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What is the origin of the need within every culture to worship divinity?
Jun 16, 2021 08:38:30   #
Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...
 
Nonbelievers have often remarked on the exclusiveness of the Judeo-Christian heritage, but Scripture (the Holy Bible) indicates that long ago ALL of mankind once knew God.

When Noah performed the sacrifice of Genesis 8:20-9:17, immediately after the Great Flood, his entire family - the ancestors of all post-Flood humanity - was blessed by the Lord.
Mankind later settled in Shinar, (in what became ancient Mesopotamia; Sumeria) where they built the Tower of Babel. God urged the people to disperse and colonize the earth but they would not; so God confused their languages and compelled them to disperse.1
Noah's descendants sailed and walked - migrating long distances in a few short years.

Thus ancient Egypt, China, Central America, and other regions soon became settled with their technology, sophisticated ancient languages, and the soon diverging cultures and customs. And over time ... their original monotheistic beliefs began to dim in their minds.

Subsequent generations of humanity grew increasingly indifferent to their Creator, as (New Testament) Romans 1:21-24 describes:

"Because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness."

The Creator chose a single family to preserve his worship, and as this family soon became a nation, there came into being living prophets of the original monotheism: When Abraham was in Canaan he met Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God (Genesis 14:18-20). The Old Testament's Book of Numbers, chapters 22 through 24, describes how the prophet Balaam, from either Syria or lraq,2 was asked to curse Abraham's descendants just prior to their conquest of Canaan. A study of numerous world traditions echoes the above Scriptural idea that originally all mankind once followed the Lord and then fell away.3

... The key early literate civilizations of Sumeria, Egypt, India, China and Mexico all show signs of having once been monotheistic. Some primitive peoples of Africa, North America and Japan embraced the idea of a single Creator God, yet for all practical purposes they had later abandoned His worship for that of spirits. ...

There are many evidences of the loss of the original world monotheism, and descent into paganism. The key early literate civilizations of Sumeria, Egypt, India, China and Mexico all show signs of having once been monotheistic. Some primitive peoples of Africa, North America and Japan embraced the idea of a single Creator God, yet for all practical purposes they had later abandoned His worship for that of spirits. This journey from monotheism to spirit worship in the case of Sumeria, Egypt, India and Mexico led to the worship of many gods.

MONOTHEISM IN SUMERIA. EGYPT AND INDIA
The evidences for an original monotheism in Sumeria, Egypt and India have long been known. Archaeologists have discovered that the further back in Sumerian history you go, the more prominent the sky god An appears: so many believe he was once the sole god of Sumeria. Evidences for worship of "The One God" in Egypt are more abundant and at the same time more confusing.

Anthropologists and historians have studied the question of man's innate need to worship, and their three primary theories are 1) the subjective theory, 2) the evolutionary theory, and 3) the theory of original monotheism.

The subjective theory teaches that religion originates with man. Humans have a psychological need for a transcendent being that provides meaning and hope to their existence in this vast impersonal universe. Adherents of this view believe that this religious makeup exists below our conscious awareness. Cultures have various views of reality according to their experience, but the awareness and desire for religion is a universal phenomenon. They therefore conclude that this disposition lies in our subconscious, not the result of external realities or interactions with a transcendent being.

Evolutionists believe these feelings are expressed through symbols and attitudes, not through a set of defined belief systems. As a culture progresses, these symbols and attitudes are developed into a set of beliefs and practices.

Several proponents were important in promoting this theory. Friedrich Schleiermacher believed that religion began with a feeling of dependence. This led to a need for an object to depend on which resulted in the idea of God. Ludwig Feuerbach taught that the concept of God is really a picture of an idealized person. Sigmund Freud believed that God derived from the basic human need for a father image. The idealized father figure becomes our image of God. {1}

The subjective theory may teach us about human nature, but it does not adequately explain the origin of religion or where this universal desire to know and understand God comes from.

Dr. Winfried Corduan writes, “I may carry in my subconscious mind an abstract representation of God, but I cannot on that basis conclude that there is no independently existing, objective being that is God. God may have created me with that idea so that I can relate to God.” {2}

Every effect has a cause. What is the cause of this powerful desire for a relationship with God? If we are the products of a divine creator, that would explain this universal drive in all mankind to know Him because He placed this desire within us.

The Bible provides answers to the questions the subjective theory cannot answer. Genesis 1 states that we are created in the image of God. Therefore, we were created in the image of God with the intent to have a relationship with Him. Romans 1:20 states that all men have ingrained in their hearts a knowledge of God. Chapter 2 states that our conscience testifies that a moral law giver exists. The desire for God is a basic part of human nature.

Original Monotheism - Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end."

The third model for the origin of religion is original monotheism. This theory teaches that religion originates with God disclosing Himself to man. The first form religion takes is monotheism, and it deviates from there. Dr. Winfried Corduan identifies nine characteristics of man’s first form of religion.

– God is a personal God.
– He is referred to with masculine grammar and qualities.
– God is believed to live in the sky.
– He has great knowledge and power.
– He created the world.
– God is the author of standards of good and evil.
– Human beings are God’s creatures and are expected to live by his standards.
– Human beings have become alienated from God by disobeying his standards.
– Lastly, God has provided a method of overcoming the alienation. Originally this involved sacrificing animals on an altar of uncut stone. {3}

Studies of world cultures have revealed that each one has a vestige of monotheistic beliefs which are described by Dr. Corduan’s nine qualifications. Cultures that are very primitive provide some of the strongest proof of original monotheism.

Anthropologists Dr. Wilhelm Schmidt, author of the 4000 page treatise, The Origin and Growth of Religion, and, more recently, Don Richardson, author of Eternity in Their Hearts, documented this fact in the hundreds of cultures they studied.

They discovered that the religion of some of the most ancient cultures were monotheistic and practiced little or no form of animism or magic. In almost every culture around the world, the religion of a particular culture began with a concept of a masculine, creator God who lives in the heavens. He provided a moral law by which the people would enter into a relationship with him. This relationship was broken when the people were disobedient, and as the relationship deteriorated, the people distanced themselves from the creator and their knowledge of him faded. As the civilization moved further away, they began to worship other lesser gods. In their search to survive in a world filled with spiritual forces, they desired power to manipulate the forces, and thus there was an increase in the use of magic.

This theory fits very well with what is revealed in Scripture. Genesis teaches us that God created man and that man lived according to his knowledge of God and His laws. However, from Adam’s first act of disobedience, mankind continued his sinful path away from God. Paul summarizes this history in Romans 1. The theory of original monotheism is the most consistent with Scripture and appears to have strong historical support.

Here are just a few examples of Original Monotheism:
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics states that the Chinese culture before Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, 2600 years before Christ, worshipped Shang Ti. They understood Him to be the creator and law-giver. They believed that He was never to be represented by an idol. When the Zhou Dynasty controlled China during the years 1066-770 B.C., the worship of Shang Ti was replaced by the worship of heaven itself, and eventually three other religions were spawned in China.

In a region north of Calcutta, India, there lived the Santal people. They were found worshipping elements of nature. However, before these practices developed, they worshipped Thakur Jiu, the genuine God who created all things. Although they knew Thakur Jiu was the true God, the tribe forsook worshiping Him and began entering into spiritism and the worship of lesser gods who ruled over some aspect of creation.

In Ethiopia, the Gedeo people number in the millions and live in different tribes. These people sacrifice to evil spirits out of fear. However, behind this practice is an older belief in Magano, the one omnipotent creator.

The Incas in South America also have this same belief. Alfred Metraux, author of History of the Incas, discovered the Inca’s originally worshipped Viracocha, the Lord, the omnipotent creator of all things. Worship of Inti, the Sun God, and other gods are only recent departures from this monotheistic belief.

These examples follow Paul’s description in Romans 1 where he states that men departed from worship of the creator to the worship of the creation.

If original monotheism is true, it should impact Christian strategy for missions. {4} In fact, this theory has had a tremendous impact on evangelistic strategies throughout the world.

Don Richardson’s book, Eternity in Their Hearts, illustrates how this theory shaped the missionary effort in China and Korea: "In ancient China, the Lord of the Heavens was referred to as Shang Ti. In Korea, he was referred to as Hananim. Over the centuries, the Chinese departed from the worship of Shang Ti and adopted the beliefs of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism that taught the worship of ancestors and the Buddha. However, even after two thousand years, the Chinese still mentioned the name of Shang Ti.

The first Christian missionaries to China arrived in the eighth century A.D. In the years that followed, instead of capitalizing on the residual monotheistic witness already in the land, missionaries imposed a completely foreign name to the God of the heavens. They emphasized that the God of the Bible is foreign and completely distinct from any God the Chinese had ever heard of before. As Don Richardson writes, “Those who took this position completely misunderstood the real situation.” {5} Roman Catholic missionaries adopted new terms like Tien Ju, Master of Heaven or Tien Laoye for od in the Chinese language.

When Protestant missionaries arrived, they debated as to whether they should use Shang Ti or another term for the Almighty. Some argued that there should be a new name for a new thing. Those who chose to use Shang Ti did not take advantage of the full meaning behind the term. As a result, Protestant missionaries did not have as great an impact in China as they were to have in Korea.

In 1884, Protestant missionaries entered Korea. After studying the culture, they believed that Hananim was the residual witness of God. As these missionaries began to preach utilizing this remnant witness, their message was enthusiastically received. Instead of introducing a foreign God from the west, they were reintroducing the natives to the Lord of their ancestors whom they were interested to know. The Catholic missionaries who had been in Korea for decades were still employing designations for God from Chinese phrases like Tien Ju. As a result, the Korean people responded to the message from the Protestant missionaries and Christianity spread throughout the country at an explosive rate."

Paul writes in Acts 14, “In the past he (God) let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony.” (vv. 16-17) The fact that all cultures have this remnant witness has had – and should continue to have – an impact on the missionary movement all over the world.

Notes
See Winfried Corduan, Neighboring Faiths, (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 22-23.
Ibid., 24.
Ibid., 33.
Don Richardson, Eternity in Their Hearts (Ventura: Calif.: Regal Books, 1984), 33-71.
Ibid., 67

Bibliography
1. Anderson, Norman. The World’s Religions. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Publishing, 1991.
2. ________. Christianity and the World Religions. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1984.
3. Corduan, Winfried. A Tapestry of Faiths. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
4. ________. Neighboring Faiths. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998.
5. De Vries, Jan. Perspectives in the History of Religions. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967.
6. Kitagawa, Joseph, ed. The History of Religions. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1985.
7. Morris, Brian. Anthropological Studies of Religion. London: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
8. Noss, David & John Noss. Man’s Religion, 7th Edition. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1984.
9. Parrinder, Geoffrey. World Religions. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1983.
10. Richardson, Don. Eternity in Their Hearts. Ventura, CA.: Regal Books, 1984.
11. Smart, Ninian. The Religious Experience of Mankind. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1984.
12. Schmidt, Wilhelm. The Origin and Growth of Religion: Facts and Theories. New York: Cooper Square Publishers,1972.

Reply
Jun 16, 2021 09:54:13   #
Peewee Loc: San Antonio, TX
 
Loved this info. I'm saving this one. Be blessed, my friend.

Reply
Jun 16, 2021 23:34:45   #
Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...
 
Thank you, Peewee,

I hope your part of Texas is blessed with cool showers whenever the sun scorches the air to an unbearable degree this summer.

There is a more detailed book on the uniformity of the original religious beliefs in God throughout the world 5,000 or so years ago (starting a few generations after the flood), and how they disintegrated into myths and legends in their cultures as their nations progressed down the corridors of time, turning away from their knowledge of God in the process, but always retaining the now garbled tale in their oral memory.

It's possibly out of print now as I bought and read it in the early 1990's, and haven't located it online.

It's information that makes perfect sense to all those who believe and love God's word.


Peewee wrote:
Loved this info. I'm saving this one. Be blessed, my friend.

Reply
 
 
Jun 17, 2021 17:00:35   #
Peewee Loc: San Antonio, TX
 
Zemirah wrote:
Thank you, Peewee,

I hope your part of Texas is blessed with cool showers whenever the sun scorches the air to an unbearable degree this summer.

There is a more detailed book on the uniformity of the original religious beliefs in God throughout the world 5,000 or so years ago (starting a few generations after the flood), and how they disintegrated into myths and legends in their cultures as their nations progressed down the corridors of time, turning away from their knowledge of God in the process, but always retaining the now garbled tale in their oral memory.

It's possibly out of print now as I bought and read it in the early 1990's, and haven't located it online.

It's information that makes perfect sense to all those who believe and love God's word.
Thank you, Peewee, img src="https://static.onepo... (show quote)




I agree. But ET's or aliens get a lot of free publicity. I'll stick with good and bad angels until it's proved differently.

I'm still not convinced Bibi is out for long.

And Melchizedek's temple has been found in the old city of David below the current Temple Mount. We haven't found conclusive evidence of the location of the first temple. There might be a peaceful resolution somewhere down the line, in the near future. I don't disagree that the current temple mount is the location of the second temple. Satan has always liked placing his pagan temples on the highest spot in the area. It fits with his pattern. Everyone has to go up to enter Jerusalem already.

All will be revealed soon anyway. I would just prefer to watch it all unfold from heaven. David's palace is in the old city also, so why not the second temple. I'm not losing any sleep over it in the meantime. It's above my pay grade. I've done all the research I can on my own.

I still think HAARP can control the weather though. That hurricane camped out on that island in the Bahamas with the Chinese submarine port for 4 or 5 days and totally destroyed it. And it's still flooding in southern China and mud and clay have jammed the turbines at the Three Gorges Dam. Not sure how much longer before it's washed away and takes out Wuhan and the lab. Many dams in China have been taken out already by earthquakes. My intel sources keep saying the CIA has an operation underneath the dam. They also say the CCP has been removed already. I'm really bad at waiting for more info. I'm so ready for full disclosure, if, that's possible.

Hopefully, the Vatican library will reveal more of our world's history soon. If anyone has more documented evidence, it's them. And instead of saving souls, they were aiding in human trafficking and stealing. Never knew of the black pope either. So at one time, there were three living popes.

Google Earth has replaced photos of it with an older more pristine and undamaged dam. Before that, you could see some of the damage. I enjoy the radio program Coast to Coast and they cover a lot of weird topics. But the host and his guest were bashing Christians and our beliefs for almost the entire hour, so I think I'm done with that show for now. But I did learn a lot about the Catholic Church from that show and others things that go bump in the night. Like the DUMBs and worldwide tunnel system. That's no longer a conspiracy theory. I can cross those two off my list.

GITMO has been hidden from viewing for 5 or 6 years now. And there are 5 or 6 volcanos along South America's west coast and one in Greenland has ash spewing out big time and diverting air traffic to the southeast. And special forces have been blowing up DUMBs and tunnels for five years steady by the white hats taking down the black hats. I think Trump was prepped for this time and God is maybe throwing us some curves in the last days. Either way, it's the most exciting time in my life. For the umpteenth time, I'm rereading Revelation and trying to see how it all fits together. We've had earthquakes, volcanos, flooding, and locust. And Satan has been taking a well-deserved beat down. Trump is basically running the entire world and winning. That can only be because of God. The QFS has begun, proving Nesara and Gesara are real and Trump has defeated the NWO in the financial reset. Being a Christian, a stable genius, and a lover of America and all people on Earth, he is being blessed like no other in a few centuries. As long as he's obedient, there seems to be no stopping the man. It's an awesome time to be alive and witness it all. Revivals can't be very far ahead.

Keep looking up and have a blessed day!

Reply
Jun 17, 2021 17:45:52   #
Rose42
 
Very interesting. Thank you Zemirah

Reply
Jun 19, 2021 15:46:03   #
Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...
 
Wow, somehow I missed that Melchizedek location being located, Peewee.

Melchizedek is a mystery, however, to be both a king and priest, he would indeed, require a temple and possibly a palace, as well, unless he was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, making an Angel-of-the-Lord appearance, previewing His 1,000 year reign on the throne of David, when He will be both priest and king over all the earth.


Peewee wrote:
I agree. But ET's or aliens get a lot of free publicity. I'll stick with good and bad angels until it's proved differently.

I'm still not convinced Bibi is out for long.

And Melchizedek's temple has been found in the old city of David below the current Temple Mount. We haven't found conclusive evidence of the location of the first temple. There might be a peaceful resolution somewhere down the line, in the near future. I don't disagree that the current temple mount is the location of the second temple. Satan has always liked placing his pagan temples on the highest spot in the area. It fits with his pattern. Everyone has to go up to enter Jerusalem already.

All will be revealed soon anyway. I would just prefer to watch it all unfold from heaven. David's palace is in the old city also, so why not the second temple. I'm not losing any sleep over it in the meantime. It's above my pay grade. I've done all the research I can on my own.

I still think HAARP can control the weather though. That hurricane camped out on that island in the Bahamas with the Chinese submarine port for 4 or 5 days and totally destroyed it. And it's still flooding in southern China and mud and clay have jammed the turbines at the Three Gorges Dam. Not sure how much longer before it's washed away and takes out Wuhan and the lab. Many dams in China have been taken out already by earthquakes. My intel sources keep saying the CIA has an operation underneath the dam. They also say the CCP has been removed already. I'm really bad at waiting for more info. I'm so ready for full disclosure, if, that's possible.

Hopefully, the Vatican library will reveal more of our world's history soon. If anyone has more documented evidence, it's them. And instead of saving souls, they were aiding in human trafficking and stealing. Never knew of the black pope either. So at one time, there were three living popes.

Google Earth has replaced photos of it with an older more pristine and undamaged dam. Before that, you could see some of the damage. I enjoy the radio program Coast to Coast and they cover a lot of weird topics. But the host and his guest were bashing Christians and our beliefs for almost the entire hour, so I think I'm done with that show for now. But I did learn a lot about the Catholic Church from that show and others things that go bump in the night. Like the DUMBs and worldwide tunnel system. That's no longer a conspiracy theory. I can cross those two off my list.

GITMO has been hidden from viewing for 5 or 6 years now. And there are 5 or 6 volcanos along South America's west coast and one in Greenland has ash spewing out big time and diverting air traffic to the southeast. And special forces have been blowing up DUMBs and tunnels for five years steady by the white hats taking down the black hats. I think Trump was prepped for this time and God is maybe throwing us some curves in the last days. Either way, it's the most exciting time in my life. For the umpteenth time, I'm rereading Revelation and trying to see how it all fits together. We've had earthquakes, volcanos, flooding, and locust. And Satan has been taking a well-deserved beat down. Trump is basically running the entire world and winning. That can only be because of God. The QFS has begun, proving Nesara and Gesara are real and Trump has defeated the NWO in the financial reset. Being a Christian, a stable genius, and a lover of America and all people on Earth, he is being blessed like no other in a few centuries. As long as he's obedient, there seems to be no stopping the man. It's an awesome time to be alive and witness it all. Revivals can't be very far ahead.

Keep looking up and have a blessed day!
I agree. But ET's or aliens get a lot of free publ... (show quote)

Reply
Jun 19, 2021 16:07:21   #
TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!
 
I haven’t spent much time reading this forum in a few days and completely missed this. Thank you, as always, for taking time to share with us!

Reply
 
 
Jun 21, 2021 06:55:39   #
Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...
 
Thank you for your interest in all things Christian, TexaCan,

and thank you for your consistently wise and Biblical defense of God's truth.


TexaCan wrote:
I haven’t spent much time reading this forum in a few days and completely missed this. Thank you, as always, for taking time to share with us!

Reply
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