Early Feedback Assignment - by Kai Maddever

Early Feedback Assignment - By Kai Maddever

The Free Online Dictionary definition(s) of 'god' differentiate themselves by three varying degrees of power and supremacy: a supernatural being beyond this world, a worldly manifestation or image of a supernatural being, and a worldly idea, human or otherwise, that is followed or worshiped. The first two collections of definitions are bound by a religious characterization as they manifest from a mystical awareness of something beyond the physical realm. However, the third grouping proclaims a severely physical and highly personal interpretation that differs according to the individual and their urges as a human. M. Boyer Stewart states that 'what is now problematical, every time we read the word 'God,' is what that word means to the man who has written it'1 It, therefore, does not have a universal definition to explore. Thus this analysis on the definition of 'god' will focus on the first two classification groups as stated above.

The sense of a 'god' or a supernatural deity has been felt and feared in many cultures since the Ancient times. Of all the 'ancient Gods...the various pantheons were remarkably similar'2 states Rodney Stark. According to Hesiod's epic poem Theogony (700BC), the Greek Gods would sing and 'rejoice' in their immortality, 'the holy race' of the 'deathless gods,' right from the very beginnings of time.3 Some theologians claim that If one were to reveal all divine attributes of any 'god(s)' it would be determined in three ways: by examination of the knowledge of eternity, by implications from divine interference in nature, and by the study of supernatural revelation.4 In context of the Christian faith, God is 'eternal'5 and is the creator of the 'heavens and the earth' from the 'beginning' of time6. James writes to the 12 tribes of Israel, 'Every good gift is from above'7 implying an interruption or involvement this 'god' has with its created; a divine interference. In polytheistic religions there is frequently a hierarchy or tiers of Gods. Hinduism, for example, has a single, 'ultimate source of reality' called 'Brahman, the unseen,' but underneath it lie millions of personal deities whom followers can worship.8

The definition 'god' is also defined as simply being an image or manifestation of a supernatural being. Many Hindu Gods appear in human made 'incarnations, or avatars'9 which are worshiped and fed like physical beings. The Patron Deity of Canaan was Ba'al.10 He was defamed by the Hebrew testament as a false god. Jeremiah recounts a message from God unto God's people: "'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Ba'al and follow other gods you have not known."11