Supreme Being

Not to be confused with supreme god, which may also refer to kings of the gods.
Look up Supreme Being in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Supreme Being is a term for God[1] used by theologians and philosophers of many religious faiths, including Christianity, Islam,[2] Hinduism,[3] Judaism, and deism.[4]

Use of the term

Christianity

In Christian theology, the term Supreme Being is used to refer to God.[5] Although God is mostly reserved for God the Father in the New Testament, Supreme Being can be used to refer to Jesus Christ or the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Deism

Festival of the Supreme Being, 8 June 1794 Paris

Deists use the term Supreme Being to refer to the Godly. Following the French Revolution, the Cult of the Supreme Being was intended to become the state religion of the new French Republic.[6]

Hinduism

Main article: Ishvara

In Hinduism, the term is used by several traditions. It is used by the Vaishnavite traditions in reference to Vishnu/Krishna,[7][8] and by the Shaiva tradition in reference to Shiva.[9]

Islam

Islamic scholars have used the term Supreme Being to refer to Allah, Arabic for "The God".[10]

Sikhism

The holy scripture of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, uses terms that are sometimes translated as "Supreme Being". Sikhs personally use Waheguru, or the term Ik Onkar, meaning "One God."

Yoruba religion

In the Yoruba religion the term "Supreme Being" is used in reference to Olorun, one of the three manifestations of the Supreme God in the Yoruba pantheon.[11] In Yoruba cosmology, Olorun is the Supreme Being whose supremacy is absolute.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ definition according to Miriam-Webster on line dictionary.
  2. ↑ Revelation – Sacred Theology
  3. ↑ The Hindu Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Monday, Sep 22, 2003
  4. ↑ website showing usage by Deists during the French Revolution.
  5. ↑ God – the Supreme Being
  6. ↑ Neely, p. 212: "(T)he Convention authorized the creation of a civic religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being. On May 7, Robespierre introduced the legislation...."
  7. ↑ Delmonico, N. (2004). "The History Of Indic Monotheism And Modern Chaitanya Vaishnavism". The Hare Krishna Movement: the Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant. ISBN 978-0-231-12256-6. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  8. ↑ Elkman, S.M.; Gosvami, J. (1986). Jiva Gosvamin's Tattvasandarbha: A Study on the Philosophical and Sectarian Development of the Gaudiya Vaisnava Movement. Motilal Banarsidass Pub.
  9. ↑ Maha Shirvratri website, About Lord Shiva
  10. ↑ Allah, al-llah
  11. ↑ God – Olorun
  12. ↑ The Yoruba Religious System
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