Thoughts, Ideas and Beliefs in God
Who or what is God? Is God one or a trinity? Do we meet God at death? There is no one person we can ask questions about God. There is no interviewing God either. What we have are sources such as sacred writings, prophecies, thoughts of philosophers, views on God from ancient cultures, religions and ancient lore, etc. Although we can't question God, we can evaluate the information contained in these sources and draw our own conclusions about who and what God is. On this page you can see the wide range of beliefs of God from the past and around the world today and form your own conclusions.
GOD
There are three definitions to the word God.
1) The one Supreme and Infinite Personal Being, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, to whom man owes obedience and worship;
2) the common or generic name for the gods of the polytheistic religions;
3) an idol.
In general terms, God is a being envisioned as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient creator of the universe and the primary object of worship in religious practices, particularly, the monotheistic beliefs. Some religions believe God is one, others that God is dual, and still others that God is a trinity. God, the great faiths assure us, is everywhere.
Ancient History
Since the beginning of history, humankind has had a belief in higher beings. Ones they referred to as “gods.” These gods were believed to dwell in another realm unseen from the physical eye, yet there to aid and assist humans in a perilous world. In order to survive, the early civilizations put their faith in these gods, finding special ways of worshiping and praying to them. In addition, the image of the gods varied. The idea of the form of god was different with each culture, civilization and religion. In some cases, “God” was a woman. In other beliefs, “God” took on several forms as in the polytheistic religions. Later, “God” became “one” as seen in the monotheistic religions of today.
Beliefs in God(s): The First Civilizations
Mesopotamia
The name Mesopotamia was derived from Greek. It means “between rivers,” and was defined as the land lying between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris in what is Iraq today. This region was the birthplace of the first civilizations, and was among the leading regions in the world for around 3,000 years. The most important ancient civilizations in that area were the Sumerians (3500 BCE-2000 BCE), the Babylonians (18th century BCE-539 BCE) and the Assyrians (1350 BCE-612 BCE).
In Mesopotamian beliefs, Anu the sky god was the highest of the gods, the “Father” of all the gods and the god of Kings (although he played a small role in the mythology, hymns and cults of the period). He was usually portrayed wearing a headdress with horns, signifying his greatness and strength.(continue)