Did God Become Man? by Dr. A. B. Philips(PhD Theology, University of Wales, U.K.)
Table of ContentsForeword 4Belief in God 5The Gods 9Man is God 11God Becomes His Creatures 13God Becomes One Man 16Men Become God 18Why? 20Did God Become Man? 22Can Man Become God? 24Did God Have a Son? 25Bibliography 29
ForewordThe main purpose for writing this booklet is to reach those who believe in God and cause them toreflect on the nature of their beliefs in the light of reason and revelation. The booklet is actuallythe edited version of a lecture, which I have delivered on many occasions and in many locationsaround the world. The positive response of the varied audiences to this lecture encouraged me toprepare it as a booklet in order to make it accessible to a wider audience.I sincerely hope that readers will find the thoughts and discussions in this short booklet useful intheir personal quest for God, because ultimately, there is nothing more important in this worldthan to find God and to live according to His Will. For those who do not care to begin this questand live by His divine truth, I can only offer a humble prayer that God help them find their wayback to Him before their time in this world runs out.Lastly, I would like to thank all those who contributed to preparing and publishing this work,foremost among them, my wife Esther and Mrs. Dana Bader.Dr. A.B. PhilipsPreston UniversityAjman, UAEMarch 2003
Belief in GodThe vast majority of human beings have always believed in God. From the most ancientcivilizations to the most primitive of modern societies, religions with God at their center haveformed the foundation of human culture. In fact, the denial of God’s existence (atheism)throughout history was limited to a few individuals until the rise of communism in the 20thcentury. Even today, in the secular societies of the West, where modern social scientists armedwith Darwinian theories have argued that God is merely a figment of the human collectiveimagination, the overwhelming majority of citizens, laymen and even scientists, hold steadfast totheir belief in God.Consequently, the overwhelming body of archeological data in support of God’s existence has ledsome anthropologists to conclude that belief in God (deism) must be inborn and not learnt.Although the vast majority of social scientists proposed otherwise, recent scientific discoveriesappear to support the minority view that deism is innate. In an article entitled “God Spot isfound in the Brain,” Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran of the University of California at San Diegosaid that the phenomenon of religious belief in God is hard-wired into the brain.
‘God spot’ is found in brain by Steve Connor Science Correspondent SCIENTISTS believe they have discovered a “God module” in the brain, which could be responsible for man’s evolutionary instinct to believe in religion. A study of epileptics, who are known to have profoundly spiritual experiences, has located a circuit of nerves in the front of the brain, which appears to become electrically active when they think about God. The scientists said that although the research and its conclusions are preliminary, initial results suggest that the phenomenon of religious belief is “hard-wired” into the brain. Epileptic patients who suffer from seizures of the brain’s frontal lobe said they frequently experience intense mystical episodes and often become obsessed with religious spirituality. A team of neuroscientists from the University of California at San Diego said the most intriguing explanation is that the seizure causes an over-stimulation of the nerves in a part of the brain dubbed the “God module”. “There may be dedicated neural machinery in the temporal lobes concerned with religion. This may have evolved to impose order and stability on society,” the team reported at a conference last week. The results indicate that whether a person believes in a religion or even in GOD may depend on how enhanced this part of the brain’s electrical circuitry is. Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran, head of the research team, said the study involved comparing epileptic patients with normal people and a group who said they were intensely religious. Electrical monitors on their skin – a standard test for activity in the brains temporal lobes – showed that the epileptics and the deeply religious displayed a similar response when shown words invoking spiritual belief. Evolutionary scientists have suggested that belief in God, which is a common trait, found in human societies around the world and throughout history, may be built into the brain’s complex electrical circuitry as a Darwinian adaptation to encourage cooperation between individuals. If the research is correct and a “God module” exists, then it might suggest that individuals who are atheists could have a differently configured neural circuit. A spokesman for Richard Harries, the Bishop of Oxford, said whether there is a “God module” is a question for scientists, not theologians. “It would not be surprising if God had created us with a physical facility for belief,” he said. 1Despite growing evidence that man is hard-wired with a “physical facility for belief,” the fact thatthe concept of God has varied greatly among human societies still leads some thinkers, even thosewho believe in God, to conclude that religions must be man-made. However, thorough researchreveals a common theological thread linking the various religions. That link is the belief in aSupreme Being among the various gods, a monotheistic foundation that can be found in even themost externally pantheistic of religious systems. For example, the concept of God in Hinduismexists as a single example among many religions, which supports the view that human beingswere originally monotheistic and through various degenerative processes became polytheistic. Inspite of its many gods and idols, Hinduism has a single Supreme God above all, Brahman.Traditionally, most anthropologists have concluded that religion devolved from various stages ofpolytheism to monotheism, beginning with early man’s deification of the forces of nature, then,eventually, devolving into ditheism to consolidate all of the supernatural powers into two maingods (a god of good and a god of evil), and, finally, simplifying into a belief in one god,monotheism.Thus, religion, according to anthropologists and social scientists, has no divine origin; it is merelya by-product of the evolution of early man’s superstitions, based on his lack of scientificknowledge. Hence, these same theoreticians believe that science will eventually unlock all of thesecrets of nature, resulting in the disuse of religion to explain natural phenomena, and, theconsequential extinction of religion altogether.1 The Sunday Times, 2 Nov. 97, p. 19.
Man’s innate belief in a Supreme Being, however, seems to support the opposite view, proposinginstead that man began as a monotheist, but in time, strayed into various forms of polytheism.This view is further supported by fact that all of the so-called primitive tribes, which have been“discovered,” have been found to hold a belief in a Supreme Being. No matter what theirevolutionary stage of religious development is found to have been at the time of “discovery,” mostwere found to believe in a Supreme God over all other gods and spirits. As such, the concept of asingle Supreme Being remains in most of the religion’s as evidence that the masses strayed awayfrom monotheism by giving some of God’s attributes to other aspects of creation, whicheventually came to be regarded as lesser gods in some cases and as intercessors in others.Nevertheless, a Supreme God, in whatever form He takes, is at the core of most religions.
The GodsHowever, there does remain an aspect of belief in God which defies all logic and reason, but whichhas become a corner stone of faith. It is the belief that God became man. Where the originalmonotheistic belief in God degenerated into a belief that there must be intermediaries betweenhuman beings and the Supreme Being to either convey human quests or to act on behalf of God inthe world, the intermediaries became objects of worship. The intermediaries were often conceivedas spirits found in all manifestations of nature. Consequently, humans from primitive times haveworshiped spirits of the forest, rivers, skies and the earth etc., until the present time. Occasionallynature itself was worshiped, and at other times, symbols representing nature were worshiped. Thereligious systems, which evolved from these types of beliefs tended to be localized and remainscattered among primitive people around the world till today. Such beliefs did not converge in theform of a single belief system of international impact, as far as is known in the current records ofhuman history.On the other hand, where the monotheistic belief degenerated into the personification of God’spower as separate intermediary entities represented by images, idols became a focal point forworshipping God. The powers of God became gods. Such beliefs have culminated in ancient andmodern times as natural religions of international impact. Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Romanreligions have died out due to the complete subversion of these empires by Christianity. However,the Indian expression of Hinduism survived both Muslim and Christian colonization and remainsthe national religion of approximately one billion people in India. Christianity and Islam, withexception of Bali in Indonesia, have supplanted their direct international impact in the majorityof the Far East. However, the different forms of Buddhism, its offshoot, have become the mainreligion of hundreds of millions in the Far East. Different forms of this Hindu reform movementcontinue to spread in the West today.
Man is GodAccording to Hinduism, the basic concept is that everything is God. There is, fundamentally, nodistinction between God and His creation. In Hindu philosophy, every living being has a self or asoul that is called Atman. It is 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 thesame; in other words, the human soul is divine. Furthermore, human society is divided into castesor classes, where each caste represents human beings who came into existence from differentparts of the divine 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 fourmain castes, there are, in reality, many sub-castes. Each one of the main castes is subdivided intothousands of lesser castes. Hindus believe that when a person dies, he or she is reincarnated. Thesoul, Atman, of the dead person never dies but is continually reborn. If people are good in thislife, then they will be reborn into a higher level of the caste system in their next life. Conversely, ifthey are bad in this life, they will be reborn into a lower level, which is one of the main reasonswhy so many Hindus commit suicide annually. Daily, newspapers regularly record incidents ofindividuals and families hanging themselves from fans in their homes. In a recent edition of oneof 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 evadedifficulties in this life.When a person reaches the top caste, the Brahmins, after various re-incarnations, the cycle ofrebirth ends, and he reunites with Brahman. This process of reunification is called Moksha, andin Buddhism it is called Nirvana 2 . The Atman becomes once again reunited with Brahman. Thus,man becomes God.2 This is a Sanskrit term meaning “blown out,” referring to the extinction of all worldly desires, or salvation. Though theterm originated in Vedantic writings (Bhagavad-Gita and the Vedas), it is most often associated with Buddhism. InHinayana Buddhism the term is equated with extinction, while in Mahayana Buddhism it is a state of bliss (Dictionary ofPhilosophy and Religion, p. 393).
God Becomes His CreaturesIn Hindu belief, the attributes of Brahman are manifest as different gods. The attribute ofcreation becomes the creator god, Brahma, the attribute of preservation becomes the preservergod, Vishnu, and the attribute of destruction becomes the destroyer god, Siva. The most popularone 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 ofGod 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 isMatsya, the incarnation of God as a fish; Kurma as a tortoise; Varaha as a boar (a wild pig);Narasimha as a half-man, half-lion; Vamana as a dwarf; and probably the most common one isRama, the human incarnation. Rama is the hero of the epic, Ramayana, about which movies aremade and shown regularly in India. The other popular god is Krishna, the other incarnation ofVishnu as a human being. His epic is the Mahabharata, which describes the descent of the godsin human forms to save the Goddess Earth, oppressed by demons, burdened by overpopulationand in danger of dissolution 3 . There are different variations of this belief regarding how manyincarnations there are and what other animal forms they adopt, but all generally follow thesemanifestations. Consequently, in Hinduism, the belief of one-fifth of humankind, man is God orpart of God. The difference between the Creator and His creation is only superficial.Popular Buddhism shares the Hindu incarnation concept with its own modifications. It teachesthat every conscious being possesses the “Buddha nature” and is, therefore, capable of becoming aBuddha. Buddha, in earlier teachings 4 , was truly a human teacher who lived and taught.However, in Mayahana Buddhism, the idea of the “eternal” Buddha, embodying the absolutetruth, developed, and Buddha was elevated to Godhood. In order to reveal his message tohumankind, this eternal Buddha manifests himself from time to time as an earthly Buddha to liveand work among humans. Thus, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, became just oneof the earthly appearances, a phantom apparition created by the eternal Buddha 5 . Buddhismincorporated the elements of the Indian system of the gods and heavens and responded to thepopularity of Bhakti Hinduism, personal devotion to savior deities. The Absolute or Buddhanature was seen by some as having attributes manifest as eternal Buddhas and bodhisattvas 6 whoexisted in spiritual realms and offered their merits, protection and help toward enlightenment toall their followers who were devoted to them.The chief ones among the eternal bodhisattvas were Avalokitesvara, a personification ofcompassion, and Manjusri, a personification of wisdom. And among the eternal Buddhas wereAksobhya (the Imperturbable), Amitabha (Eternal Light) and Amitayus (Eternal life).3 The theological centerpiece of the epic is the Bhagavad Gita (Dictionary of World Religions, p. 448).4 Theravada Buddhism, Doctrine of the Elders, is essentially a discipline, which an individual practices in order to achievesalvation for himself by himself. Only monks who have the stamina and will power to live the strenuous religious life canreach this goal, and one who achieves it is called an arhant. There are two types of Nirvana, one with residue and onewithout. The first is achieved by the arhant here and now, the five aggregates (skandhas: which comprise all individuals;matter, sensation, perception, predisposition and consciousness) are still present, although the cravings that lead tocontinued rebirth are extinguished. Nirvana without residue refers to the state of the arhant after death about which theBuddha remains silent. There can only be one Buddha in an eon and enlightenment is reserved for an elite few. This aspectof Buddhism is called Hinayana, or Lesser Vehicle.With the passage of time after the Buddha’s death, Theravada monks were criticized as being too narrow andindividualistic 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)5 Dictionary of World Religions, p. 129.6Originally this term referred to former Buddhas while they were still in their quest for enlightenment. In Mahayana thebodhisattva postpones his final complete enlightenment and attainment of nirvana in order to aid all other beings in theirquest for enlightenment. (Dictionary of World Religions, p. 112).
God Becomes One ManChristian belief in God’s incarnation has its origins in the beliefs of the ancient Greeks. The veryterms used to describe God becoming Man exist in the Gospel of John 1:1 & 14, “In the beginningthere was the Word (logos) and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Then theauthor of John goes on to say, “...And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of graceand truth...” Although the Greek term logos is translated as “word,” there is no single Englishterm equivalent to it. Its importance lies in its use as a technical term in Greek metaphysicalthought from the sixth century B.C., until the third century C.E., and in its appropriation by bothJewish and Christian thinkers. It first appeared in the expressions of Heraclites (540-480 B.C.) asthe motivating principle of the universe, but was, by Aristotle’s time, supplanted by theimmaterial power nous and made the material power. Logos reappeared in the system of theStoics who termed their principle of teleology both logos and God. Philo (d. 50 C.E.), a JewishAlexandrian philosopher, identified the creative word of the Old Testament with the logos of theStoics. The logos thus became a transcendent principle, as the means by which God expressesHimself in the world. But logos also had a redemptive function; it was the means to a higherspiritual nature. In the Gospel of John, the logos are both creative and redemptive; the latteraspect is given greater emphasis than the former. 7This belief required a reason, for which the concept of original sin and divine sacrifice wereinvented. It was claimed that due to the sin of Adam, which accumulated down the generationsuntil 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 across as a sacrifice for all humankind to God, Himself. The son, who is God, Himself, was laterresurrected and currently sits on the right side of God’s throne waiting to judge humankind at theend of this world. So for Christians, also one-fifth of humankind, God became a man at one andonly one point in the history of this world, and belief in His incarnation is essential for salvation.7 Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p. 314.
Men Become GodFrom the perspective of Jesus’ humanity, the Christian belief that he is God could be perceived aselevating a single human being to the status of Godhood. There is, however, another body ofbeliefs among many of the followers of Islam, which, like Hinduism and Buddhism, offer humanbeings the opportunity to become God.The origin of their beliefs can be found in mysticism whose roots are in ancient Greek mysteryreligions. Mysticism is defined as an experience of union with God and the belief that man’s maingoal in life lies in seeking that union. The Greek philosopher Plato proposed this concept in hiswritings, particularly in his Symposium. In it he describes how the human soul can climb thespiritual ladder until it finally becomes one again with God. 8 The basis of this belief is theteaching that human beings are, in fact, parts of God that have become trapped in this materialworld. 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 withGod.There arose among Muslim people, a sect, which promoted this very same idea. Its followers aretraditionally called “Sufis” and their system of beliefs is called “Sufism”. This term is usuallytranslated into English as “mysticism” or “Islamic mysticism.” It is based on the same concept asthat of the Greek mystics – that the human soul is divine and that the way that it becomesreunited with God is through certain spiritual exercises. Various groups of Sufis evolved into cultscalled “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 physicalexercises, 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” wasrejected by mainstream Muslim scholars but was embraced by the masses. In the tenth century, aSufi devotee, al-Hallaaj (858-922), publicly announced that he was God and wrote poems and abook called Kitaab at-Tawaseen to that effect. In it he wrote, “If you do not recognize God, atleast recognize his sign; I am the ultimate absolute truth because through the truth I am eternaltruth. My friends and teachers are Iblees 10 , and Pharaoh. Iblees was threatened by the Hellfire,yet he did not acknowledge anything between himself and God, and although I am killed andcrucified, though my hands and feet are cut off, I do not recant.” 11Ibn ‘Arabee (d. 1240) took the unity with God belief a step further by claiming that only Godexists. He wrote the following in one of his works, “Glory be to He, who made all things appearwhile being their essence.” 12 And in another he wrote, “He is the essence of whatever appears, andHe is the essence of what is hidden while He appears. The one who sees Him is none other thanHim and no one is hidden from Him because He appears to Himself while being hidden.” 13 Hisconcept is called Wahdatul-wujood (unity of existence) and became popular in the Sufi circlesthroughout the Muslim world.8 Colliers Encyclopedia, vol. 17, p. 114.9 Ihyaa ‘Uloom ad-Deen, vol. 4, p. 212.10 The proper name of Satan according to Muslim belief.11 Idea of Personality, p. 32.12 Al-Futoohaat al-Makkiyyah, vol. 2, p. 604.13 Fusoos al-Hikam, vol.1, p. 77.
Why?What led ancient people to have the belief that the God became man or that God and man wereone and the same? The fundamental reason was their inability to understand or accept theconcept 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 intoother states, shapes and forms having different functions. For example, a wooden table was once atree 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 piecesto create a table for a variety of uses. Similarly, the plastic chairs people now sit on were onceliquid oil, stored deep in the bowels of the earth. One cannot imagine sitting on oil the way peoplesit on chairs. However, through 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 humanactivity; humans already merely modify and transform what already exists. They do not create thetrees or produce the oil. When they discuss oil production, they really mean oil extraction. The oilwas created millions of years before by geological processes; than humans extracted it from theearth and refined it. They also did not creating the trees. Even if they planted them, they did notcreate the seeds that they planted.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 own image; in theimage of God he created Man.” For Hindus, Purusa is the creator God, Brahma, in human form,and just as humans create by manipulating the existing world around them, than the creator godmust do likewise.According to Hindu philosophy, Purusa is a giant offspring of Brahma, having a thousand headsand a thousand eyes. From him arose Viraaj, his feminine counterpart and mate in the creationprocess. The divine Purusa is also the sacrificial offering (vv. 6-10) and from his dismemberedbody arose the four traditional social castes (varnas). 14 Perusa Hymn states that Brahmins werePurusa’s mouth; Ksatriyas (noblemen), his arms; Vaishyas, his thighs; and Shoodras, his feet. 15The Hindus’ inability to conceive of God creating this world from nothing, led them to the conceptof God creating the world from himself and its people from His body parts.Human ability to understand ideas and concepts is limited and finite. Human beings cannot graspand understand the infinite. The belief, which God taught Adam, was that God created this worldfrom nothing. When He wanted something to exist, He merely said, “Be!” and His commandbrought into existence those things that did not previously exist. This world and its contents werenot created from Himself. In fact, the concept of God creating the world from Himself reducesGod to the level of His creatures, who merely create something from something else. Those whoheld and continue to hold this belief are unable to grasp the uniqueness of God. He is UniquelyOne and there is nothing like Him. If He had created the world from Himself, he would be like Hiscreatures.14 Dictionary of World Religions, p. 587.15 The New Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 20, p. 552.
Did God Become Man?The question which remains is Did God become Man? Logically speaking, the answer is nobecause the concept of God becoming man contradicts the basic meaning of the term “God.”People commonly say that God is able to do all things; whatever He wants to do, He can do. In theBible of Christians it is said, “... through God all things are possible (Matthew, 19: 26; Mark 10:27, 14: 36).”The Qur’aan of Muslims states, “Indeed, Allah (God) is able to do all things.” [Surah Baqarah (2):20]…and the Hindu scriptures carry texts of similar meanings.All the major religious texts contain general expressions regarding the basic concept of God’somnipotence. He is Greater than all things, and through Him all things are possible. If thisgeneral concept is to be translated into practical terms, one has to first identify and understandthe basic attributes of God. Most societies perceive God as an eternal being without beginning orend. If, on the basis that God is able to do all things, and it was asked whether God could die, whatwould be the answer? Since dying is part of “all things,” can it be said, “If He wants to?” Of coursethis cannot be said.So, there is a problem here. God is defined as being ever-living, without end, and dying means“coming to an end.” Consequently, to ask if He can die is actually a nonsensical question. It is self-contradictory. Similarly, to ask whether God can be born, is also absurd because God has alreadybeen defined as eternal, having no beginning. Being born means having a beginning, coming intoexistence after not existing. In this same vein, atheist philosophers enjoy asking theists: “Can Godcreate a stone too heavy for Him to lift?” If the theist says yes, it means that God can createsomething greater than Himself. And if he says no, it means that God is unable to do all things.Therefore, the term “all things” in the phrase “God is able to do all things” excludes theabsurdities. It cannot include things that contradict His divine attributes; things that would makeHim less than God, like, forgetting, sleeping, repenting, growing, eating, etc. Instead, it includesonly “all things” that are consistent with Him being God. This is what the statement “God is ableto do all things” means. It cannot be understood in the absolute sense; it must be qualified.The claim that God became man is also an absurdity. It is not befitting of God to take on humancharacteristics because it means that the Creator has become His creation. However, the creationis a product of the creative act of the Creator. If the Creator became His creation, it would meanthat the Creator created Himself, which is an obvious absurdity. To be created, He would firsthave to not exist, and, if He did not exist, how could He then create? Furthermore, if He werecreated, it would mean that He had a beginning, which also contradicts His being eternal. Bydefinition creation is in need of a creator. For created beings to exist they must have a creator tobring them into existence. God cannot need a creator because God is the Creator. Thus, there is anobvious contradiction in terms. The claim that God became His creation implies that He wouldneed a creator, which is a ludicrous concept. It contradicts the fundamental concept of God beinguncreated, needing no creator and being the Creator.
Can Man Become God?Man is a finite being (i.e., creation). Man is born, and he dies. These are characteristics whichcannot be attributed to God because they equate Him with His creation. Therefore, God did notand will not ever become man. On the other hand, man also cannot become God. The createdcannot become its own creator. The created at one time did not exist. It came into being by thecreative act of a Creator who always existed. What is nonexistent cannot make itself exist.As for the parallel concept that the human soul or spirit is divine, it is a way of claiming that mancan become God. This philosophy forms the foundation of Greek, Christian and Muslimmysticism, as well as Hindu theology, and extends divinity to all humans and possibly all livingcreatures. It starts from the premise that, at some time in the history of the universe, bits andpieces of God became surrounded by material bodies and were confined to the earth. In otherwords, the infinite became contained in the finite. This belief attributes pure evil to God andultimately eliminates the meaning of good and evil all together. When the human soul intends eviland does it by God’s permission, such an act is purely evil and worthy of punishment. Hence, theconcept of karma was invented. Whatever goes around comes around. Karma explainsinexplicable suffering by claiming that it is the consequence of evil in a previous life. Godultimately punishes any evil done by the parts of Himself within man. However, if human soulshave independent wills from God, they cannot be at the same time God. Thus, each humanbecomes himself a god.
Did God have a Son?If God did not become Man, did He have a son? Since He is able to do all things, He should beable to have a son. However, this claim reduces God to the lowly status of His creation. Creaturesprocreate by giving birth to mini versions of themselves that later grow up and reproduce copiesof themselves, and so on and so forth. Dogs have puppies, cats have kittens, cows have calves, andmen have children. So, what does God have – a baby God? Gods must give birth to Gods. But, forGod to have a son, there has to exist another God besides Him. It is not befitting for God to have ason as such an act equates Him with His creation.Everything other than God comes into existence by the commandment of God, not that Godbecomes His creation or a part of God becomes creation. God does not become His creation nordoes God give birth to creation. God is God, the Creator, and man and the contents of the universeare His creation. Although humans cannot grasp the concept of creation from nothing, that isexactly what God did and does. He alone creates from nothing, which 1s among the attributes thatmake Him unique and distinct from His creation. His act of creation is entirely different from thatof human beings.This was the essence of the message of all the true messengers and prophets of God sent tohumanity – Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad – as well as those sent throughout the worldwhose names are now unknown to humanity - may God’s peace and blessings be on them all.Today, this precise message can only be found in the Qur’aan; the last scripture revealed by Godto humankind. The message remains loud and clear only in the Qur’aan because it has remainedunchanged since the time of its revelation, one thousand four hundred years ago, until today.God states in the Qur’aan for those who make Him like His creation or vice versa: “There is nothing similar to Him.” [Surah ash-Shooraa (42):11]He also states for those who attributed to Him a son: “But it is not suitable for Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Beneficent -Allah) that He should beget a child.” [Surah Maryam (19):92]He further states for those who believe that He created the world from Himself: “If He wishes anything to exist, He merely commands it: ‘Be’, and it is.” [Surah Yaa Seen (36):82]For the polytheists He states: “There was no other god along with Him, for if there were each would have taken away what he created and tried to overcome the other.” [Surah al-Mu´minoon (23):91]He asks the atheists: “Did nothing create them or did they create themselves?” [Surah at-Toor (52):35]And in reference to Jesus and his mother, Mary, He confirmed their humanity by saying simply: “They both used to eat food.” [Surah al-Maa`idah (5):75]
The concept of God not becoming man is very important for every human being to grasp becauseit lies at the foundation of the difference between Islam and all other existing religions. All otherreligions have a distorted concept of God, to one degree or another. The most important ideawhich needs to be understood, is that God did not become man. God is unique; He alone deservesto be worshipped by His creation. To believe that a man is God or that a man became God and toworship that man is the greatest sin and the greatest evil that humans can do on this earth. Thisunderstanding is most important because it forms the foundation for salvation. There can be nosalvation without it. However, this belief alone is not the key salvation. True, correct belief mustbe translated into practice, and not merely remain in the realm of knowledge, for it to becomepure faith. A person has to live a righteous life based on the correct belief to attain salvation.Nevertheless, the starting point is, knowing who God is, knowing that God never became and willnever become a human being.
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