Searching for a ‘Greatest Truth’

[Eric_Hyom]

There is a simplistic and yet profound way to test the power of the greatest commandments in searching for a greatest purpose for the universe and life to exist.

Before creation began did God have a plan, was Christ’s life death and resurrection planned before creation began?

What purpose would be so great that it would compel God to create the universe and life knowing in advance that his son must die? Could it be to forgive us our sins or could there be something greater?

Challenge your mind to find a greatest purpose for the creation of the universe and life; by searching for answers to three questions.

What greatest thing could God create and why?

God could create all the stars and planets of the universe; he then becomes God the builder.
He could create a whole variety of life with almost no intelligence like plants; he now becomes God the gardener’
He could create life with more intelligence like animals he now becomes God the farmer.
God could create life in his own image, a life that could understand him.

He now becomes God the Father and we are taught to pray to God our Father.
Does the greatest thing that God creates, depend on the relationship that he can have with them

Can God create anything greater than children in his own image?

In the spirit of searching

Eric

 

[hamba2han]

Can God create anything greater than children in his own image?

“Indeed, the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind, but most of mankind do not realize it.”… The Holy Qur’an, 40:57

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Greetings and peace be with you hamba2han;

Indeed, the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind, but most of mankind do not realize it."… The Holy Qur’an, 40:57

Is there an explanation as to how the creation of the Earth become greater than the creation of mankind?

In the spirit of searching

Eric

 

[hamba2han]

Greetings and peace be with you hamba2han;

Is there an explanation as to how the creation of the Earth become greater than the creation of mankind?

In the spirit of searching

Eric

Greetings to you as well Eric,

The composition of human beings is far less complex than the composition of the universe in which they exist. However, very few people reflect on this reality. Because of the apparent supremacy of human beings over other creatures on this earth, man’s journeys through space and the continued advancement of their technology and knowledge, humankind in every age becomes arrogant and considers itself the greatest thing in this world. It is worth noting that the majority of humankind’s amazing discoveries are not concerning the human being, but his surroundings. In this verse, God brings human beings back to their actual status in this world. Humankind is merely a small part of the existence which resulted from the miraculous act of divine creation.

 

[Verisimilitude]

Nothing else surpasses the creation of Man. No star, galaxy, or wonder of the universe can do what man does in relation to all of creation, and that is acknowledge and give glory to God.

I think the image in which we share with God is our free will, and the ability to be a perfect being even though we may fail in practice.

In other words, how could a perfect being be more perfect? Answer, create a being with the ability to strive for perfection like the Creator.

I think the Moslem view as hamba2han states is inherently wrong because it places humankind in such a low position which translates to one man or group deciding another human group is less equal than others.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Greetings and peace be with you hamba2han;

Thank you for your explanation of this passage in the Qur’an, and I agree with you that mankind needs a reminder of our arrogance.

Never the less I still believe that we are the greatest thing that God has created because he has talked about plans for our salvation. He has not talked about plans as to how the Earth, moon, sun and stars might earn their salvation

In the spirit of searching

Eric

 

[hamba2han]

Greetings Eric,

I am interested to know your own thinking and that of Christianity’s teaching concerning the reason why humankind was created.
**
Why were we created and what is the purpose of our existence?**

 

[cheddarsox]

Nothing else surpasses the creation of Man. No star, galaxy, or wonder of the universe can do what man does in relation to all of creation, and that is acknowledge and give glory to God.

I think the image in which we share with God is our free will, and the ability to be a perfect being even though we may fail in practice.

In other words, how could a perfect being be more perfect? Answer, create a being with the ability to strive for perfection like the Creator.

I think the Moslem view as hamba2han states is inherently wrong because it places humankind in such a low position which translates to one man or group deciding another human group is less equal than others.

I disagree, all of creation gives glory to God.

who are we to look at the earth and sun and dare to judge it “imperfect” or less than man? No thing has a greater or lesser status, all is of the Divine, and all glorifies the Divine by being as they are created to be.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Greetings and peace be with you hamba2han;

I am interested to know your own thinking and that of Christianity’s teaching concerning the reason why humankind was created.

Thank you for your reply and I must be very clear that that these are only my thoughts, and they are not taken directly from the Bible. It is purely interpretation and speculation from my part

However, if the greatest thing that God can create is Children in his own image, then search for an answer to a second question.

What could be the greatest reason for God to create children in his own image?

Could it be that before creation began God made a covenant to love each and everyone of us as he loves himself? ( The second greatest commandment. )

Can God love us more than he loves himself? Can God have any other greater purpose to create children in his own image?

My thoughts are more for meditation and to challenge the mind to search for something greater?

But they hang on what Christ said is the second greatest, I shall come back to the greatest commandment later.

In the spirit of searching

Eric

 

[hamba2han]

Thank you for your reply and I must be very clear that that these are only my thoughts, and they are not taken directly from the Bible. It is purely interpretation and speculation from my part

The question of ‘Why were we created and what is the purpose of our existence?’ is just so very fundamental and so supremely important in our reasons to even follow any faith at all… that it seems to me so incredulous that any scripture would not spell it out in very clear and unmistakable terms.

After all, God is NOT the author of confusion… and what could be more confusing to the creations if they themselves are not sure of the reason why they were created by their Creator and the purpose of their existence in this world?

 

[Verisimilitude]

I disagree, all of creation gives glory to God.

who are we to look at the earth and sun and dare to judge it “imperfect” or less than man? No thing has a greater or lesser status, all is of the Divine, and all glorifies the Divine by being as they are created to be.

I do not see it as a judgement of imperfection toward anything else. I am not judging the Moon less perfect, but as obvioulsy different. Only man can give glory and praise to God- the Moon can’t. Man can give glory to God because He created the Moon, but the Moon does not praise God for Man.

 

[cheddarsox]

I do not see it as a judgement of imperfection toward anything else. I am not judging the Moon less perfect, but as obvioulsy different. Only man can give glory and praise to God- the Moon can’t. Man can give glory to God because He created the Moon, but the Moon does not praise God for Man.

I disagree, the moon does give glory. It does not praise like a man, because it is not a man, likewise, men do not praise like the moon, because we are not moons. Each glorifies God in it’s own manner. The manner in which it was created and enabled by the Divine itself.

Humans are not more perfect because they praise in a human manner.

 

[Verisimilitude]

Humans are not more perfect because they praise in a human manner.

Humans have cognative reasoning skills which celestial bodies lack. Humans have a soul which a tree does not. God may imbue Himslef in all things, but the embodiment of His presence in non-human things are very different seemingly.

We are special because only man was created in the image of the Creator. Maybe that applies to angels and demons as well, but we seem to be markedly different in some ways from them as well.

I can see the glory of God in a tree (planet, animal, or a rock) because He created it, and by its very existence it gives glory to God for being as real as we are, but it takes a human to contemplate that relationship. If you think the other things do/can contemplate God, can you explain how they do?

 

[cheddarsox]

Humans have cognative reasoning skills which celestial bodies lack. Humans have a soul which a tree does not. God may imbue Himslef in all things, but the embodiment of His presence in non-human things are very different seemingly.

We are special because only man was created in the image of the Creator. Maybe that applies to angels and demons as well, but we seem to be markedly different in some ways from them as well.

I can see the glory of God in a tree (planet, animal, or a rock) because He created it, and by its very existence it gives glory to God for being as real as we are, but it takes a human to contemplate that relationship. If you think the other things do/can contemplate God, can you explain how they do?

No, I do not think that trees or the moon contemplate God. And yes we are different, as all things are different from one another.
I do not believe that only man was created in the image of God, I think that all things reflect the image and true nature of the Divine.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Greetings and peace be with you hamba2han;

That really brings me to a third question, what greatest purpose could God set for mankind, ( his children ) The first is to return God’s love; and that is set out for us in the greatest commandment.

If God loves each and every one of us as he loves himself, then could we be given the second greatest commandment to strive to do as God does?

Christ said the commandments are greatest for a reason.

As a man, Christ would live by God’s greatest commandments, but Christ is also God to Christians. In this role of both God and man, it would make more sense that the greatest applies to both Christ as God and Christ as man.

In the spirit of searching,

Eric

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Greetings and peace be with you all,

Can this possibly describe how Christ is one with the Father?

Christ loves the Father as he loves himself?
The Father loves Christ as he loves himself?

In the spirit of searching

Eric

 

[hamba2han]

That really brings me to a third question, what greatest purpose could God set for mankind

The following is an excerpt from a webpage:

Why did God create mankind?

"{Remember] when your Lord extracted from the loins of Adam’s children and their descendents and made them testify [saying] : ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes, we testify to it.’ [This was] in case you say on the Day of Judgment: ‘We were unaware of this.’ Or you say: ‘It was our ancestors who worshiped others besides God and we are only their descendants. Will you then destroy us for what those liars did?’ " The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 7, Verses 172-3

The Prophet(pbuh) explained that when Allah created Adam, He took from him a covenant at a place called Na’maan on the 9th day of the 12th month. He then extracted from Adam all of his descendants who would be born until the end of the world, generation after generation, and spread them out before Him to take a covenant from them also. He spoke to them, face to face, making them bear witness that He was their Lord.

Consequently, every human being is responsible for belief in God, which is imprinted on each and every soul. It is based on this inborn belief that Allah defined the purpose of humankind’s creation:
"I have created the jinn and humankind only for My worship" The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 51, Verse 56

Thus, the essential purpose for which humankind was created is the worship of God and the term ‘worship’ here means not just to perform acts like prayer and fasting, but rather it means to consciously do all the things that pleases God like being kind to and helping others in need, taking care of other creations like trees and animals… and also to leave the things that He has forbidden.

However, the Almighty is not in need of human worship. He did not create human beings out of a need on His part. If not a single human worshiped God, it would not diminish His glory in any way, and if all mankind worshiped Him, it would not increase His glory in any way.

God is perfect. He alone exists without any needs. All created beings have needs. Consequently, it is humankind that needs to worship God.

The question concerning the purpose of mankind’s creation may be expanded to include the world in which they live. The question would then be, “Why did God create human beings in this world?” Again, the answer to this question can easily be found in the final revelation, Chapters al-Mulk and al-Kahf:
"[It is He] who created death and life to test which of you is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving" The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 67, Verse 2
"Surely I have created all that is on earth as its ornaments that I may test which of them is best in conduct." The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 18, Verse 7

Thus, the purpose for the creation of human beings in this world is to test their conduct. This world of life and death, wealth and poverty, sickness and health, was created to sift out the righteous souls from the evil souls. The tests serve to confirm on the Day of Judgment that those going to hell deserve it and those going to paradise only got there by God’s grace.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Greetings and peace be with you hamba2han;

Greetings and peace be with you

I agree with all these things that we are here as a test, we are here to worship God, we can only be saved by God’s grace.

But are any of these purposes so great that God can do nothing greater?

Search in your own heart for something greater than being created as children of God in his own image, and God loves us as he loves himself?

In the spirit of searching

Eric