Are We TRULY Made in the Image of God?

 In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

"Say: He is Allah,

The One and Only;

Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;

He begets not,

Nor is He begotten;

And there is none like unto Him."

(Quran 112)

I recently had a conversation with some co-workers in which we explored the relationship between Humans and our Creator. In the course of the discussion, the old fictitious myth that Man was created in the “image” of God was introduced as the basis for a series of unfounded arguments believed by zealous but ignorant people.  This myth is reinforced by Biblical teachings [Genesis 26 – 27] in which God is reported to have made Man in His own image and likeness. The confusion created by this teaching is further reinforced by the common understanding of these terms:” a physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible (Dictionary.com)”. Likeness = “the fact or quality of being alike; resemblance (Dictionary.com)”. It is no wonder therefore that zealous Christians have been led to accept statuary and other depictions of God as a Man possessing extraordinary powers. It is also no wonder that this deliberate fabrication has been used to establish the idea that Jesus (peace be upon him) could be God’s “begotten” son.

Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) has been credited with the writing of the book of Genesis by some Christians while others claim as many as 10 different authors, including Adam and Noah. As with much of Christian literature, this is nothing but conjecture. The multitude of reinterpretations of the Christian Bible refuses to acknowledge the fact that this book is a political fabrication that owes its creation to Emperor Constantine and did not exist in the lifetime of Jesus (pbuh), whom it claims to glorify. Not only is it a fabrication, but it is constantly being reinterpreted to suit the contemporary political norms and fads of each society it encounters.  Therefore, whatever its current believers understand can realistically be viewed as temporary beliefs. Who originated the myth that Man was created in the “likeness and image” of God may never be known, but common logic can defeat this untenable concept when closely examined with an open mind.

If we use the commonly-understood meanings of the above terms, then every human being encountered on the entire planet looks just like God: in color, ethnicity, height and size. There is absolutely no visible difference between them. Even a blind man knows how ridiculous this idea is.  The insurmountable problem with this idea is that no human being could exist according to Exodus 33:20 (“no man may see me and yet live”); John1:18 (“no man has seen God at any time”), 1 John  4:12  (“at no time has anyone beheld God”). These statements from the Bible are as contradictory as one can find anywhere. This leads to the realization that someone is lying here, the question is who? Unfortunately, the average Christian cannot face the realization that he/she is being duped and shuts down the mental faculties when confronted with this contradiction. Something’s wrong with a philosophy that claims, on one hand, to be “the word of God” yet contradicts itself on the other hand.

Christian Bible students usually approach their biblical studies with the preconceived notion that the contents of the book are true. Despite the wealth of information from Christian historical sources that contradict this preconceived notion, many seek merely to justify their beliefs than to verify their views. Zeal is no substitute for wisdom. Serious students of the Bible need to examine the stories told there for veracity and common sense and they need to be aware that myriads of myths abounded in Jewish society from which these stories came. The First Testament section of the Bible consists mainly of pro-Jewish stories. The New Testament section consists of Jewish and non-Jewish stories about the social turmoil created in the Roman dominated society by the work of Jesus (pbuh). It also reports the response he received from both Jewish and Roman officials. Not all reports were written by eyewitnesses and many doubtful events have been chronicled and included in the book. Students need to be mindful that these writings originate from a time predating universal education, when only select people could read and write, and they have undergone many corruptions in translation, especially into English (see foreword of any English translation). Sufficient documentation exists to enlighten any serious researcher into biblical history as to the dubiousness of all the content of the Bible. There is no reason for Christians to remain zealous and ignorant about their beliefs today.

The fact that humans do not control all the processes of reproduction is proof enough of our creation. Some invisible hand controls aspects of which we have no notion or experience. To acknowledge that being as Allah, the Creator, is not nonsensical or far- fetched. But to insinuate that we are the “image and likeness” of our Creator is ridiculous indeed. To create an image of anything, there has to be a visible reference or mental concept.  Humans are simply one of a myriad of species created on planet Earth by a yet unseen Creator, attested to, throughout history, by a multitude of human messengers endowed with qualifying abilities. The only verifiable pronouncement we can make on the topic of human creation is that we, as are all other creatures throughout the universes, are creations of Allah.

The Issue of Shariah

 

Christian Shariah

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“So if they dispute with thee,

Say: ‘I have submitted my whole self to Allah and so have those who follow me.’

And say to the People of the Book and to those who are unlearned:

‘Do you (also) submit yourselves?’

If they do, they are in right guidance, but if they turn back,

Thy duty is to convey the Message;

And in Allah’s sight are (all) His servants.”

(Quran 3: 20)

It is almost laughable when one hears Unbelievers speaking the word “shariah”. They speak the word in venomous tones, scared to death of the vision it conveys to their ignorant minds.  Most of them do not remember that they are speaking an Arabic word with perfectly defined meaning. To the majority of them and their leaders, this word signifies impending doom, were “shariah” ever to be instituted in the land. They know not what it means, but will fight tooth and nail to prevent its establishment in their land. Moreover, the professed “devout” people among them are the staunchest opponents of establishing “shariah” in their societies.

“Shariah” is an Arabic word meaning “the rules and regulations of society ordained by Allah (God)”.  It is contained in His Message to Mankind, detailing what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior in human society.  It also defines how to regulate these behaviors.  Its purpose is to ensure that people build a society that consistently operates in their best interest without anyone being above the law.  It originates in the Message of Allah, and is in every Book of Guidance sent to every people on Earth. Despite the fact that these rules are now considered “religious” in nature, there are no “religions” which do not have them.

bygone days of western modesty

In ignorant societies, there are always large groups of “religious” people who claim to be God-fearing and “devout” believers in the laws of God.  They preach to others to follow “God’s laws” and apply His recommended values in their lives. What they are doing in reality (if they only knew), is exhorting their people to adopt “shariah”. But it is these same people who are amongst the worst opposition to the implementation of “shariah law” in the land today.  On the one hand, they decry the degradation of morality in present-day society and call for the adoption of Allah’s moral values as outlined in their books. On the other hand, they are quite content to accept their moral standard as an abnormal, impractical feature of current society and thus subject their moral vision to the inconsistent views of rampant disbelief.  Therefore, they convict themselves as to the strength and reality of their Faith. 

Islam’s call to believers to implement shariah is nothing unusual or sinister. The issue is a simple, straightforward one.  If you accept Islam as your lifestyle and you truly believe in the Message, then these regulations are necessary for the Islamic society to emerge and exist. Without their implementation, the “Islamic” community is nothing but a sham; a pipe dream.  Islam is a practical lifestyle which cannot be relegated to lip-service.  It must become translated into a tangible reality where those who profess worship of Allah (God) can live their commitments. The Quran puts it quite bluntly:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“O ye who believe!

Enter into Islam wholeheartedly;

And follow not the footsteps of the Evil One;

For he is to you an avowed enemy.”

(Quran 2: 208)

Unspoken Implications Of Claiming Jesus’ Divinity (What Your Pastor Probably Does'nt Know)

Those who claim that Jesus (peace be upon him) is the “son of God” apparently are not fully aware of the implications of their claim. They are so blinded by religious fervor that they do not understand the exact meaning of what they are saying. The statement is so far-fetched and so blasphemous, that, should any of them pause for reflection, they would instantly renege on the claim. In plain language, they are claiming that the Infinite and Almighty Creator actually fathered a child with an Earth-woman, out of wedlock! In other words, the Almighty God committed fornication, rather, adultery, with a married woman called Mary! The implications of the claim are so horrendous that even thinking about them makes one’s brain boil with horror over the extent of the blasphemy.

The Roots of Fatherhood

Fatherhood is established by the presence of genetic material from a male within the DNA of a child. This is usually caused by copulation between a male and a female. The female becomes pregnant because of the exchange of sperm and the subsequent activation of her egg. Normal pregnancy requires an active exchange of sperm and fatherhood is the byproduct of the process, usually sex. Fatherhood cannot be claimed unless one donated the sperm that caused the pregnancy. So to claim that Almighty God is the “father” of Jesus (peace be upon him) is a horrendously blasphemous claim indeed. The makers of the claim are emphatically staking their lives on the premise that He did not create that child (Jesus) by His usual means but He actually copulated with the woman to produce a son!

The Miraculous Process of Human Creation

 People who stake their lives on this claim have become ignorant of the miraculous processes of human creation. Although humanity has undergone the process of human creation constantly for thousands of years, we need to realize that the process clearly involves the input of the Creator Himself. Despite the advances of human science and technology, pregnancy, natal development and birth are not independent of Divine decree. Some of the process is in human hands but the most important parts of it are solely dependent on the Almighty God. It is God Who chooses when a woman becomes pregnant from a sexual encounter, even if she does not want to. Neither she nor her male companion has any control over this matter. Once they engage in the natural act of copulation, God determines the outcome. After that, humans are merely spectators in the process of human creation.

The Work Of God In Human Creation

Once pregnancy is established, it is God Who determines if the process will succeed.  Some women suffer miscarriages despite the best of medical care and others complete their pregnancies despite the roughest of conditions, again demonstrating that Divine intervention is at work. The stages of development of the fetus and the formation of its body-parts and limbs are completely beyond the control of the woman in whose body the creation process is taking place. Doctors are merely on-lookers at these events. They can do nothing to speed up the processes. The fetus’ ability to live and grow within the mother’s body takes place without human intervention. Although the child will become an air-breather after birth, it miraculously grows within a water-based environment for the entirety of its developmental process.  The creation of its soul, its mental faculties and physical abilities are totally beyond the knowledge and scope of its parents and of our greatest medical and scientific minds. There are so many subtleties built into a human being during its creation that no-one beholding the resulting baby can forecast its fate. So only ignorant people believe that God is absent from the process of pregnancy and human creation. God has always been, and will always be, involved in creating humans throughout the history of humanity.

Jesus, Adam and Eve

All “sophisticated” nations are aware of the account of the creation of Adam, the first human. In every account, we are told that Adam was created by God without the use of a father or mother.  No-one in their right mind would claim that Adam is the “son” of God or that Eve is his “daughter”! We all accept the fact that Adam and Eve are both simply creatures He made as part of the process of Creation.  So why the surprise and wonderment over the creation of Jesus (peace be upon him)? Jesus, it must be remembered, had a mother!

If we accept the reality that God, in His Omnipotence, can create human beings (obviously) without the standard process of using a mother and father figure, why should we need to blaspheme because he created Jesus (peace be upon him) with only a mother? After the marvelous creation of Adam and Eve, which we so calmly accept, have we become so stupid that we cannot accept the spectacular creation of Jesus without placing God in one of the most derogatory human categories? Did He have to “father” a child out of wedlock and have him sacrificed to appease His anger over a minor incident that took place thousands of years before its birth? Examining that claim would cause one to wonder what kind of vengeful being would hold a grudge for thousands of years and only accept a payment of innocent blood for its resolution.  We know that God is a Forgiving and Merciful Creator, so where did that claim originate?

Was Jesus A Sacrificial Lamb?

Today’s Christian sects, regardless of denomination, all accept as indisputable fact that Jesus (peace be upon him) is the biological son of God and gave his life on the cross as total expiation for the sins of humanity. This belief, however, was not part of original Christian doctrine until it was politically imposed at the Council of Nicaea, some 300 years after Jesus’ departure from earth. It was never fully accepted then nor for hundreds of years afterwards. It took persistent, ruthless and bloody persecution of dissidents to enforce this dogma on believing Christians. Nowhere in the recorded teachings of the life and work of Jesus (peace be upon him) is it reported that he claimed to be the sacrificial lamb for humanity. Until the Council of Nicaea created an “official” doctrine for Christianity, at the behest of a heathen emperor, the various Christian sects disputed claims of Jesus’ Divinity and sacrificial status taught primarily by the “Pauline” sects. Additionally, all Christian zealots preaching this concept today should be aware that it is a Roman perspective of Jesus (peace be upon him). The Bible, far from being The Word of God, is realistically, a Roman-inspired, political compilation of writings about Judeo-Christian beliefs about God in ancient times.

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