User:Andries/list of self-proclaimed deities

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{{NPOV}} {{expand list}} The list of people considered to be deities consists of those notable human beings who were considered a deity by themselves or others. It additionally contains a few, sufficiently noteworthy, examples where the historicity of the person is disputed. In cases like that the name will be put in italics.

An asterisk (*) indicates a significant number of followers, while a double dagger (‡) marks those referring to a royal line of deification rather than an individual.

Who
Image
When
What
*Ayya Vaikundar 1833–1851 According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi and the source of Ayyavazhi mythology, Lord Vaikundar arose from the sea as the Avatar of Narayana to transform Kali Yukam to Dharma Yukam and to rule the earth.
Caligula August 31, 12 – January 24, 41 The Roman Emperor Caligula encouraged he be worshipped as a god, although it is not known if it was Jupiter or some other god. [1] During his lifetime he had statues of Jupiter torn down to be replaced by his own likeness, and is known to have declaimed, "Let there be one Lord, one King!" [2]
Commodus (August 31, 161 – December 31, 192 AD) Demanded he be seen as a God and worshipped as such[3]
‡ Egyptian pharaohs c. 3050 BC–c. 30 BC Egyptian pharaohs were kings of Ancient Egypt, and were considered by their culture to be gods. Their titles equated them with aspects of the likes of the hawk god Horus, the vulture goddess Nekhbet and the cobra-goddess Wadjet. See List of pharaohs. [4] [5]
‡Natchez rulers c. 700–c. 1730 (Theocratic era.) The Natchez were a theocracy ruled by "The Great Sun." This ruler has sometimes been deemed a God-king. [6]
*Jesus Christ c. 4 BC–c. 29 AD Considered to be God in most Christian views of Jesus. This is supported in the Canonical Gospels where he said he was God Incarnate, who took on human nature and human flesh and is the second person of the Holy Trinity. One commonly cited statement attributed to Jesus on his godhood is John 14:10 — "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.(KJB)" The idea is also in other early Christian writing as Ignatius of Antioch mentioned, "servants of Christ our God" in the tenth chapter of his letter to Smyrna. His unique claims are sealed in part by the fulfillment of the Septuagint prophesies surrounding his birth, death and resurrection and can be summarized as follows: "He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:11–14" The Septuagint also contains prophecies regarding Jesus return as King to judge the living and the dead and place the earth under God the Father's rule. "The LORD thunders his voice before his army; For his forces are very great; For he is strong who obeys his command; For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome, And who can endure it? "Yet even now," says the LORD, "turn to me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning." Tear your heart, and not your garments, And turn to the LORD, your God; For he is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, And relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind him, Even a meal offering and a drink offering to the LORD, your God.[HNV Joel 2:11–17]" Jesus told his followers that "Watch out! Don't let anyone fool you! For many will come in my name, saying, `I am the Messiah!' and they will lead many astray." Matthew 24:45 and that "all this is but the beginning of the `birth pains.' At that time you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and put to death, and all peoples will hate you because of me. At that time many will be trapped into betraying and hating each other, many false prophets will appear and fool many people; and many people's love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah. But whoever holds out till the end will be delivered. " Matthew 24:8–13
*Guan Yu
160–219 In Hong Kong both cops and gangsters consider him to be a divine object of reverence. In certain schools of Taoism and Chinese Buddhism he has been deemed divine or semi-divine status. The reverence for him may date back to the Sui dynasty. [7]
Manco Capac
died before 1230 In myth and legend Manco Capac is generally in least the semi-divine son of a Sun god.(See article on him) His actual historical existence is disputed and his religion likely extinct. [8]
Danila Filippovich c. 17th century He believed that he was God and started the Khlysts. (There are various transliterations of his name including Danila Filipov, Danila Filipich, and Daniil Filippovich) [9]
Father Divine c. 1880 – September 10, 1965 Claimed to be the only true manifestation of God. [10]
Jehovah Wanyonyi Unknown, but 1924 is suspected. "I am the one who created Adam and Eve. I made their bodies and their blood", […] "I still use human beings by speaking through them, like I spoke through Jesus Christ until he went to Heaven." There are between 120 and a 1000 followers who consider him God.[11] [12]
* Sangjenim 1871–1909 Jeung-san Sangjenim is accepted by followers of Jeung San Do to be the Ruling God of the Universe who incarnated as a human.Jeang San do site

[13]
* Sathya Sai Baba 1871–1909 Sathya Sai Baba claimed to be the person who sent Jesus Christ to earth.[14] [15]
* Kanichi Otsuka May 3, 1891 – May 18, 1972 Shinreikyo states of its founder "God became one with a human body, appeared among humanity, and founded Shinreikyo."[16]
Juanita Peraza (Mita) 1897–1970 According to the Mita faith, Mita (Peraza) was the incarnation of the Holy Ghost on earth.[17]
Henry James Prince 1811–1899 He referred to himself as Elijah…also privately claiming that he was the incarnation of the Holy Ghost.[18]
Ted R. Kurts b. 1959 Maintained a web presence promoting himself as "Ted Jesus Christ GOD" [19]
Matayoshi Jesus b. 1944 In 1997 He established the World Economic Community Party (世界経済共同体党) based on his conviction that he is the God and Christ. [20]
Yahweh ben Yahweh b. October 27, 1935 He was born as Hulon Mitchell, Jr. and his self-proclaimed name means "God, Son of God." He could have only been deeming himself to be "son of God", not God, but many of his followers clearly deem him to be God Incarnate.[21][22]
* Wallace Fard Muhammad 1877?–1934? The Nation of Islam considered, and likely still does, him to be a living God. He is also given other titles by the organization.[23]
* Haile Selassie [[Image:Hallies.jpg 70px]] 1892–1975 Among many followers of the Rastafari movement, which developed in the 1930s in Jamaica under the influence of Marcus Garvey's "Back to Africa" movement, Haile Selassie is seen as God incarnate, the Black Messiah who will lead the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora to freedom. His official titles, King of kings, Lord of lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah and Root of David, are believed to be the titles of the returned Messiah in the New Testament Book of Revelation. Their belief in the incarnate divinity of Emperor Haile Selassie began very shortly after his crowning.[24]
Feliksa Kozłowska
1862–1921 Archbishop Jan Maria Michal Kowalski on leading the Catholic Mariavite Church, "declared even more radical pronouncements, the most radical of which was that Felicja had in fact been the incarnation of the Holy Spirit upon the earth." How widespread this belief is amongst current members of the Catholic Mariavite Church is uncertain.
Lou de Palingboer February 19, 1898 – March 23, 1968 A divorced Dutchman named Louwrens Voorthuijzen who proclaimed himself "Lou the farmer of European eel", this being the translation of his proclaimed name "Lou de Palingboer". He was a figure who mixed marketing European eels with proselytism. His followers also considered him a living God on a mission against evil.[25]
Julius Caesar
July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC The tradition of apotheosis began with the declaration by the Senate of the deification of Pompey at Caesar's behest and of Julius Caesar's own deification after his assassination in 44 BC, an act that shocked the urbane opinion of the Roman elite.
Caesar Augustus
September 23, 63 BC – August 19, 14 AD When Augustus died 58 years after his uncle Caesar, he was similarly deified, thus setting the pattern for future emperors. The aims of the act were to reinforce the majesty of the imperial office, and, more immediately, to associate the current emperor with a well-regarded predecessor. For instance, when Septimius Severus overthrew Didius Julianus to gain power in AD 193, he arranged the apotheosis of Pertinax, who had ruled before Julianus. This allowed Severus to present himself as the heir and successor to Pertinax, though the two were not related.
Krishna
Image:Krishngovinda.jpg
 4th millennium BC Krishna is believed by Hindus to have been a man born in Mathura, and the 8th avatar of Vishnu. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism he is believed to be the supreme being.

[edit] See also

Look up Deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

[edit] References

  1. ^  Philo, Josephus, Suetonius, and Dio all report that Caligula was convinced of his own divinity and encouraged (or required) others to worship him as a god. The sources do not agree on whether he thought he was an incarnation of Jupiter, a brother of Jupiter, or some other sort of god. Zotti, Ed; Bibliophage (2003). Was the Roman emperor Caligula as crazy as they say?: Claim to divinity. The Straight Dope. Retrieved July 15, 2005.
  2. ^  He took many titles—the "Pious", 'Son of the Camp", "Father of the Forces", and "Caesar Best and Greatest". On one occasion at dinner at his house, when he heard some kings who had come to Rome to pay him their respects arguing among themselves as to which of them came of the noblest line, he declaimed: Let there be one Lord, one King! He came very close to assuming a diadem on the spot and turning what looked like a principate into the appearance of a monarchy. But when he was reminded that his own position had risen above that of princes or even of Kings, he began from that time to lay claim to the majesty of a god. He gave orders that statues of gods noted for their religious and artistic importance, including the statue of Zeus from Olympia, were to be brought from Greece in order that their heads might be removed and replaced with copies of his own. Suetonius Tranquillus (May 1, 2001). Lives of the Caesars, 146. Google Print. ISBN 0192832719 (accessed July 8, 2005). Also available in print from Oxford University Press.
  3. ^  "He allowed statues of himself to be erected with the accoutrements of Hercules; and sacrifices were performed to him as to a god."Historia Augusta[26]
  4. ^  The rulers of Egypt, first the kings and later the pharaohs, were gods as well as men who ruled by divine right. Each king was 'the son of god', who at the point of death became one with his father, to be god in a cosmic Heaven. Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas (August 1, 2001). The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus, 100. Google Print. ISBN 1931412758 (accessed July 13, 2005). Also available in print from Fair Winds.
  5. ^  The king had a superhuman role, being a manifestation of a god or of various deities on earth. The king's principle original title, the Horus name, proclaimed that he was an aspect of one of the chief gods, Horus, a sky god who was depicted as a falcon. Other identifications were added to this one, notably, "Son of Re [the sun god]" and "Perfect God," both introduced during the 4th dynasty (c. 2575–2465 BC), when the great pyramids were constructed. The epithet "Son of Re" placed the king in a close but dependent relation with the leading figure of the pantheon.Merriam-Webster (1999). Encyclopedia of World Religions (Hardcover). Merriam Webster, Incorporated. ISBN 0877790442. 
  6. ^  The community leader would be called the Great Sun. Natchez social organization was based on the relationship of community members to the Great Sun. In the 17th century, French explorers and colonists met this leader, who lived in a large house on the top of a platform mound at the site that is now preserved by the State of Mississippi as the Grand Village of the Natchez. The Great Sun enjoyed the status of a living god[27]
  7. ^  "People worship Emperor Guan not merely as a law-protecting heavenly deity, but also as god of war, god of wealth and god of righteousness. They pray to Emperor Guan for many reasons…"[28]
  8. ^ "The Inca solar god and god of fire. He is the progenitor of the Inca race. Brother of Pachacamac." by Micha F. Lindemans[29]
  9. ^  His teaching of Twelve Commitments stated, "I am God predicted by the prophets; I descended on the earth to save the human souls; there is no God but me. There is no other teaching. Do not seek for it."St. Petersburg State University article(A bit of dispute here as there are sites that indicate he taught any and all Khlysts could mystically become God incarnate through him)
  10. ^ One by Sarra Harris, "Father Divine: Holy Husband", contended that even though Father Divine condemned carnal relations, he enjoyed a series of mistresses. […] Harris's interpretation offended Father Divine, and in 1953 he placed a curse on her: "…This is Judgement Day! … Now she is cursed! Naturally she is cursed! I mean I curse her. I in the name of Almighty God!…and you have declared I am God….I curse her without end—until the world shall never end." Jill Watts (February 1, 1995). God, Harlem U.S.A.: The Father Divine Story, Preface xii. Google Print. ISBN 0520201728 (accessed July 12, 2005). Also available in print from University of California Press.
  11. ^  International Cultic Studies Association (2001). "INTERNATIONAL: Kenya-"God" and 400 Followers Living in Kenya". Cultic Studies Journal 18, No. 4: Unknown. 
  12. ^  BBC News (November 12, 2001). "Kenyan 'God' sent Aids as 'punishment'". Retrieved December 29, 2004.
  13. ^  "who was/is regarded by his followers as the incarnation of SangJe (Shangti), the Ruler of the Universe in religious Taoism" University of California Press. "Sangjenim is the governing spirit of the universe, personified and embodied." from their own site.
  14. ^  (Sathya Sai Speaks, XI, 54:346) "There is one point that I cannot but bring to your special notice today. At the moment when Jesus was merging in the Supreme Principle of Divinity, He communicated some news to his followers, which was interpreted in a variety of ways by commentators and those who relish the piling of writings on writings and meanings upon meanings, until it all swells up into a huge mess." "The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled into a conundrum. The statement of Christ is simple: 'he who sent me among you will come again!' and he pointed to a Lamb. The Lamb is merely a symbol, a sign. It stands for the Voice: Ba-Ba; the announcement was the Advent of Baba. 'His Name will be Truth,' Christ declared. Sathya means Truth. 'He will wear a robe of red, a blood-red robe.' (Here Baba pointed to the robe He was wearing.) 'He will be short, with a crown (of hair). The Lamb is the sign and symbol of Love.'"Christ did not declare that he will come again. He said, 'He who made me will come again.' That Ba-ba is this Baba and Sai, the short, curly-hair-crowned red-robed Baba, is come. He is not only in this Form, but he is in every one of you, as the dweller in the Heart. He is there, short, with a robe of the colour of the blood that fills it."
  15. ^ ." (Sathya Sai Speaks, XII, 38:227 - June 1974) "The power of Sai is limitless; It manifests for ever. All forms of 'power' are resident in the Sai palm. "
  16. ^  "When I sat cross-legged by myself just like the great statue of the Buddha in Nara, I felt that the earth, about the size of a watermelon, was underneath me and I could see the other me walking about on it. I experience the real "me" looking down at the other "me" on this small planet. I was and understood everything on this earth (Shinreikyo History:5). Religious movements home page on the website of the University of Virginia. This entry was written by Jeffrey Hadden.
  17. ^ Essay in Latin American Issues Volume 13 states she taught that, "when a shooting star moving in the distance suddenly approached her and landed on her forehead, filling the room with light (Cruz). She had become the living incarnation of the Holy Spirit, who at that moment revealed to her the name of God in this new era: 'MITA'" or "Spirit of Life."
  18. ^ Article by Timothy C. F. Stunt in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  19. ^  Ted R. Kurts (2004). Ted Jesus Christ God. Retrieved August 17, 2005.
  20. ^  "After the Upper House Election, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should hand the seat of the Prime Minister to Jesus Matayoshi, the one true God."[30]
  21. ^ "He identified himself as the 'grand master of the celestial lodge, the architect of the universe'"Crimelibrary
  22. ^ Miami Herald(October 15, 2001). "the old message of self-esteem has been crowded out by one that elevates their leader to Grand Master of All, the God of the Universe, the Grand Potentate, the Everlasting Father and the persecuted Messiah."
  23. ^ "The Honorable Elijah Muhammad identified the Master as being the answer to the one that the world had been expecting for the past 2,000 years under the names Messiah, the second coming of Jesus, the Christ, Jehovah, God, and the Son of Man."NOI.org quoting Elijah Muhammad
  24. ^  Rastafarians regard Haile Selassie I as God because Marcus Garvey's prophecy -"Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be the Redeemer" - was swiftly followed by the ascension of Haile Selassie as Emperor of Ethiopia.Haile Selassie I is regarded by Rastafarians to be the God of the Black race.BBC
  25. ^  De God die Lou heette (Dutch language) "The God that was called Lou" VPRO TV programme.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Hogue, John Messiahs: The Visions and Prophecies for the Second Coming (1999) Elements Books ISBN 1862045496

[edit] External links

Category:Deities Category:Religion-related lists|Deities, Self-proclaimed Category:Lists of people|Deities, Self-proclaimed

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