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JAINA GAZETTE. (June & July Answer 2.–The many and varied theological creeds have all erred in their conception of God. To imagine a being like unto oneself, which is the exact position adopted by the Anthropomorphic conception of Deity, is the very negation of truth, therefore the Jain view as to their being no God in the sense of a Creator is at once rational to any observant thinker. The adoption of the Jain belief does away with the erroneous doctrine of the Fall of man and the subsequent salvation of all human beings by the vicarious sacrifice of one human soul known as Jesus Christ. This is as it should be, when the truth of “ as a man soweth that shall be also reap” is fully comprehended.
This of course implies a belief in the doctrines of karma and rebirth, which intelligently understood, give great satisfaction to the earnest seeker of truth. Questions 3 and 4:
(3) Whether the universe is itself eternal, or whether it has been created by some one ?
(4) (a) Admitting that the universe was created by some one, when did the creation take place, how long will it remain in existence, what was the state of affairs before creation, and what will things be like after the universe is no more ? Did the creator create children, youths, and old men all in the same moment at the time of creation, or did he create one by one ; and were male and female made at one and the same time, or first one and then the other ?
Answer.—The prevalent teachings in the Western world of thought relative to the creation of the universe cannot stand the test of reason when the assertion is made that God, as a per:sonal Being, made all that exists. The holders of such a belief are confronted with the question “Who created God.” It is therefore obvious that he could not create himself out of nothing As is implied in the doctrine referred to.
The doctrine which gives entire intellectual and philosophical satisfaction is that taught by the Jains of India, to the effect that each being or soul, whatever their state of growth may be, has always been in existence ; soul and matter being
eternal substances manifest in combination are new creations Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
