Are there any influences on understanding and perceiving the God due to different cultures.
Read at different places that Arab’s God represents their Nomadic culture. Simple, free and lonely. Same is not true for concept of God adapted in Settled cultures where God possess manlike characteristics.
What are your views on this?
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Are there any influences on understanding and perceiving the God due to different cultures.
Read at different places that Arab's God represents their Nomadic culture. Simple, free and lonely. Same is not true for concept of God adapted in Settled cultures where God possess manlike characteristics.
What are your views on this?
God every where is a similar entity, like Christians call Jesus the son of God. Even Sikhs/Hindus refer to an entity called "ooper wala/Ishwar". According to the Hinduism the different idols they have are his reincarnations.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Eeshwar ek , roop anaik. Why so many (anaik) roop when it is considered / perceived same in all cultures. If He was perceived same by all, there wouldn't have been tussles among different cultures for religion and God.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Eeshwar ek , roop anaik. Why so many (anaik) roop when it is considered / perceived same in all cultures. If He was perceived same by all, there wouldn't have been tussles among different cultures for religion and God.
It was the same person, different religions have changed the meaning with the passage of time especially in the older religions. Islam being the last religion has kept the concept intact (as we believe that Allah has promised to protect it till the day of judgement).
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
But don’t you think Islam’s God has been perceived differently in different cultures and communities as well? Its not about keeping existence intact, its how people (a sizable majority) portrays and perceive the God based on their cultural backgrounds. A person in sub-continent has definitely a different horizon in perceiving God than a person in desert of Arabia.
If we leave perception of God aside, many religious concepts are also affected by change in region and culture. For an Arab, the concept of hell (Jahanum) is fire , whereas for a European (person living in Russia / Siberia) hell could be some thing cold.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
The concept of Hell and Heavens is similar in all Abrahmic faiths. Hinduism is different, we can compare it with the religion prevalent in Arabia prior to Islam. As far as Krishna and Buddha is concerned we dont know who they were, could be very pious people (maybe Nabi’s) as we only know the name of the most famous few. After their deaths their teachings could have been perceived wrongly. Besides before Islam as per our belief’s all religions were based in particular areas and times.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
The concept of Hell and Heavens is similar in all Abrahmic faiths. Hinduism is different, we can compare it with the religion prevalent in Arabia prior to Islam. As far as Krishna and Buddha is concerned we dont know who they were, could be very pious people (maybe Nabi's) as we only know the name of the most famous few. After their deaths their teachings could have been perceived wrongly. Besides before Islam as per our belief's all religions were based in particular areas and times.
To explain further, Taliban version of God (came from where and inspired of whom you know) is different from Sufi version of God (that is also inspired from a certain region including Iran and India).
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
To explain further, Taliban version of God (came from where and inspired of whom you know) is different from Sufi version of God (that is also inspired from a certain region including Iran and India).
How come?
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
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Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
How come?
One version is ferocious (ready to kill on small errors), other one is all merciful.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Think out loudly
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
One version is ferocious (ready to kill on small errors), other one is all merciful.
God is the same, he has both qualities.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Raheem/Rahman and Qahh'ar/Al Muntaqim.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
God is the same, he has both qualities.
but one culture perceived it predominantly revengeful and the other as predominantly kind. This is where culture and environment affects the concept of God.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
If Sufis and taleban follow different Gods then they essentially follow different religions.
the 99 names (qualities) of Allah:
99 Name Of Allah An Amazing Voice (Urdu English Translation ) - YouTube
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
but one culture perceived it predominantly revengeful and the other as predominantly kind. This is where culture and environment affects the concept of God.
I think this is the brainwashing that has been done during the past 40 years. The revenge in taleban types has come after the Afghan war (spread of Wahhabism).
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Nothing substantial :no:
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Kaafi interesting topic hai Muqawweeji
I think subcontinent mein thoda Sufi flavour hai when it comes to perceiving God.
i think videos can describe better than i can type right now lol..kuch zyaada type kiya aaj.
But this one shows Rabia, a Sufi mystic from Iraq, and her relationship to God.
There is one God in Dharmic religions such as Sikh, Hindu and Jainism. They believe in Brahman the Supreme God, omnipresent. There is nirguna brahman is supreme reality without form. Guna meaning form.
Saguna Brahman (or Paramathma-translated as Supreme God) is like the undecaying and eternal God visualised in Nirguna Brahman but may be conceived with form and qualities which helps devotees remember him in a manifested way. For devotees they may visualise this God as Vishnu (with the avatars of Ram and Krishna) and Shiv. The personal God is called Ishwar (which is the same as seeing Brahman through the veil of illusion or maya). It is this Ishwar which is seen , depending on the devotee, as part of the trimurti(or trinity) of Brahma(creation), Vishnu(maintainer) and Shiv(destruction). Every thought/action has a beginning, middle and end. They are accompanied by the goddesses who represent their shakti (or power) without which they are powerless. This may be saraswati (knowledge), lakshmi (prosperity) and parvati/durga (energy/power).
All subsequent gods and goddesses mentioned in texts, vedas or epics, are but manifestations or variations of these.
It is not believed as praying for the murti but reaching Ishwar through a representation/image which makes it easier to focus on. Focusing too much on any small thing and losing sight of the picture can make anything an idol.
In Arya Samaj they do not use murtis or rituals. For some a mantra is in replacement of murti. For others a murti is a representation of a quality of God making it easier to visualise which can be likened to a cross used in a church or some churches having representation of Christ on a cross. For some it is harder initially to think of God as a higher being without representation so many focus on the stories and messages of the avatars (such as Krishna or Ram) which allows them to remember and put focus and concentration. In time many do not require a murti to remember God and for some it can be a progression. The rishis and gurus who spend time meditating, and are analagous to Sufis, are not in need to think of representations.
An interesting video comparing representations in East vs West. It is mentioned that India’s name comes from the Indus river.
Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs west – the myths that mystify - YouTube
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
Sufiism came to the subcontinent through Turkey/Central Asia. You can still see sufiism in Egypt, Turkey, Syria and other countries of the Middle East. There used to be a considerable number of sufis even in Saudi Arabia a few centuries back. What we are seeing now is the conversion of Saudia to Wahabbism (after the Saud's consolidation of power) and spread of their version of the religion to other muslim countries.
Re: Cultural Influence on conecpt of God, etc
I think this is the brainwashing that has been done during the past 40 years. The revenge in taleban types has come after the Afghan war (spread of Wahhabism).
I think brainwashing or whatever you call it doesn't happen all of sudden. A society has some factors that are receptive to such ideologies. This is the reason KP got affected easily (accepted this strictness), where Sindh is still struggling.