In Your Religion, Culture, Language, etc. - What is a God "Exactly?"

[Ehav4Ever]

A few simple questions. Please provide as much detail as possible.

1. In your religion, what "exactly" is a god? (in the singular)
2. In your culture what qualities allow something to be called a god?
   • In your culture are there things that can't be called a god? If so, why?
3. In your language what is the word, or words, used to define/describe the qualities of a god?
   • If possible, please show a picture of what the word(s) looks like in your langauge.
4. In your language does the word you gave in question #3 "exactly" translate into the word "god" in English?
5. Lastly, historically and etymologically where does the word for "god" in your religion, culture, and language come from?
   • I.e. what is the oldest source where the word is used in that way? i.e. history, pictures, etc.

 

[SalixIncendium]

A few simple questions. Please provide as much detail as possible.

1. In your religion, what "exactly" is a god? (in the singular)
2. In your culture what qualities allow something to be called a god?
   • In your culture are there things that can't be called a god? If so, why?
3. In your language what is the word, or words, used to define/describe the qualities of a god?
   • If possible, please show a picture of what the word(s) looks like in your langauge.
4. In your language does the word you gave in question #3 "exactly" translate into the word "god" in English?
5. Lastly, historically and etymologically where does the word for "god" in your religion, culture, and language come from?
   • I.e. what is the oldest source where the word is used in that way? i.e. history, pictures, etc.

1. Nirguna Brahman
2. Nirguna Brahman is without qualities or attributes.
   • There is nothing that cannot be called god, because everything appears within Brahman as a result of Maya.
3. Nirguna means "without qualities."
4. See answer #3.
5. "Sanskrit (ब्रह्मन्) Brahman (an n-stem, nominative bráhma, from a root bṛh- "to swell, expand, grow, enlarge") is a neuter noun to be distinguished from the masculine brahmán—denoting a person associated with Brahman, and from Brahmā, the creator God in the Hindu Trinity, the Trimurti. Brahman is thus a gender-neutral concept that implies greater impersonality than masculine or feminine conceptions of the deity. Brahman is referred to as the supreme self. Puligandla states it as "the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world",[23] while Sinar states Brahman is a concept that "cannot be exactly defined".[24]"

Brahman - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[The Sum of Awe]

1. Nirguna Brahman
2. Nirguna Brahman is without qualities or attributes.
   • There is nothing that cannot be called god, because everything appears within Brahman as a result of Maya.
3. Nirguna means "without qualities."
4. See answer #3.
5. "Sanskrit (ब्रह्मन्) Brahman (an n-stem, nominative bráhma, from a root bṛh- "to swell, expand, grow, enlarge") is a neuter noun to be distinguished from the masculine brahmán—denoting a person associated with Brahman, and from Brahmā, the creator God in the Hindu Trinity, the Trimurti. Brahman is thus a gender-neutral concept that implies greater impersonality than masculine or feminine conceptions of the deity. Brahman is referred to as the supreme self. Puligandla states it as "the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world",[23] while Sinar states Brahman is a concept that "cannot be exactly defined".[24]"

Brahman - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I have to agree. But I have been told by many Hindus that Brahman isn’t typically seen as a god in Hinduism?

 

[PureX]

I know of no exact definition of God. God is a conceptual ideal, like beauty, or honor, or justice. Ideals refer more to sets of values then to any particularized substance or phenomena. Generally speaking, the term "God" refers to the mystery source, sustenance, and purpose of all that is. And that's a source beyond our perception or understanding.

 

[Aupmanyav]

A few simple questions. Please provide as much detail as possible.

1. In your religion, what "exactly" is a god? (in the singular)
2. In your culture what qualities allow something to be called a god?
   • In your culture are there things that can't be called a god? If so, why?
3. In your language what is the word, or words, used to define/describe the qualities of a god?
   • If possible, please show a picture of what the word(s) looks like in your langauge.
4. In your language does the word you gave in question #3 "exactly" translate into the word "god" in English?
5. Lastly, historically and etymologically where does the word for "god" in your religion, culture, and language come from?
   • I.e. what is the oldest source where the word is used in that way? i.e. history, pictures, etc.

Before I start to answer your questions, let me state that though I am a Hindu, I am also a strong atheists. Sop, what I write here applies to theist Hindus but not to me. I believe in an impersonal entity (not a God) constituting all things in the universe. This is known as 'Advaita' (non-duality).

1. Most Hindus believe in many Gods and Goddesses. These are the creators, sustainers, controllers and also finally pack up the the universe. Oon the other hand, some believe in a 'supersoul' doing that, of which each living being is a part. This is known as Brahman.
2. Same as in other religions. Gods/Goddesses are eternal, omni-potent, omni-present, omniscient and just.
3. Devta, Daivatva. देवता दैवत्व (God, Godliness). Synonyms: Ishvara, Bhagawan. Prabhu, etc.
4. It does not. We have distributed management. Only one minor God is involved in judgment and punishment (Yama). The soul of the dead is brought before Yama. Chitragupta, the accountant who keeps the ledger of peoples' deeds is at hand. Yama looks at the balance-sheet and pronounces the judgment within seconds of the death. Good deeds and bad deeds are not compounded. Yama cannot be arbitrary, religion or belief of a person are not factored in.
5. These words come from Vedas of Aryans and Sanskrit.

This video will give you an idea of what happens in Yama's court. This is a case when Yama's people made a mistake and brought the soul of a wrong person. The messengers of death that Yama sent were newbies and previously used to work in the veterinary department. The person who is weeping is his friend. Our hero is then given an identical body of a very rich person, but still faces problems .. (Film: 'Jhuk Gaya Asman' - The sky bows)

 

[SalixIncendium]

I have to agree. But I have been told by many Hindus that Brahman isn’t typically seen as a god in Hinduism?

Nirguna Brahman typically isn't, but the multitudes of personal gods and goddesses are none other than Saguna Brahman.

 

[Truthseeker]

A few simple questions. Please provide as much detail as possible.

1. In your religion, what "exactly" is a god? (in the singular)
2. In your culture what qualities allow something to be called a god?
   • In your culture are there things that can't be called a god? If so, why?
3. In your language what is the word, or words, used to define/describe the qualities of a god?
   • If possible, please show a picture of what the word(s) looks like in your langauge.
4. In your language does the word you gave in question #3 "exactly" translate into the word "god" in English?
5. Lastly, historically and etymologically where does the word for "god" in your religion, culture, and language come from?
   • I.e. what is the oldest source where the word is used in that way? i.e. history, pictures, etc.

2. In your religion, what "exactly" is a god? (in the singular)

There is only one God. God is unknowable in His essence, but can be known by His qualities or what we call attributes.

1. In your culture what qualities allow something to be called a god?
   
   • In your culture are there things that can't be called a god? If so, why?
     

Nothing can be called God except for the One who created the primal will, which in turn created all of creation.

1. In your language what is the word, or words, used to define/describe the qualities of a god?
   
   • If possible, please show a picture of what the word(s) looks like in your langauge.
     

Not applicable as I live in an English speaking country.

1. In your language does the word you gave in question #3 "exactly" translate into the word "god" in English?

Not applicable

1. Lastly, historically and etymologically where does the word for "god" in your religion, culture, and language come from?
   
   • I.e. what is the oldest source where the word is used in that way? i.e. history, pictures, etc.
     

From google: The earliest written form of the Germanic word "god" comes from the 6th century Christian Codex Argenteus, which descends from the Old English guþ from the Proto-Germanic *Ȝuđan.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I just find God to be a placeholder term that is largely subject to anthropomorphism.

Similer with Brahman, Dao, or Nirvana of which isn't attributed a character or personality, unless of course one wants to give such a personality in form of an avatar.

 

[syo]

Gods are the Immortals.

 

[Estro Felino]

Truth and Justice.
It means, that whoever conceals truths and offends justice removes God from their own life.

And by truth I mean the historical truth: what really happened.
Not the lies and deception that people make up to live better.

 

[sun rise]

I don't follow a religion but I'll answer from my spiritual perspective

In your religion, what "exactly" is a god? (in the singular)

"exactly" is in the domain of duality. And there are many different frames-of-reference that can be used. But fundamentally the Divine is far far beyond the human intellect. And God alone is real. One of the references frames is Meher Baba's 10 states of God

State I God in Beyond-Beyond​

State II God in Beyond​

State III God as Emanator, Sustainer and Dissolver​

State IV God as Embodied Soul​

State V God as Soul in the State of Evolution​

State VI God as Human Soul in the State of Reincarnation​

State VII God in The State of Spiritually Advanced Souls​

State VIII God as The Divinely Absorbed​

State IX God as Liberated Incarnate Soul​

State X God as Man-God and God-Man​

In your culture what qualities allow something to be called a god?

In the non-dual perspective there's nothing but God.

In your language what is the word, or words, used to define/describe the qualities of a god?

My language is English

In your language does the word you gave in question #3 "exactly" translate into the word "god" in English?

Not applicable

Lastly, historically and etymologically where does the word for "god" in your religion, culture, and language come from?

• I.e. what is the oldest source where the word is used in that way? i.e. history, pictures, etc.

I'm sure google will give you the history and etymology of the word "God". But since Avatar Meher Baba's "Masters Prayer" lists multiple "names", any of them could be researched.

You are the Ancient One, the Highest of the High;​

You are Prabhu and Parameshwar;​

You are the Beyond-God and the Beyond-Beyond-God also;​

You are Parabrahma, Allah, Elahi, Yezdan, Ahuramazda, and God the Beloved.​