Dear Michael,
Perhaps, you might misuderstood me but my intention in posting is given from the buddhist viewpoint of my practice not only for myself or SGA but for reason that this is discussion forum for everybody here. It seems that that you already been known to NSA or called SGI-USA(SGA)today. Have you got acquainted or know them before? From where? On TV, Internet, magazine or meet personally some SGA members?I encourage that it is better to know in direct to members alike than indirect like read or heard in some media or from other person to avoid misconception. Try direct contact for more info on this site: http://www.sgi-usa.org/thesgiusa/index.html
In respose to your question, religions of the world vary in accordance with the differences of people. However, the origin of religion itself can be found in the feelings shared by all men. The most primitive form of religion was worship of a god or gods representing the forces which causes natural phenomena and in which most of religions today practices this kind of beliefs.
So long as nature changed fairly normally, man was able enjoy its creature power and benefits. However, when nature rhytm grew violent, man found nowhere to turn in order to escape calamity. Ancient poeples variouly regarded this as an expression of their god's anger or as the work of a diabolic, destructive god, who opposed their god their benevolent god.
Through continued speculation, amn postulated a chief god reigning over all gods who controlled natures individual phenomena. I many cases, the chief god was originally a god who had ruled a specific phenomenon. For example, in the Greek and Norse mythologies the chief gos was the first god of thunder.
The same is said of Yawheh or Jehovah in Judaism which both Christinity and Islam descended from it and Islam calls it ALLAH. Yawheh was originally the god of thunder and later became the chief god of for the Jews. furthermore this God was eventually condedered to ne an absolute and transcendental God and finally the only God, denying the existence of any other gods. This led to the formation of cosmogonic myth that god's will and work created the universe and all existence in it.
Thus, whether it is one God or many, they are thought of as the controlling forces of nature and MAN. With the establishment of communnities some gods became symbols of the power or supremacy specified groups to streghten the groups authority.
In contrast with this, a Buddha is a person who has sent introspective wisdom into the depths of his Life and discovered the eternal truth therein. Buddha is man himself. Buddhism is the body of teaching which the ENLIGHTENED ONE expounds in order to enable all poeple to become Buddhas.
Buddhism teaches that Buddhahood is the Ultimate goal for man to attain; however, it does not deny or exclude the concept of god per se. Characteristics of the Buddha is the wisdom which he realizes the ultimate truth of life and the universe. Buddhism describes "gods" not as external power to worship but as beneficial powers in social and natural suroundings which work to protect people- a protective functions or forcesGod that works within our life and to our environment. Buddhism calls this power "good fortune".
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