Chapter2WHB

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Church of God Message

WHICH HOLY BOOK IS THE WORD OF GOD

CHAPTER 2

RELIGIONS CLAIMING TO BE INSPIRED BY THE CREATOR

Five major religions of the world claim to worship the Supreme Creator God. These are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Sikhism. Here is proof from the scriptures of these religions.

Islam

The inspiring spirit being of Islam claims to be the Creator in the Koran. The following quotes are from the English translation of the Koran by M.H. Shakir, published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., in 1983. [There are many versions of the English translation of the Koran available online. Reader may wish to check these translations for clarity of certain passages. Shakir’s translation is used throughout this book].

[2.21] O men! serve your Lord Who created you and those before you so that you may guard (against evil).

[2.22] Who made the earth a resting place for you and the heaven a canopy and (Who) sends down rain from the cloud then brings forth with it subsistence for you of the fruits; therefore, do not set up rivals to Allah while you know.

[2.28] How do you deny Allah and you were dead and He gave you life? Again, He will cause you to die and again bring you to life, then you shall be brought back to Him.

[2.29] He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth, and He directed Himself to the heaven, so He made them complete seven heavens, and He knows all things.

[2.107] Do you not know that Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and that besides Allah you have no guardian or helper?

[2.117] Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees an affair, He only says to it, Be, so there it is.

[2.255] Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Everliving, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most-High, the Great.

[3.18] Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining His creation with justice; there is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise.

[7.54] Surely your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods [or days] of time, and He is firm in power; He throws the veil of night over the day, which it pursues incessantly; and (He created) the sun and the moon and the stars, made subservient by His command; surely His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

[10.3] Surely your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods [days], and He is firm in power, regulating the affair, there is no intercessor except by His permission; this is Allah, your Lord, therefore serve Him; will you not then mind?

These verses leave no doubt that the “Allah” of Islam claims to be the Creator and sustainer of the universe, the heavens and the earth and all things that are in them, and he is the most-high God.

Hinduism

The Bhagavat Gita, the holy book of the Hindus quotes Lord Krishna of the Hindus as follows [translation by Sir Purohit Swami used throughout the book]:

In Chapter 3: There is nothing in this universe, O Arjuna, that I am compelled to do, nor anything for Me to attain; yet I am persistently active. For were I not to act without ceasing, O prince, people would be glad to do likewise. And if I were to refrain from action, the human race would be ruined; I should lead the world to chaos, and destruction would follow.

In Chapter 5: Knowing me as Him who gladly receives all offerings of austerity and sacrifice, as the Mighty Ruler of all the Worlds and the Friend of all beings, he passes to Eternal Peace.”

In Chapter 7: Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and personality; this is the eightfold division of My Manifested Nature.

“This is My inferior Nature; but distinct from this, O Valiant One, know thou that my Superior Nature is the very Life which sustains the universe. It is the womb of all being; for I am He by Whom the worlds were created and shall be dissolved.

“O Arjuna! There is nothing higher than Me; all is strung upon Me as rows of pearls upon a thread. O Arjuna! I am the Fluidity in water, the Light in the sun and in the moon. I am the mystic syllable Om in the Vedic scriptures, the Sound in ether, the Virility in man. I am the Fragrance of earth, the Brilliance of fire. I am the Life Force in all beings, and I am the Austerity of the ascetics. Know, O Arjuna, that I am the eternal Seed of being; I am the Intelligence of the intelligent, the Splendor of the resplendent. I am the Strength of the strong, of them who are free from attachment and desire; and, O Arjuna, I am the Desire for righteousness. Whatever be the nature of their life, whether it be pure or passionate or ignorant, they are all derived from Me. They are in Me, but I am not in them.

“The inhabitants of the world, misled by those natures which the Qualities have engendered, know not that I am higher than them all, and that I do not change.”

In Chapter 8: “Arjuna asked: O Lord of Lords! What is that which men call the Supreme Spirit, what is man’s Spiritual Nature, and what is the Law? What is Matter and what is Divinity? Who is it who rules the spirit sacrifice in many; and at the time of death how may those who have learned self-control come to the knowledge of Thee?

The Lord Shri Krishna replied: The Supreme Spirit is the Highest Imperishable Self, and Its Nature is spiritual consciousness. The worlds have been created and are supported by an emanation from the Spirit which is called the Law.

“Matter consists of the forms that perish; Divinity is the Supreme Self; and He who inspires the spirit of sacrifice in man, O noblest of thy race, is I Myself, Who now stand in human form before thee.”

In Chapter 9: The whole world is pervaded by Me [thus Krishna claims to be omnipresent], yet My form is not seen. All living things have their being in Me, yet I am not limited by them. Nevertheless, they do not consciously abide in Me. Such is My Divine Sovereignty that though I, the Supreme Self, am the cause and upholder of all, yet I remain outside. As the mighty wind, though moving everywhere, has no resting place but space, so have all these beings no home but Me.

“All beings, O Arjuna, return at the close of every cosmic cycle into the realm of Nature, which is a part of Me, and at the beginning of the next I send them forth again. With the help of Nature, again and again I pour forth the whole multitude of beings, whether they will or no, for they are ruled by My Will. But these acts of mine do not bind Me. I remain outside and unattached. Under my guidance, Nature produces all things movable and immovable. Thus it is, O Arjuna, that this universe revolves.

“Fools disregard Me, seeing Me clad in human form. They know not that in My higher nature I am the Lord-God of all.”

In Chapter 10: Neither the professors of divinity nor the great ascetics know My origin, for I am the source of them all. He who knows Me as the unborn, without beginning, the Lord of the universe, he, stripped of his delusion, becomes free from all conceivable sin…I am the source of all; from Me everything flows. Therefore the wise worship Me with unchanging devotion.

“O Arjuna! I am the Self, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning and the life, and I am the end of them all. Of all the creative Powers I am the Creator, of luminaries the Sun; the Whirlwind among the winds, and the Moon among planets. I am the Beginning, the Middle and the End in creation… I am Time inexhaustible; and I am the all-pervading Preserver. I am all-devouring Death; I am the Origin of all that shall happen…I am the Seed of all being, O Arjuna! No creature moving or unmoving can live without Me…O Arjuna! I sustain this universe with only small part of Myself.”

After seeing a vision of Krishna in a part of his form, in Chapter 10 Arjuna says: “Thou art the Supreme Spirit, the Eternal Home, the Holiest of the Holy, the Eternal Divine Self, the Primal God, the Unborn and the Omnipresent.”

In Chapter 12: Those who worship Me as the Indestructible, the Undefinable, the Omnipresent, the Unthinkable, the Primeval [Thus Krishna claims himself to be the primeval source of everything, meaning the original cause], the Immutable and the Eternal…”

In Chapter 15 Krishna claims: “But higher than all am I, the Supreme God, the Absolute Self, the Eternal Lord, Who pervades the worlds and upholds them all. Beyond comparison of the Eternal with the non-eternal am I, Who am called by scriptures and sages the Supreme Personality, the Highest God.”

So, in the Bhagavat Gita Lord Krishna leaves no doubt about what he claims to be: The original primeval source of all life, creator and sustainer of the universe, the Lord-God of all.

Sikhism

In the Sikh Scriptures known as the Guru Granth Sahib, God the Creator and Sustainer of all is not directly quoted. But the scripture claims that there is only one Supreme God who has created everything, including the other gods of the Hindus such as Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Indra, Krishna and goddesses such as Lakshmi and Parvati, and Buddha. The Supreme Being is the Creator and Sustainer of all of them and the entire universe.

The Guru Granth contains the sayings of the Gurus and the Muslim Sufis about the Supreme God and not direct quotes from God. The Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavat Gita on the other hand all claim to directly quote God.

Here is a gist of what the Guru Granth [translation into English by Singh Sahib Sant Singh Khalsa MD] of the Sikhs says about the Supreme God:

“One universal Creator God. The name is Truth. Creative Being personified [another translation has: ‘the All-pervading Creator’]. No fear. No hatred [or ‘without fear. Without hatred’]. Image of the undying, beyond birth [or ‘Immortal, unborn’], Self-existent. True in the primal beginning, true throughout the ages. True here and now. O Nanak [Nanak the first Sikh Guru telling himself], forever and ever true.” (Japji 1:1)

“By thinking, He cannot be reduced to thought, even by thinking hundreds of thousands of times. By His Command, bodies are created; His Command cannot be described. By His Command, souls come into being; by His Command, glory and greatness are obtained. By His Command, some are high, and some are low; by His Written Command, pain and pleasure are obtained. Some, by His Command, are blessed and forgiven; others, by His Command, wander aimlessly forever. Everyone is subject to His Command; no one is beyond His Command…one who understands His Command, does not speak in ego. (Japji 1:2)

“The Guru’s Word is the Sound-current of the Naad (those who praise God in song); the Guru’s Word is the Wisdom of the Vedas; the Guru’s Word is all-pervading. The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is Parvati and Lakshmi. Even knowing God, I cannot describe Him; He cannot be described in words. The Guru has given me this one understanding: there is only the One, the Giver of all souls. May I never forget Him!” (Japji 1:5).

“Only one as Great and as High as God can know His Lofty and Exalted State. Only He Himself is that Great. He Himself knows Himself…by His Glance of Grace, He bestows His Blessings (Japji 1:24).

P. 11: “You are the Primal Being, the Most Wonderful Creator. There is no other as Great as You. Age after age, You are the One. Forever and ever, You are the One. You never change, O Creator Lord. Everything happens according to Your Will. You Yourself accomplish all that occurs. You Yourself created the entire universe, and having fashioned it, You Yourself shall destroy it all.”

The Sikh scripture goes on to say in numerous other places that the Supreme God, the Creator and Sustainer of all is above all gods and He Himself knows Himself and no humans can describe Him. But the path to liberation or salvation is through the teaching of the gurus and worship of the only one true God.

The Guru Granth is a compilation of hymns of the Sikh Gurus and some Hindu and Muslim poets describing the qualities of the Creator God and how He should be worshipped and how salvation can be obtained. There is no doubt that the Sikhs claim to worship only one God whom they claim to be the only Creator, supreme over all gods. The Guru Granth claims that all the gods of the Hindus, including Krishna are inferior gods.

Judaism and Christianity

The Bible of Judaism and Christianity claims to be the Word of God and directly quotes God in many places through the prophets. And the Ten Commandments were directly spoken by God and then written on two tablets of stone. The creation account is given in the very beginning of the Bible, and reads as follows in Genesis 1 (NIV – New International Version):

“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day. 6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.

“9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.

“14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.

“20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day.

“24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

“26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." 29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.”

Then in Genesis 2:1-3: “1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

The Old Testament of the Bible is common to both Judaism and Christianity. Therefore, both religions claim they worship the true Creator God. The Bible has the most detailed account of actual creation than any of the other religions.

Thus, we see all the major religions, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Sikhism talk about the one true Creator God and claim that they have the true path to salvation. All except Sikhism claim to directly quote the Creator God Himself in their scriptures. Because all these religions claim that their God is the Creator of everything, can we choose any of these religions to follow? That would be acceptable if all of them essentially promised the same salvation. Therefore, before we can decide which religion to follow, we must first find out what is the promised reward for the devotees, or salvation according to each of these religions, and whether it makes sense.

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