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Table of Contents God is dead The literally dead gods Mortal/Eternal gods Tezcatlipoca and Nanauatzin Osiris Izanagi and Izanami Immortal/Eternal God Jesus Conclusion To say that ‘God is dead’ does not make him dead. It is like a boy venting his anger on his daddy for grounding him for two weeks. In reaction, he utters: ‘I wish my dad died.’ At that moment of seething resentment, he wanted him dead, but did he mean it? When inconvenienced or in a tight corner, we want immediate solutions or answers to our problems or questions. Usually, in human minds auto-suggestions of relief or balancing acts pop up. The boy’s strength cannot match his dad’s, so he resorted to a verbal duel.    To say that ‘God is dead’ is like a verbal duel that arises from one’s feelings of dread, frustration, or despair. It is a declaration that has no foundation. A God that is immortal does not die. This claim may be influenced by some Christian background. Reviewing the ideas of ‘god-death’ or ‘deici...

Table of Contents Oneness of the Lordship of Allah ( Tawhid-ar-Rububiyyah ) Oneness of the Worship of Allah ( Tawhid-al-Uluhiyyah ) Divine Names and Attributes of Allah ( Tawhid-al-Asma was-Sifat ) God - Unique and Unchangeable Conclusion In the recent past, there have been confrontations and demonstrations when some individuals through ignorance tended to teach students about Islam and got themselves into trouble by making paintings of the Prophet. I call it ignorance because if they had learned the Qur’an or been informed about the Shahadah, they would not have done that. This writing will briefly introduce to the reader the importance of the Shahadah in the Islamic religion.   In Islam, the concept of Tawhid invokes three aspects of monotheism, which the Shahadah   (the profession of faith) embodies. The Shahadah is made up of two declarations: “There is no god but God” and “Muhammad is the Messenger of God” ( La ilaha illallah, Muhammad-ur-Rasul-Allah ). The former s...

Table of Contents Cautionary Surahs and Ayat Adversarial Surahs and Ayat Tolerant Surahs and Ayat Neutral Surahs and Ayat The ‘Covenant of ‘Umar’ The reason for the inclusion of Christians, Jews and Sabians as People of the Book, not only depends on having a sacred book but is also based on monotheism. Another fact was that the Qur’an calls on Prophet Muhammad to: “Set you (O Muhammad...) your face towards the religion (of pure Islamic Monotheism) …. Allah’s Fitrah (i.e. Allah’s Islamic Monotheism) with which He has created mankind” (Al-Rum 30:30). Strictly speaking, monotheism is another criterion and followed by the fact that the three religions considered Abraham as their father; “it is the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham), Islamic Monotheism” (Al-Hajj 22:78).   Another criterion can be found in terms like Al-Muttaqun ( Al-Baqarah 2:2). The term Al-Muttaqun means to profess faith in one God as a revelation given and written down in the form of scripture. This defi...

Table of Contents The Pathis The Panchappathis Social and Mystical Teachings Ayyavazhi is a sect in the Hindu religion a string of a dharmic belief system that was founded based on the life and teachings of Ayya Vaikundar. Principally, it is noted that the pathis (places where God is) and panchappathis (five abodes of God) play central roles in the lives of its followers. The general characteristics of this Hindu religious sect include: Monotheism Concepts of good, evil and dharma. The poorest of the poor are its major adherents. For monotheism – Ayyavazhi has a strong belief in the concept of one God known as Bhagavan Vishnu who has the capability to appear in human likenesses, such as in names and forms which suggests that there are other lesser godheads. But it also teaches that God is the most supreme of all deities, who is formless, transcendental, infinite, and eternal. As a religion, its symbol is a lotus carrying a flamelike white Naman which could mean in the Hindu languag...

Table of Contents Nigeria’s Demography Identity Construction in Nigeria Conclusion Identity construction in Nigeria is arguably rooted in ethnicity, tribal majority, and religious supremacy. They form the basis for defining who a Nigerian is and where they come from? Patriotism doesn’t count much when it comes to constructing identity in Nigeria. There are many reason reasons for this claim. For example, the Nigerian state does not recognize the existence of its citizens. By this, the emphasis is not on the compulsory enforcement of getting the National Identity Cards but on the state providing for the citizens the basic amenities for living, such as motorable roads, electricity, water, functioning hospitals, steady and timely education, and employment. Those are things of the past. They stopped in the early 1980s. These infrastructures are considered luxuries and only the rich and their relatives can enjoy them now. Questions of nationalism and service to the nation are defined by the...