Section Two- Nature Of God Flashcards
Transcendence definition
Transcendence – Definition - God is a distinct being from the universe. He is not limited in ways that the creation is for example through time. He is a unique being with no limitations.
The debate on whether God can be known or remains unknown:
As God is distinct from the world he cannot be comprehended or understood. Some people, for example Christians, would claim that we can know elements of God’s nature through the Bible but cannot comprehend him. Other believers in God would state that you cannot know, understand God or have a personal relationship with Him as He is transcendent. Pascal thought that God was infinitely beyond our comprehension, and he wondered who would dare to think they could know what he was or whether he existed
Omnipotent definition
Omnipotent – This can be directly defined as “all power”, in other words that God is able to do anything.
Christians for example would believe that God is able to do all things and have numerous stories and verses to emphasize this nature of God. Matthew 19:26 states, “For with God all things are possible.”
Omniscient definition.
Omniscient – definition – ‘The perfect knowledge of God’
Again many religious believers would emphasizes that God knows all things. Psalm 139:4 tells that ‘even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it altogether’.
Omnipresent definition
Omnipresent definition – The idea that God is present everywhere all the time. Again because God has no limitations He can be everywhere.
Perhaps religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism could describe God as:
“an all loving, all knowing, all powerful, unchanging, eternal, incorporeal, creator of the world who is involved in his creation.”
Monotheism definition
Monotheism
This means to believe in only one God with religions such as Islam, Judaism and Christianity explaining God’s nature as one being. The Christian interpretation of one being differs to the other two Abrahamic religions by stating that God is one being that exists in three persons. Christian beliefs state that the Father (creator of the universe), Son (Jesus who lived a perfect life and died for sin) and the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God that lives inside believers to guide Christians) are three beings but work together as one being. Christians believe that the Old Testament alluded to the Trinity by describing God in the plural, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1v26). It can be a difficult concept to think of one being that has three parts and various people in history have tried to explain it. One example that St Patrick used was the Shamrock leaf which has three parts to the one leaf. Muslims strongly emphasize that Allah is the only God in existence and there are no others. The Shahadah states, “There is no other God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”. Muslims strongly disagree with Christians that one being could have three parts.
Polytheism definition
Polytheism – ‘the belief in or worship of more than one god’
Polytheism can be divided into two forms. There are religions that believe in different deities but do not give equal credence to all, or in fact the different gods and goddesses actually represent a supreme God. For example Hindus believe in a supreme god Brahman and that the thousands of different gods and goddesses represent parts of this god’s character and so by worshipping them you are really worshipping Brahman. Other forms of polytheism believe in various deities and give equal attention to them e.g. tribal religions or ancient religion.
The nature of God within Islam
THE NATURE OF GOD WITHIN ISLAM
Muslims believe that various prophets in the past revealed knowledge of God’s nature and these prophets are similar to what is written in the Old Testament.
Muslims believe however that Jews and Christians have twisted those prophets’ revelations whereas Islam is the true and pure form of their words.
The final and greatest revelation from Allah was given to Muhammad from the Angel Jibreel on Mount Hira in Saudi Arabia. He was able to recite this revelation and it later became written down in the Qur’an. The Qur’an is viewed as God’s perfect word to humans that cannot be changed. There are 99 names in the Quran that describe what God is like. Some of these describe God as a creator, source of peace, eternal and all knowing. Some Muslims believe that there are 100 names to describe God but the last is not known to demonstrate that we can never comprehend him. The five pillars of Islam summarize the fundamental tenants of Muslim belief and practice. The first pillar emphasizes that God is one God and humans should worship the one true god Allah. This is known as the Shahadah which has already been quoted, “There is no other God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah.” Muslims believe that the five pillars reveal that God is a caring and merciful God as prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage are all ways for him to forgive the sins of Muslims.
The nature of God within Hinduism
THE NATURE OF GOD WITHIN HINDUISM
When you come to engage with Hindu beliefs you can begin to recognize that they have both monotheistic and polytheistic understandings of God. This could be a described as a soft polytheistic approach. On the one hand God is one with the supreme God known as Brahman. He created all things and is the source of all power. His name does not relate to a gender and like the Christian god he is viewed as transcendent and you cannot comprehend his ways. However this God reveals his character and attributes through thousands of gods and goddesses so Hindus do worship a variety of deities but believe when they worship them they are really worshipping Brahman. Hindus believe that you become more knowledgeable in God’s nature when you study these gods stories and worship their images. These gods can be viewed more symbolically as pointers to Brahman rather than real gods in their own right.
One example of a Hindu goddess is Annapurna who is the goddess of food and cooking. She is empowered with the ability to supply food to an unlimited amount of people. Her story relays that she is the incarnation of the goddess Parvati who is the wife of the god Shiva (you can learn about him in your philosophy textbook). When we remember that Hindu’s believe they are worshiping Brahman, through her story we realize that she symbolizes his divine attribute of providing nourishing care.
Immanence definition
Immanence/Immanent
– Definition = this is the idea that God is near to us. He is active, present and involved in His creation.
This means he is not far off or uninvolved from the world he created. There are various ways for example that Christians emphasize that God is working and involved with His people. One way is through the Holy Spirit who actually lives inside believers and guides and inspires them. Christians believe that the Holy Spirit enables miracles to take place. Another example of how Christians think that God is close to them is through prayer. They believe God hears their prayers and actively answers them. Christians also believe that their relationship to God can be proven through their experience of Him. For example through miracles, revelations, dreams, visions or through their personal life circumstances can experience God’s work.
