User:Alterego/sandbox/List of people who have said they are a god

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The list of people who have said they are a god is divided into two parts. The first contains those who have made unequivocal statements about being a god, while the second contains those whose statements are considered ambiguous and debateable, or where the person's historicity is uncertain.

An asterisk (*) indicates they have a significant amount of followers, while a double dagger (‡) marks those who became the focus of a religion.

Who
Image
When
What
* Adi Da (Franklin Jones) File:Adi da samraj.jpg November 3, 1939 - Present Adi Da describes his own appearance on Earth as the result of a rare conjunction of circumstances, which he describes in his 2003 autobiography, Adi Da, that led God to appear in human form.[1]   [2]
Alexander the Great 356 BC - 323 BC Some believe he implied he was a demigod by actively using the title "Son of Ammon-Zeus." The title was bestowed upon him by Egyptian priests of the god Ammon at the Oracle of the god at the Siwah oasis in the Libyan Desert.[3]
Beltway Snipers Occurred October 2002 Wrote on tarot cards, "Dear Policeman, I am God. Do not tell the media about this." [4]
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. [5] During his lifetime he had statues of Zeus torn down to be replaced by his own likeness, and is known to have declaimed, "Let there be one Lord, one King!" [6]
* Charles Manson November 12, 1934 - Present When asked directly in court, Manson replied "I may be Jesus Christ. I have not yet decided who I am."[7] Manson also directly told a Father Ryan that he was Jesus Christ. [8]
‡ Egyptian Pharaohs File:Mask tut.lg.jpg c. 3050 BC - c. 30 BC Egyptian Pharaohs were kings 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. [9] [10]
* Father Divine c. 1880 - September 10, 1965 Claimed to be the only true manifestation of God. [11]
Hong Xiuquan January 10, 1812 - June 1, 1864 The Chinese Heavenly King of the Taiping Tianguo, son of God and younger brother of Jesus Christ. [12] [13]
Jehovah Wanyonyi Unknown - Unknown “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.” [14] [15]
‡ Jesus ca. 4 BC to ca. AD 29 According to the most common Christian interpretation of the words ascribed to Jesus in the Gospels, he said he is God the Son in the Trinity and Jesus Christ in the Godhead (see also the Historicity of Jesus).
* Jim Jones May 13, 1931 - November 18, 1978 Claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Akhenaten, Buddha, Lenin, and Father Divine. [16] (see Jonestown).
* Joe Whittington January 26, 1987 - Present Gained notoriety as self-proclaimed prophet for Whittism, claimed stature among demigods such as Hitler, Bill Gates, singer-songwriter James Edwards, don't front, Bob Marley and da Buddha.
‡ Krishna Unknown Claimed to be an avatar according to the Bhagavad Gita. Historicity is uncertain.
* Lu Sheng-yen File:Lsymst10.jpg 1945 - Present Living Buddha Lian-sheng - his official title - says he is the incarnation of Padmakumara, a celestial being who lives in Sukhavati, Amitabha Buddha's realm. [17]
Marshall Applewhite 1945 - Present Applewhite posted a famous Usenet message declaiming, "I, Jesus -- Son of God -- acknowledge on this date of September 25/26, 1995: ....[18] This was two years before he and his Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide to rendezvous with a spaceship hiding behind the comet Hale-Bopp.
* Meher Baba 1894 - 1969 "These false answers — such as, I am stone, I am bird, I am animal, I am man, I am woman, I am great, I am small — are, in turn, received, tested and discarded until the Question arrives at the right and Final Answer, I AM GOD."[19]
*Mother Meera File:Meera13.png Unknown Claimed to be a living incarnation of Shakti, the Avatar of the Hindu Devi (Mother Goddess)[20]
Ted R. Kurts 1959 - Present Maintained a web presence promoting himself as "Ted Jesus Christ GOD" [21]
* Sathya Sai Baba 1926 or 1929 - Present "I AM GOD, but I do not have to know I am God, for I have always been that." [22] [23]
* Suma Ching Hai File:Ornate Master.jpg Unknown, possible late 50s- Present A meditation teacher who claims to be an incarnation of Avalokitesvara and a living reincarnation of the Buddha and Jesus Christ. [24] [25]

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Who
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When
What

See also[edit]

  • Apotheosis means glorification, usually to a divine level, coming from the Greek word apotheoun, "to deify."
Look up Deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj. Aham Da Asmi (Beloved, I Am Da: The ""Late-Time"" Avataric Revelation of the True and Spiritual Divine Person (The Egoless Personal Presence of Realit ... Books of the Heart of the Adidam Revelation). Dawn Horse Press Year=2000. ISBN 1570971137.
  2. ^ According to the movement's teachings, Adi Da himself is the presence of the Divine in bodily form on Earth, making it possible for followers to have a personal relationship with God. Barrett, David V. (May 28, 2003). The New Believers, 299. Google Print. ISBN 1844030407 (accessed July 5, 2005). Also available in print from Octopus Publishing Group - Cassell Illustrated.
  3. ^ Not the least of the many extraordinary facts about Alexander is that both in his lifetime and after his death he was worshipped as a god, by Greeks and Macedonians as well as, for example, Egyptians (to whom he was Pharaoh). The episode that led to Callisthenes' death in 327 was connected to this fact. Greeks and Macedonians believed that formal obeisance should be paid only to gods. So the refusal of his Greek and Macedonian courtiers to pay it to Alexander implied that they, at any rate, did not believe he genuinely was a living god, at least not in the same sense as Zeus or Dionysus were. Alexander, regardless, did nothing to discourage the view that he really was divine. His claim to divine birth, not merely divine descent, was part of a total self-promotional package, which included the striking of silver medallions in India depicting him with the attributes of Zeus. Through sheer force of personality and magnitude of achievement he won over large numbers of ordinary Greeks and Macedonians to share this view of himself, and to act on it by devoting shrines to his cult.Cartledge, Paul (2004). "Alexander the Great". History Today. 54: 1.
  4. ^ Earlier Wednesday, law enforcement sources said investigators had found new evidence near the middle school in Bowie, Maryland, where a 13-year-old boy was shot Monday -- including a shell casing and a tarot card inscribed with the message, "Dear Policeman: I am God." CNN (Oct. 10, 2002). "Man killed at suburban D.C. gas station. Retrieved December 29, 2004.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ [Judge Older asked Manson if he had anything further to say.] I have killed no one and I have ordered no one to be killed. I may have implied on several different occasions to several different people that I may have been Jesus Christ, but I haven't decided yet what I am or who I am. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law (2002). Manson's Trial Testimony, Parole Statements, Writings, and a Doodle. Retrieved July 15, 2005.
  8. ^ One Father Ryan of the Order of St. Augustine claimed that Charles Manson, or Manson's simulacrum, a short hirsute hippie with a new beard, on Sunday, July 27, 1969, approached the back door of his parish house located about a half-mile from the LaBianca residence. "I'm Jesus Christ," announced the short fierce individual, according to Father Ryan. Ed Sanders (July 10, 2002). The Family, 185. Google Print. ISBN 1560253967 (accessed July 10, 2005). Also available in print from Thunder's Mouth Press.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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 BCE), 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.Mirriam-Webster (1999). Encyclopedia of World Religions (Hardcover). Mirriam Webster, Incorporated. ISBN 0877790442.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ When Deyuan passed away, he [Xiuquan] assumed the surname Hong and replaced [Deyuan] as religious leader. In addition, he added Christianity and called himself the younger brother of Jesus, and the younger, second son of the Heavenly Father Jehovah. Wataru Masuda (August 1, 2000). Japan and China: Mutual Representations in the Modern Era, 134. Google Print. ISBN 0312228406 (accessed July 10, 2005). Also available in print from Palgrave.
  13. ^ Andrew Graff, Robin Higham (February 1, 2002). A Military History of China, 140. Google Print. ISBN 0813339901 (accessed July 10, 2005). Also available in print from Westview Press.
  14. ^ International Cultic Studies Association (2001). "INTERNATIONAL: Kenya-"God" and 400 Followers Living in Kenya". Cultic Studies Journal. 18, No. 4: Unknown.
  15. ^ BBC News (November 12, 2001). "Kenyan 'God' sent Aids as 'punishment'". Retrieved December 29, 2004.
  16. ^ Galanter, Marc (1999). Cults: Faith, Healing, and Coercion. Oxford University Press; 2nd edition. ISBN 0195123700.(meta-citation)
  17. ^ Amid my contemplation, sitting inside a circle of bright light, I have arisen. I realized: "I am the Buddha." Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu (2002). Who is Sheng-yen Lu. Retrieved July 16, 2005.
  18. ^ I, Jesus -- Son of God -- acknowledge on this date of September 25/26, 1995: 1. I am about to return to my Father's Kingdom. 1A. This "return" requires that I prepare to lay down my borrowed human body in order to take up, or reenter, my body (biological) belonging to the Kingdom of God (as I did appx. 2000 years ago when I laid down the body that was about 33 years old in order to reenter my body belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven). Marshall Applewhite (1995). UNDERCOVER JESUS SURFACES. alt.consciousness.mysticism. Retrieved August 15, 2005.
  19. ^ The Everything and The Nothing by Meher Baba, p. 78. Copyright 1989 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust (last accessed Aug 14, 2005).
  20. ^ Q: All the Gods, all the paths, all the revelations are in the Mother. Does this mean that anyone in the world from whatever background can be taught by you and awakened to the Divine within the terms of their own religion, or lack of it? Mother Meera: Yes. My light is everywhere. Harold G. Coward, John R. Hinnells, Raymond Brady Williams (March 1, 2000). The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States, 62. Google Print. ISBN 0791445097 (accessed July 5, 2005). Also available in print from SUNY Press.
  21. ^ Ted R. Kurts (2004). Ted Jesus Christ God. Retrieved August 17, 2005.
  22. ^ Hanish, Dennis J. (May 23, 2001). The Guru Who Claimed to be God. Retrieved December 29, 2004.
  23. ^ The seventy-four-year-old Shri Sathya Sai Baba is believed to be "bhagwan" (God) by his devotees, and he is referred to by this name. [...] What makes Shri Sathya Sai Baba so different from other godmen and religious philosophers is his assertion of divinity in a human form. Prema Scott Key (January 1, 2004). The Journey to Radiant Health, 22-23. Google Print. ISBN 1587611759 (accessed July 5, 2005). Also available in print from Celestial Arts.
  24. ^ For the past three weeks the face of "the master", as her followers call her, has smiled out from laminated posters tied to traffic lights and road signs advertising the event and bearing the message: "See the living god". Mullins, Andrew (20 June 1999). "Cult warning on travelling 'god'". The Independent (London).
  25. ^ Followers of Suma Ching Hai claim she is the living reincarnation of Buddha and Jesus Christ, and go so far as to drink her bathwater and buy up her used personal items, marketed as "Celestial Clothing." One disciple bought her sweat socks for $ 1,100 because "when the Master leaves the physical world, at least I will have her socks." Phillips, Andrew (13 Jan 1997). "Cash and the campaign". Maclean Hunter Limited.

External links[edit]

[[Category:Deities]] [[Category:Religion-related lists|Deities, Self-proclaimed]]

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