Religious people who seek a mood of relationship with God
almost always choose an Incarnation as their ishta — the form of God on whom
they focus their minds and hearts. The concept of the Incarnation was initially an ancient
Eastern idea (or realization) which moved West. You can trace the various Incarnations in
different spaces of time and in different cultures by studying history and comparative
religions. You can also observe the tremendous impact of the Incarnations on the overall
well being of the civilizations which they served.Devoted worshippers throughout the
world are convinced God himself incarnated as man and is worthy of worship. Many people
have been persecuted throughout the ages for believing in this tradition and seeking a
personal relationship with the Incarnation of God — who is also called avatar, a
descent of the Divine. Devotees who have a mood of relationship with an Incarnation,
"God as man," ask doubters: if God is real and omnipotent and can create the
whole universe including mankind, why can’t he himself incarnate and walk the earth
if he chooses?
It’s extremely fascinating for a student of religion to find there is a tradition
of the God-man, the Incarnation, in many
civilizations throughout history. The incarnation tradition is further complicated and
confused, however, because some ancient societies also called their kings divine
incarnations.
