Humanology Is the Prerequisite for Knowledge about God
Sometimes, the introduction is as important as the main subject, and without knowing it, it is almost impossible to understand the main topic. In the same way, the human being, as the center of creation, is the prelude to many achievements, including advancements in various sciences and even reaching God. The introduction can be a gateway to the main subject, and sometimes it acts as a prerequisite or basis for understanding the topic. For example, if someone does not know what a car is, we cannot expect him to explain how to improve its performance. Or if someone has no knowledge about colors, he cannot analyze a painting. Understanding the human being and his characteristics precedes many other kinds of knowledge that will remain incomplete and futile without taking the human being into account.
The Human Being as the Mirror Reflecting God’s Attributes
In the article “How Does Knowing the Human Being Bring Us Closer to Knowing God?” we learned that by knowing ourselves correctly and recognizing the unlimited and infinite essence of our existence, we can know God. This is because the existential structure of the human being pairs with God. This existential connection is so strong that knowing the “self” is equal to knowledge about God. In other words, we are just a small reflection of God’s names and attributes, and the closer we get to God, the more we manifest His names and attributes. Now, we want to go a step further and say that humanology is not only equal to knowledge about God but it is also the prelude to knowledge about God. In other words, before we know God, we need to know ourselves as human beings.
Our Perceptions Are Based on Our Personal Circumstances
To understand this topic better, let us start with an example: you have probably been in a situation in which your perception of a place or person was different from their actual reality. In fact, our perception of things is a product of our speculations, past experiences, thoughts, and what we have heard. That is why this perception depends on the individual’s outlook on life, his self-perception, and the lifestyle he has chosen. For instance, when a disciplined person wants to meet someone, he expects to see a tidy person with formal clothes on. On the other hand, an easygoing and laidback person may think that others are like him. All this leads us to the point that if we do not know our true self and do not have a proper understanding of our relationship with God, our perception of God will be based on what is in our mind, and not the real God. In this case, if we have lived a good life so far, we probably see God as kind and caring. But if things have not gone our way, we might see God as unfair and unkind. In such a situation, God is not an unlimited being with absolute and infinite perfections, but a being that changes with our daily situations.
My Imaginary God
When we do not know ourselves, we are unaware of our capabilities as human beings. This is why we think that our life is limited to the period between birth and death. We do not know our needs as a human being, and as a result, we do not try to meet them. We are like someone who does not know that a child’s basic needs include food and water and does not give him what he needs. So he becomes weak and may even die. Similarly, a person who does not recognize his basic needs as a human being values himself as an earthly being. He ignores the needs of his ‘true self’ and defines himself at the level of a plant, an inanimate object, and an animal, lowering his desires and wishes to the same level. Since he does not know the difference between his true self and false self, he gets frustrated and feels confused in facing the trials and tribulations of life. The bitter irony is that he believes he has the right to form an opinion about his Creator. Obviously, such a person does not consider God as his supporter, but rather he sees God as the source of all his failures, losses, and limitations. His perception of God is limited, imaginary, and far from the truth since he has already judged Him based on his incomplete and limited knowledge about himself.
Judgement Based on Lack of Knowledge
A person who is unfamiliar with the capabilities or functions of a device cannot express any opinion about the characteristics of its manufacturer. The same rule applies to human beings. If we do not truly understand the human being and all his characteristics, we will not be able to know our Creator as He deserves to be known. Even if we attempt to gain knowledge about God, it will be meaningless and will get us nowhere. Or it will bring us to a deity who does not really exist. That deity exists only in our minds, constructed based on our viewpoint about the world. In both cases, we do not gain a true knowledge about God, and as a result, we will not achieve true peace and happiness.
In this article, we examined the importance of understanding the human being as the prelude to knowledge about God. We said that there is a similarity between the existential structure of the human being and God. If we do not have a complete knowledge about the human being, our attempt to acquire knowledge about God will be either futile or based on our own mental assumptions. As a result, it will not yield any meaningful outcomes.
If you want to know more about the importance of knowing the human being, you can read the article “Why Should We Define Ourselves as a Human Being.”
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