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The
question which remains is Did God become Man? Logically speaking, the answer
is no, because 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 the Bible of Christians it is said, “...
through God all things are possible (Matthew, 19: 26; Mark 10: 27, 14: 36).”
The
Quran of Muslims states:
“…Indeed,
Allah (God) is able to do all things.” (Quran 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’s omnipotence. He is Greater than all things, and through Him
all things are possible. If this general concept is to be translated into
practical terms, one has to first identify and understand the basic attributes
of God. Most societies perceive God as an eternal being without beginning or
end. If, on the basis that God is able to do all things, and it was asked
whether God could die, what would be the answer? Since dying is part of “all
things,” can it be said, “If He wants to?” Of course this 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 already been defined as
eternal, having no beginning. Being born means having a beginning, coming into
existence after not existing. In this same vein, atheist philosophers enjoy asking
theists: “Can God create a stone too heavy for Him to lift?” If the theist
says yes, it means that God can create something 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 the
absurdities. It cannot include things that contradict His divine attributes;
things that would make Him less than God, like, forgetting, sleeping,
repenting, growing, eating, etc. Instead, it includes only “all things” that
are consistent with Him being God. This is what the statement “God is able to
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 human characteristics because it means that the Creator has become His
creation. However, the creation is a product of the creative act of the
Creator. If the Creator became His creation, it would mean that the Creator
created Himself, which is an obvious absurdity. To be created, He would first
have to not exist, and, if He did not exist, how could He then create? Furthermore,
if He were created, it would mean that He had a beginning, which also
contradicts His being eternal. By definition creation is in need of a creator.
For created beings to exist they must have a creator to bring them into
existence. God cannot need a creator because God is the Creator. Thus, there
is an obvious contradiction in terms. The claim that God became His creation
implies that He would need a creator, which is a ludicrous concept. It contradicts
the fundamental concept of God being uncreated, 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 which cannot be attributed to God because they equate Him with
His creation. Therefore, God did not and will not ever become man. On the
other hand, man also cannot become God. The created cannot become its own creator.
The created at one time did not exist. It came into being by the creative 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 man can become God. This philosophy forms the foundation of
Greek, Christian and Muslim mysticism, as well as Hindu theology, and extends
divinity to all humans and possibly all living creatures. It starts from the
premise that, at some time in the history of the universe, bits and pieces of
God became surrounded by material bodies and were confined to the earth. In
other words, the infinite became contained in the finite. This belief
attributes pure evil to God and ultimately eliminates the meaning of good and
evil all together. When the human soul intends evil and does it by God’s
permission, such an act is purely evil and worthy of punishment. Hence, the
concept of karma was invented. Whatever goes around comes around. Karma
explains inexplicable suffering by claiming that it is the consequence of evil
in a previous life. God ultimately punishes any evil done by the parts of Himself
within man. However, if human souls have independent wills from God, they cannot
be at the same time God. Thus, each human becomes himself a god.
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