CONCEPT OF GOD IN JUDAISM:-
Judaism is one of the major Semitic religions. Its followers are known as Jews and they believe in the prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (pbuh).
:::::::(i) The following verse from Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses: (pbuh)
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad" It is a Hebrew quotation which means
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"
[The Bible, Deut 6:4]
:::::::(ii) Consider the following verses from the Book of Isaiah:
"I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."
[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
::::::::(iii) "I am lord, and there is none else There is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45 : 5]
::::::::::(iv) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
::::::::::(iv) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deutoronomy:
"Thou shalt have none other gods before me.Thou shaltnot make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God…"
[The Bible, Deut 5:7-9]:
::::::(v) Judaism condemns idol worship in the following verses:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me.[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]
::::::::::
CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM:::::::::
UPANISHADS:
The Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus.
The following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:
1. "Ekam evadvitiyam"
"He is One only without a second."
[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1
2. "Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."
"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2
3. "Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3
4. The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:
"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."
"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4
1[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanishads part I’ page 93]
2[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishadspart II’ page 263.]
3[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishadspart II’ page no 253]
4[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishadspart II’ page no 253]
THE VEDAS:::::::::::
Vedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.
----------------------------
1. Yajurveda
The following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:
1. "na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no image of Him."
[Yajurveda 32:3]5
2. "shudhama poapvidham"
"He is bodyless and pure."
[Yajurveda 40:8]6
3. "Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste"
"They enter darkness, those who worship the naturalelements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). "They sink
deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."
[Yajurveda 40:9]7
4. Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.
The Yajurveda contains the following prayer:
"Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wander."
[Yajurveda 40:16]8
5[Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]
6[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]
7[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]
8[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Griffith page 541]
----------------------------
2. Atharvaveda
The Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 andverse 3:
1. "Dev maha osi"
"God is verily great"
[Atharvaveda 20:58:3]9
----------------------------
3. Rigveda
1. The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus.
The Rigveda states in Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46: "Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many
names."
[Rigveda 1:164:46]
2. The Rigveda gives several different attributes to Almighty
God. Many of these are mentioned in
Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1.
Among the various attributes of God, one of the beautiful attributes mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3, is Brahma. Brahma means ‘The Creator’. Translated into Arabic it means Khaaliq. Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Khaaliq or ‘Creator’ or Brahma. However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads with each head having a crown, Muslims take strong exception to it.
Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes against the following verse of Yajurveda:
"Na tasya Pratima asti"
"There is no image of Him."
[Yajurveda 32:3]
Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of
9[Atharveda Samhita vol 2 William Dwight Whitney page 910]
:::::::::::::::::::
Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.
"Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him"
The following verse from the Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse 1 refer to the Unity and Glory of the Supreme Being:
3. "Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata"
"O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the DivineOne. Praise Him alone."
[Rigveda 8:1:1]10
4. "Devasya samituk parishtutih"
"Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator."
[Rigveda 5:1:81]11
Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:
The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is:
"Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"
"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."
Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism.
0[Rigveda Samhita vol. 9, pages 2810 and 2811 by Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]
11[Rigveda Samhita vol. 6, pages 1802 and 1803 by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CONCEPT OF GOD IN ZOROASTRIANISM:
God in Zoroastrianism is known as ‘Ahura Mazda’. ‘Ahura’ means ‘the Lord’ or 'The Master' and ‘Mazda’ means ‘the Wise’; hence ‘Ahura Mazda’ means ‘the Wise Lord’ or ‘the Wise God’::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
According to the Dasatir, Ahura Mazda has the following qualities:
*. He is One.
*. He is without an origin or end.
*. He has no father or mother, wife or son.
*. He is without a body or form.
*. Nothing resembles Him.
*. Neither the eye can behold Him, nor the power of thinking can conceive him.
*. He is above all that you can imagine.
*. He is nearer to you than your own self.
Qualities of God according to Avesta
According to the Avesta, the Gathas and the Yasna givevarious characteristics to Ahura Mazda such as:
Creator
Yasna 31:7 & 11
Yasna 44:7
Yasna 50:11
Yasna 51:7
Most Mighty
the Greatest
Yasna 33:11
Yasna 45:6
Beneficent
Hudai.
Yasna 33:11
Yasna 48:3
Bountiful Spenta;
Yasna 43:4,5,7,9,11,13,15
Yasna 44:2
Yasna 45:5
Yasna 46:9
Yasna 48:3
Thus, in Zoroastrianism too, we find a concept of an eternal, omnipotent God. Several verses of Yasna praise the Lord as a Bountiful Creator
::::::::::::::::::::
CONCEPT OF GOD IN SIKHISM
MULMANTRA: THE FUNDAMENTAL CREED OF SIKHISMthe fundamental creed of Sikhism, which occurs at the beginning of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
It is mentioned in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, volume 1 Japuji, the first verse:
"There exists but one God, who is called The True, The Creator, Free from fear and hate, Immortal, Not begotten, Self-Existent, Great and Compassionate."
Sikhism is a monotheistic Religion
:::::::::::::
In the manifest form He is called Omkara and has several attributes such as:
Kartar – The Creator
Akal – The Eternal
Sattanama – The Holy Name
Sahib – The Lord
Parvardigar – The Cherisher
Rahim – The Merciful
Karim – The Benevolent
He is also called Wahe Guru – the One true God.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CONCEPT of God in Bible----
The following statements in the Bible are attributed to Jesus Christ (pbuh):
(i) "My Father is greater than I."
[The Bible, John 14:28]
(ii) "My Father is greater than all."
[The Bible, John 10:29]
(iii) "…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God…."
[The Bible, Mathew 12:28]
(iv) "…I with the finger of God cast out devils…."
[The Bible, Luke 11:20]
(v) "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
[The Bible, John 5:30]:
:::::::::::::
God Sent Jesus' (pbuh)
The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses:
(i)"… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me."
[The Bible, John 14:24]
(ii)"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent."
[The Bible, John 17:3]
:::::::::::::
1. God is One
The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh):
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad".
It is a Hebrew quotation which means:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]
2. Unity of God in the Book of Isaiah
The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah:
(i) "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."
[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
(ii) "I am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45:5]
(iii) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
3. Old Testament condemns idol worship
(i) Old Testament condemns idol worship in the following verses:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
Judaism is one of the major Semitic religions. Its followers are known as Jews and they believe in the prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (pbuh).
:::::::(i) The following verse from Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses: (pbuh)
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad" It is a Hebrew quotation which means
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"
[The Bible, Deut 6:4]
:::::::(ii) Consider the following verses from the Book of Isaiah:
"I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."
[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
::::::::(iii) "I am lord, and there is none else There is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45 : 5]
::::::::::(iv) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
::::::::::(iv) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deutoronomy:
"Thou shalt have none other gods before me.Thou shaltnot make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God…"
[The Bible, Deut 5:7-9]:
::::::(v) Judaism condemns idol worship in the following verses:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me.[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]
::::::::::
CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM:::::::::
UPANISHADS:
The Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus.
The following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:
1. "Ekam evadvitiyam"
"He is One only without a second."
[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1
2. "Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."
"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2
3. "Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3
4. The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:
"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."
"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4
1[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanishads part I’ page 93]
2[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishadspart II’ page 263.]
3[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishadspart II’ page no 253]
4[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishadspart II’ page no 253]
THE VEDAS:::::::::::
Vedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.
----------------------------
1. Yajurveda
The following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:
1. "na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no image of Him."
[Yajurveda 32:3]5
2. "shudhama poapvidham"
"He is bodyless and pure."
[Yajurveda 40:8]6
3. "Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste"
"They enter darkness, those who worship the naturalelements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). "They sink
deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."
[Yajurveda 40:9]7
4. Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.
The Yajurveda contains the following prayer:
"Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wander."
[Yajurveda 40:16]8
5[Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]
6[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]
7[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]
8[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Griffith page 541]
----------------------------
2. Atharvaveda
The Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 andverse 3:
1. "Dev maha osi"
"God is verily great"
[Atharvaveda 20:58:3]9
----------------------------
3. Rigveda
1. The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus.
The Rigveda states in Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46: "Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many
names."
[Rigveda 1:164:46]
2. The Rigveda gives several different attributes to Almighty
God. Many of these are mentioned in
Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1.
Among the various attributes of God, one of the beautiful attributes mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3, is Brahma. Brahma means ‘The Creator’. Translated into Arabic it means Khaaliq. Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Khaaliq or ‘Creator’ or Brahma. However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads with each head having a crown, Muslims take strong exception to it.
Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes against the following verse of Yajurveda:
"Na tasya Pratima asti"
"There is no image of Him."
[Yajurveda 32:3]
Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of
9[Atharveda Samhita vol 2 William Dwight Whitney page 910]
:::::::::::::::::::
Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.
"Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him"
The following verse from the Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse 1 refer to the Unity and Glory of the Supreme Being:
3. "Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata"
"O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the DivineOne. Praise Him alone."
[Rigveda 8:1:1]10
4. "Devasya samituk parishtutih"
"Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator."
[Rigveda 5:1:81]11
Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:
The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is:
"Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"
"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."
Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism.
0[Rigveda Samhita vol. 9, pages 2810 and 2811 by Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]
11[Rigveda Samhita vol. 6, pages 1802 and 1803 by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CONCEPT OF GOD IN ZOROASTRIANISM:
God in Zoroastrianism is known as ‘Ahura Mazda’. ‘Ahura’ means ‘the Lord’ or 'The Master' and ‘Mazda’ means ‘the Wise’; hence ‘Ahura Mazda’ means ‘the Wise Lord’ or ‘the Wise God’::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
According to the Dasatir, Ahura Mazda has the following qualities:
*. He is One.
*. He is without an origin or end.
*. He has no father or mother, wife or son.
*. He is without a body or form.
*. Nothing resembles Him.
*. Neither the eye can behold Him, nor the power of thinking can conceive him.
*. He is above all that you can imagine.
*. He is nearer to you than your own self.
Qualities of God according to Avesta
According to the Avesta, the Gathas and the Yasna givevarious characteristics to Ahura Mazda such as:
Creator
Yasna 31:7 & 11
Yasna 44:7
Yasna 50:11
Yasna 51:7
Most Mighty
the Greatest
Yasna 33:11
Yasna 45:6
Beneficent
Hudai.
Yasna 33:11
Yasna 48:3
Bountiful Spenta;
Yasna 43:4,5,7,9,11,13,15
Yasna 44:2
Yasna 45:5
Yasna 46:9
Yasna 48:3
Thus, in Zoroastrianism too, we find a concept of an eternal, omnipotent God. Several verses of Yasna praise the Lord as a Bountiful Creator
::::::::::::::::::::
CONCEPT OF GOD IN SIKHISM
MULMANTRA: THE FUNDAMENTAL CREED OF SIKHISMthe fundamental creed of Sikhism, which occurs at the beginning of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
It is mentioned in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, volume 1 Japuji, the first verse:
"There exists but one God, who is called The True, The Creator, Free from fear and hate, Immortal, Not begotten, Self-Existent, Great and Compassionate."
Sikhism is a monotheistic Religion
:::::::::::::
In the manifest form He is called Omkara and has several attributes such as:
Kartar – The Creator
Akal – The Eternal
Sattanama – The Holy Name
Sahib – The Lord
Parvardigar – The Cherisher
Rahim – The Merciful
Karim – The Benevolent
He is also called Wahe Guru – the One true God.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CONCEPT of God in Bible----
The following statements in the Bible are attributed to Jesus Christ (pbuh):
(i) "My Father is greater than I."
[The Bible, John 14:28]
(ii) "My Father is greater than all."
[The Bible, John 10:29]
(iii) "…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God…."
[The Bible, Mathew 12:28]
(iv) "…I with the finger of God cast out devils…."
[The Bible, Luke 11:20]
(v) "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
[The Bible, John 5:30]:
:::::::::::::
God Sent Jesus' (pbuh)
The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses:
(i)"… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me."
[The Bible, John 14:24]
(ii)"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent."
[The Bible, John 17:3]
:::::::::::::
1. God is One
The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh):
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad".
It is a Hebrew quotation which means:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]
2. Unity of God in the Book of Isaiah
The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah:
(i) "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."
[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
(ii) "I am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45:5]
(iii) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
3. Old Testament condemns idol worship
(i) Old Testament condemns idol worship in the following verses:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
