnu. Among them is Matsya, the incarnation of God as a fish; Kurma as tortoise; Varaha as boar [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][FONT=Comic Sans MS](a wild pig); Narasimha as a half-man, half-lion; Vamana as a dwarf; and probably the most common one is Rama, the human incarnation. Rama is the hero of the epic, Ramayna, about which movies are made and shown regularly in India. The other popular god is Krishna, the other incarnation of Vishnu as a human being. His epic is the Mahabharata, which describes the descent of the gods in human forms to save the Goddess Earth, oppressed by demons, burdened by overpopulation and the danger of dissolution3. There are different variations of this belief regarding how many incarnations there are and what other animal forms they adopt, but all generally follow these manifestations. Consequently, in Hinduism, the belief of [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][FONT=Comic Sans MS]one-fifth of humankind, man is God or part of God. The difference between the Greator and His creation is only superficial.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Popular Buddhism shares the Hindu incarnation concept with its own modifications. It teaches that every conscious being possesses the "Buddha nature" and is, therefore, capable of becoming a Buddha. Buddha, in earlier teachings4 , was truly a human teacher who lived and taught. However, in Mayahana Buddhism, the idea of the "eternal" Buddha, embodying the absolute truth, developed, and Buddha was elevated to Godhood. In order to reveal his message to humankind, this eternal Buddha manifest himself from time to time as an earthly Buddha to lie and work among humans. Thus, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, became just one of the earthly appearance, a phantom apparition created by the eternal Buddha5 . Buddhism incorporated the elements of the Indian system of the gods and heavens and responded to the popularity of Bhakti Hinduism, personal devotion to savior deities. The Absolute or Buddha nature was seen by some as having attributes manifest as eternal Buddhas and bodhisattvas6 who existed in spiritual realms and offered their merits, protection and help toward enlightenment to all their followers who were devoted to them.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][FONT=Comic Sans MS]The chief ones among the eternal bodhisattvas were Avalokitesvara, a personification of wisdom. And among the eternal Buddhas were Aksobhya (the Imperturbable), Amitabha (Eternal Light) and Amitayus (Eternal life).[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

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[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red] 3[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]The theological centerpiece of the epic is the Bhagavad Gita (Dictionary of World Religions, p.448).[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red] 4Theravada Buddhism, Doctrine of the Elders, is essentially a discipline, which an individual practice in order to achieve salvation for himself by himself. Only monks who have the stamina and will power to lie the strenuous religious life can reach this goal, and now who achieves it is called an arhant. There are two types of Nirvana, one with residue and one without. The first is achieved by the arhant here and now, the fie aggregates (skandhas: which comprise all individuals; matter, sensation, perception, predisposition and consciousness) are still present, although the cravings that lead to continued rebirth are extinguished. Nirvana without residue refers to the state of the arhant after death about which the Buddha remains silent. There can only be one Buddha in an eon and enlightenment is reserved for an elite few. This aspect of Buddhism is called Hinayana, or Lesser Vehicle.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]With the passage of time after the Buddha's death, Theravada monks were criticized as being too narrow and individualistic in their teachings. Dissensions arose and Buddhism evolved. A new form, Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, came to dominate. (Dictionary of World Religions, pp. 126-127) [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red] 5Dictionary of World Religions, p.129.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red] 6Originally this term referred to former Buddhas while they were still in their quest for enlightenment. In Mahayana the bodhisattva postpones his final complete enlightenment and attainment of nirvana in order to aid all other beings in their [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]quest for enlightenment. (Dictionary of World Religons,p. 112[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red])[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red].[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][B]God Becomes One Man[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=5][COLOR=green][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Christian belief in God's incarnation has its origins in the belief of the ancient Greeks. The very terms used to describe God becoming Man exist in the Gospel of John 1:1 & 14, "In the beginning there was the Word (logos) and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Then the author of John goes on to say," …And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…" Although the Greek term logos is translated as "word," there is no single English term equivalent to it. Its importance lies in its use as technical term in Greek **** physical thought from the sixth century B.C., until the third century C.E., and in its appropriation by both Jewish and Christian thinkers. It first appeared in the expressions of Heraclites (540-480 B.C.) as the motivating principle of the universe, but was, by Aristotle's time, supplanted by the immaterial power nous and made the material power. Logos reappeared in the system of the Stoics who termed their principle of teleology both logos and God.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=5][COLOR=green][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Philo (d.50 C.E.), a Jewish Alexandrian philosopher, identified the creative word of the Old Testament with the logos of the Stoics. The logos thus became a transcendent principle, as the means by which God expresses Himself in the world. But logos also had a redemptive function; it was the means to a higher spiritual nature. In the Gospel of John, the logos are both creative and redemptive; the latter aspect is given greater emphasis than the former.7 [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=5][COLOR=green][FONT=Comic Sans MS]This belief required a reason, for which the concept of original sin and divine sacrifice were invented. It was claimed that due to the sin of Adam, which accumulated down the generations until it became so great that no human sacrifice could remove it, a divine sacrifice was needed. Consequently, God had a human son, who was God, Himself, incarnate. God's son later died on a cross as a sacrifice for all humankind to God, Himself. The son, who is God, Himself was later resurrected and currently sits on the right side of God's throne waiting to judge humankind at the end of this world. So for Christians, also one-fifth of humankind, God became a man at one and only one point in the history of this world, and belief in His incarnation is essential for salvation.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

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[LEFT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=red] 7Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p.314.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

A very interesting booklet indeed ...

Thanks a lot my sister

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[quote][B][FONT=Traditional Arabic][SIZE=5]A very interesting booklet indeed ...[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][SIZE=5][FONT=Traditional Arabic]Thanks a lot my sister [/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=green]you are welcome my dear.. may Allah accept this work..[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][B][SIZE=4]Men Become God[/SIZE][/B][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=navy][SIZE=4]From the perspective of Jesus' humanity, the Christian belief that he is God could be perceived as elevating a single human being to the status of Godhood. There is, however, another body of beliefs among many of the followers of Islam, which, like Hinduism and Buddhism, offer human beings the opportunity to become God.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=navy][SIZE=4]The origin of their beliefs can be found in mysticism whose roots are in ancient Greek mystery religions. Mysticism is defined as an experience of union with God and the belief that man's main goal in life lies in seeking that union. The Greek philosopher Plato proposed this concept in his writings, particularly in his Symposium. In it he describes how the human soul can climb the spiritual ladder until it finally becomes one again with God.8 The basis of this belief is the teaching that human beings are, in fact, parts of God that have become trapped in this material world. The physical body cloaks the human soul. Consequently, the soul in their view is divine. The trapped part of God in this world must free itself from the material world and reunite with God.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=navy][SIZE=4]There arose among Muslim people, a sect, which promoted this very same idea. Its followers are traditionally called "Sufis" and their system of beliefs is called "Sufism". This term is usually translated into English as "mysticism" or "Islamic mysticism." It is based on the same concept as that of the Greek mystics – that the human soul is divine and that the way that it becomes reunited with God is through certain spiritual exercises. Various groups of Sufis evolved into cults called "Tareeqahs" (ways or paths). Each cult was named after its actual or supposed founder, and each had its own set of special spiritual exercises which members had to strictly adhere to. Most taught that after the followers performed the prescribed spiritual, emotional and physical exercises, they would become one with God. This oneness was given the Arabic title fanaa, meaning "dissolution" 9 or wusool, meaning "arrival." The concept of "unity with God" was rejected by mainstream Muslim scholars but was embraced by the masses. In the tenth century, a sufi devotee, al-Hallaaj (858 -922), publicly announced that he was God and wrote poems and a book called Kitaab at-Tawaseen to that effect. In it he wrote, "If you do not recognize God, at least recognize his sign; I am the ultimate absolute truth because though the truth I am eternal truth. My friends an teachers are Iblees10, and Pharaoh. Iblees was threatened by the Hellfire, yet he did not acknowledge anything between himself and God, and although I am killed and crucified, though my hands and feet are cut off, I do not recant."11[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=navy][SIZE=4]Ibn 'Arabee (d.1240) took the unity with God belief a step further by claiming that only God exists. He wrote the following in one of his works, "Glory be to He, who made all things appear while being their essence."12 And in another he wrote, "He is the essence of whatever appears, and He is the essence of what is hidden while He appears. The one who sees Him is none other than Him and no one is hidden from Him because He appears to Himself while being hidden." 13 His concept is called Wahdatul-wujood (unity of existence) and became popular in the Sufi circles throughout the Muslim world.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/LEFT]

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[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red]8Colliers Encyclopedia, vol.17, p.114[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red]9Ihyaa' Uloom ad-Deen, vol.4, p.212.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red]10The proper name of Satan according to Muslim belief.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red]11Idea of Personality, p.32.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red]12Al-Furoohaat al-Makkiyyah, vol.2, p.604.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red]13Fusoos al-Hikma, vol.1, p.77[/COLOR].[/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=4][B][COLOR=red]Why?[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=4][COLOR=navy]What led ancient people to have the belief that the God became man or that God and man were one and the same? The fundamental reason was their inability to understand or accept the concept of God creating this world from nothingness. They perceived God to be like themselves, creating from what already exists. Humans create things by manipulating existing things into other states, shapes and form having different functions. For example, a wooden table was once a tree in a forest, and its nails and screws were once iron ore in rocks underneath the earth. Humans cut down the tree and shaped its wood into a tabletop and legs; they dug up the iron ore, melted it and poured in into moulds to produce nails and screws. Then they assembled the pieces to create a table for a variety of uses. Similarly, the plastic chairs people now sit on were once liquid oil, stored deep in the bowels of the earth. One cannot imagine sitting on oil the way people sit on chairs. However, though the human ability to manipulate the chemical components of oil, plastic is produced and chairs are made for humans to sit on. This is the essence of human activity; humans already merely modify and transform what already exists. They do not create the trees or produce the oil. When they discuss oil production, they really mean oil extraction. The oil was created millions of years before by geological processes; then humans extracted it from the earth and refined it. They also did not create the trees. Even if they planted them, they did not create the seeds that they planted.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=4][COLOR=navy]Consequently, human, in their ignorance of God, often conceive of God as being just like them. For example, in the Old Testament, it is written, "God created man after his won image; in the image of Go he created Man." For Hindus, Purusa is the creator God, Barhama, in human form, and just as humans create by manipulating the existing world around them, then the creator god must do likewise.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=4][COLOR=navy]According to Hindu philosophy, Purusa is a giant offspring of Brahma, having a thousand head and a thousand eyes. From him arose Viraaj, his feminine counterpart and mate in the creation process. The divine Purusa is also the sacrificial offering (vv.6-10) and from his dismembered body arose the four traditional social castes (varnas).14 Perusa Hymn states that Brahmins were Purusa's mouth; Ksatriyas (noblemen), his arms; Vaishyas, his thighs; and Shoodras, his feet.15 The Hindus' inability to conceive of God creating this world from nothind, led them to the concept of God creating the world from himself an its people from His body parts.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=4][COLOR=navy]Human ability to understand ideas and concepts is limited and finite. Human beings cannot grasp and understand the infinite. The belief, which God taught Adam, was that God created this world from nothing. When He wanted something to exist, He merely said, "Be!" and His command brought into existence those things that did not previously exist. This world and its contents were not created from Himself. In fact, the concept of God creating the world from Himself reduces God to the level of His creatures, who merely create something from something else. Those who held and continue to hold this belief are unable to grasp the uniqueness of God. He is Uniquely One and there is nothing like Him. If He had created the world from Himself, h would be like His creatures. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=4][COLOR=red]14Dictionary of World Religions, p.587.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[LEFT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red][SIZE=4]15The New Encyclopedia Britannica, vol.20, p.552[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=red].[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/LEFT]