CONCEPT OF GOD IN MAJOR RELIGIONS

CONCEPT OF GOD IN MAJOR                          RELIGIONS

Authored by: 
Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik

           CATEGORISATION OF      MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS:

Religions of the world can be broadly categorized into Semitic
religions and non-Semitic religions. Non-Semitic religions can be
divided into Aryan religions and non-Aryan religions.

Semitic religions

Semitic religions are religions that originated among the Semites.
According to the Bible, 
Prophet Noah (pbuh) had 
a son called Shem.
The descendents of Shem are known as Semites. Therefore, Semitic
religions are the religions that originated among the Jews, Arabs,
Assyrians, Phoenicians, etc. Major Semitic religions are Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. All these religions are Prophetic religions that
believe in Divine Guidance sent through prophets of God.

Non-Semitic religions

The non-Semitic religions are further subdivided into Aryan and non-
Aryan religions:

Aryan Religions

Aryan religions are the religions that originated among the Aryans, a
powerful group of Indo-European speaking people that spread
through Iran and Northern India in the first half of the second
Millenium BC (2000 to 1500 BC).
The Aryan Religions are further subdivided into Vedic and non-Vedic
religions. The Vedic Religion is given the misnomer of Hinduism or
Brahminism. The non-Vedic Religions are Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism,
etc.
Almost all Aryan religions are non-Prophetic religions.
Zoroastrianism is an Aryan, non-Vedic religion, which is not
associated with Hinduism. It claims to be a prophetic religion.

Non-Aryan Religions

The non-Aryan religions have diverse origins. Confucianism and
Taoism are of Chinese origin while Shintoism is of Japanese origin.
Many of these non-Aryan religions do not have a concept of God. They
are better referred to as ethical systems rather than as religions.
Most Authentic Definition Of God in any Religion
The concept of God espoused by a religion cannot be judged by
merely observing the practice of its followers. It is quite common for
the followers of many religions to be ignorant of the concept of God in
their scriptures. It is therefore better to analyse the concept of God in
any religion by referring to its holy scriptures.
Let us understand the concept of God in major world religions by
analysing what their scriptures have to say about it. 

Authored by: 
Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik