This is a list of notable people who were considereddeities by themselves or others.
| Who | Image | When | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharaohs |  | 3150–30 BCE | Egyptian pharaohs were kings ofAncient Egypt, and were considered to have divine properties in by their culture. Their titles equated them with aspects of the likes of the hawk godHorus, the vulture goddessNekhbet, and the cobra-goddessWadjet. The Egyptians believed that when their Pharaoh died, he would continue to lead them in the next life, which is why his burial was grand and completed to perfection—to please him in the next life and ensure his immortality to protect his people. SeeList of pharaohs.[1][2] |
| Naram-Sin of Akkad |  | 2255–2119 BCE | The first Mesopotamian emperor who claimed to be a god.[citation needed] |
| Japanese emperors | _1856.png) | ??? – 1945[3] | Claimed, at least bysome Shintoists, including government officials, to be divine descendants of the goddessAmaterasu. TheShōwa Emperor, repudiated the "false conception" of his divinity in theHumanity Declaration in 1945.[4] |
| Chinese emperors | 221 BCE–1911 CE | Deified as "Sons of Heaven", at least bysome Confucianists, since theQin dynasty underQin Shi Huang.[5] | |
| Alexander the Great | .jpg) | 356 BC - 323 BC | To legitimize taking power (in Egypt) and be recognized as the descendant of the long line of pharaohs, Alexander made sacrifices to the gods at Memphis and went to consult the famous oracle of Amun-Ra at the Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert, at which he was pronounced the son of the deity Amun. Henceforth, Alexander often referred to Zeus-Ammon as his true father, and after his death, currency depicted him adorned with horns, using the Horns of Ammon as a symbol of his divinity.[80] The Greeks interpreted this message - one that the gods addressed to all pharaohs - as a prophecy.[citation needed] |
| Natchez rulers | 700–1730 CE | The Natchez were a theocracy ruled by "The Great Sun." This ruler has sometimes been deemed a God-king.[6] | |
| Purnawarman |  | 395–434 CE | The king ofSundaneseIndianised kingdom calledTarumanagara. According to these inscriptions he embarked on hydraulic project[7]: 53–54 and also identified himself withVishnu, which indicates he and his kingdom were adhering to theVishnuite faith. |
| TheSailendras |  | 7th–11th centuries CE | TheSailendra dynasty ofJava were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism and covered the plains ofCentral Java with Buddhist monuments, including the world-famousBorobudur.[8] |
| Majapahit kings |  | 1293–1597 | Javanese rulers of South East Asia's largest ever kingdom, inIndonesia. After death, they were depicted as Hindu gods (see for instanceRaden Wijaya).[citation needed] |
| Dalai Lamas |  | 1391–present | Considered re-incarnations ofAvalokiteśvara inTibetan Buddhism.Panchen Lamas are incarnations ofAmitābha.[9][10][11] |
| Inca emperors |  | 1438–1533 | The Inca Emperors had a status very similar to that of the Pharaohs of Egypt.[citation needed] |
| Nepalese kings | .svg) | 1768–2008 | InNepal, the kings of theShah dynasty were considered incarnations ofVishnu.[12] |
| Who | Image | When | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilgamesh |  | Sometime between 2800 and 2500 BCE[13] | Most historians generally agree that Gilgamesh was a historical king of the Sumerian city-state ofUruk,[14][13] who probably ruled sometime during the early part of theEarly Dynastic Period (c. 2900–2350 BCE).[14][13] It is certain that, during the later Early Dynastic Period, Gilgamesh was worshipped as a god at various locations across Sumer.[14] In the twenty-first century BCE,Utu-hengal, the king of Uruk adopted Gilgamesh as his patron deity.[14] The kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur were especially fond of Gilgamesh, calling him their "divine brother" and "friend".[14] During this period, a large number of myths and legends developed surrounding him.[14] Probably during theMiddle Babylonian Period (c. 1600 BCE –c. 1155 BCE), a scribe namedSîn-lēqi-unninni composed theEpic of Gilgamesh, anepic poem written inAkkadian narrating Gilgamesh's heroic exploits.[14] The opening of the poem describes Gilgamesh as "one-third human, two-thirds divine".[14] |
| Imhotep |  | c.2625 BCE | Ancient Egyptian architect and physician whose status, two thousand years after his death, was raised to that of a god, becoming the god of medicine and healing. He was anEgyptian chancellor to the pharaohDjoser, probable architect of theDjoser'sstep pyramid, and high priest of the sun godRa atHeliopolis. In Memphis and on the sacred Island of Philae existed temples dedicated to him. The Greeks identified Imhotep with their own divine healer and physician, Asclepios (who also healed people in their dreams).[15] |
| Heqaib | c.2250 BCE | ANomarch of thefirst nome of Upper Egypt during the reign ofPepi II Neferkare, who led several successful military expeditions inNubia.[16] | |
| Ahmose-Nefertari |  | c.1512 BCE | An Egyptian queen, daughter ofSeqenenre Tao andAhhotep I,Great Royal Wife toAhmose I, and possiblyregent to her sonAmenhotep I.[17] |
| Amenhotep, son of Hapu |  | c.1356 BCE | An EgyptianArchitect,Priest,Herald,Scribe, and public official under the reign ofAmenhotep III.[18] |
| Queen Dido of Carthage |  | 814 BCE | Founder and first queen ofCarthage, after her death, she was deified by her people with the name ofTanit and assimilated to the Great GoddessAstarte (RomanJuno).[19] The cult ofTanit survived Carthage's destruction by the Romans; it was introduced to Rome itself by Emperor Septimius Severus, himself born in North Africa. It was extinguished completely with the Theodosian decrees of the late 4th century.[citation needed] |
| Homer |  | 8th century BCE | Venerated atAlexandria byPtolemy IV Philopator.[citation needed] |
| Romulus and Remus |  | 771–717 BCE | Founders ofRome, sons ofMars,Romulus served as first king. Romulus was, according to the bookHistory of Rome (written between 27 and 9 BCE by the historianTitus Livius), the son ofRhea Silvia, aVestal Virgin who became pregnant with the twins Romulus and Remus by the godMars.[20] After his death, Romulus was deified as the godQuirinus, the divine persona of the Roman people. Romulus' ascension to heaven and deification as god Quirinus is mentioned inOvid’s poemMetamorphoses, Book 14 (written shortly before 8 AD). Ovid depicts godJupiter promising Mars the right to translate his son Romulus to immortality.[21] He is now regarded as a mythological figure, and his name aback-formation from the name Rome, which may ultimately derive from a word for "river". Some scholars, notablyAndrea Carandini, believe in the historicity of Romulus, in part because of the 1988 discovery of theMurus Romuli on the north slope of the Palatine Hill in Rome.[22] |
| Pythagoras of Samos |  | c. 570–495 BCE | Pythagoras was the eponymous founder of the religion ofPythagoreanism.[23] A posthumous legend claimed that Pythagoras was the mortal incarnation of the "HyperboreanApollo"[24][25] and that he proved his divinity toAbaris the Hyperborean by showing him his golden thigh.[24] |
| Hephaestion | _Portrait_of_Hephaistion_-_Correr_Museum.jpg) | 356–324 BCE | Deified byAlexander the Great[citation needed] |
| Alexander the Great |  | 356–323 BCE | Some believe he implied he was ademigod by actively using the title "Son ofAmmon–Zeus". The title was bestowed upon him by Egyptian priests of the godAmmon at theOracle of the god at theSiwah oasis in theLibyan Desert.[26] |
| Julius Caesar |  | 42 BCE | Deified by theRoman Senate two years after hisassassination.[27] |
| Antinous |  | 111–130 CE | Deified byHadrian. He is the last non-Imperial human formally deified in Western civilization.[citation needed] |
| Mary, Mother of Jesus |  | 300 CE | In 300 CE she was purportedly venerated as aMother Goddess in the alleged Christian sectCollyridianism, which was found throughoutThrace. Collyridianism was made up mostly of women followers and female priests.[28] |
| Guan Yu | %2c_Sotheby%2527s.jpg) | 581–618 CE | Guan Yu was deified as early as theSui dynasty and is still popularly worshipped today among the Chinese people variedly as an indigenous Chinese deity, adharmapala in Buddhism and a guardian deity inTaoism. He is also held in high esteem inConfucianism. InHong Kong both police and gangsters consider him a divine object of reverence. In certain schools of Taoism andChinese Buddhism he has been deemed divine or semi-divine status.[29] |
| Ali |  | 599–661 CE | According to theAlawite faith,Ali ibn Abi Talib is one member of a trinity(Ali-Muhammad-Salman the Persian) corresponding roughly to the Christian Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.[30] He is considered the secondemanation ofGod byYarsan and the supremedeity inAli-Illahism. |
| Tan Goan-kong |  | 657–711 CE | Also known as Chen Yuanguang, he was a general and official in the Tang dynasty. He was deified and worshipped by the descendants of immigrants fromZhangzhou toTaiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, all refer to him as the "Sacred Duke, Founder of Zhangzhou" (開漳聖王;Kāi Zhāng shèngwáng;Khai Chiang Sèng-ông).[31] |
| Sugawara no Michizane |  | 845–903 CE | Japanese Imperial courtier banished from the capital and deified upon his death to appease his angry spirit. Worshipped asTenjin,kami of scholarship.[citation needed] |
| Lin Moniang | 987 CE or later | Fujianese shamaness worshiped as a sea goddess throughout coastal China and the Chinese diaspora community under the name Mazu.[citation needed] | |
| Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah |  | 985–1021 CE | SixthFatimid Caliph in Egypt, ruling from 996 to 1021. The members of theDruze faith believe that theFatimid CaliphAl-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is theMahdi. The Muslim scholar and early preacherNashtakin ad-Darazi claimed that the Caliph was God incarnate. Because of that he was executed by Al-Hakim who did not proclaim that he was God. TheDruze today rejectAd-Darazi's preaching completely.[32][33][34][35][36] |
| Sundiata Keita | 1235–1255 CE | Founder of the Mali empire and great uncle ofMansa Musa. There are several shrines and temples dedicated to his worship that are frequented even in the current day.[37] | |
| Tokugawa Ieyasu |  | 1616 | Deified posthumously with the name Tōshō Daigongen by his successors.[citation needed] |
| Hu Tianbao | 17th century | According toWhat the Master Would Not Discuss (Chinese:子不語), written byYuan Mei (Chinese:袁枚) during theQing dynasty, Tu'er Shen was a man namedHu Tianbao (胡天保) who fell in love with a very handsome imperial inspector of Fujian Province. One day he was caught peeping on the inspector through a bathroom wall, at which point he confessed his reluctant affections for the other man. The imperial inspector had Hu Tianbao sentenced to death by beating. One month after Hu Tianbao's death, he appeared to a man from his hometown in a dream, claiming that since his crime was one of love, the underworld officials decided to right the injustice by appointing him the god and guardian of homosexual affections.[38] | |
| Xiongdi Gong | 1831–1861 | 108 men fromHainan who were returning home fromVietnam with money earned by them and fellow migrants for their families when they were killed by pirates.[citation needed] | |
| Gauchito Gil | 1840s, allegedly 1847 | Venerated as afolk saint and deity inArgentina.[citation needed] | |
| George Washington |  | 1865–present | Worshipped as akami inHawaiianShintoshrines.[39] In theUnited States Capitol dome, he is also depictedascending into Olympus andbecoming a god, in the famous painting calledThe Apotheosis of Washington. |
| Kanichi Otsuka | 1891–present | Shinreikyo states of its founder "God became one with a human body, appeared among humanity, and founded Shinreikyo."[40] | |
| Maria Franciszka Kozłowska | c. 1924 – present | At least somemariavites believe thatGod the Father becameMary,God the Son becameJesus andHoly Spirit becameMaria Franciszka Kozłowska (1862–1921, an excommunicatedRoman Catholic nun fromPoland). It's difficult to tell whether she has deified herself or has been involuntary deified during her lifetime or posthumously deified. In 1967,Archbishop Maria Rafael Wojciechowski officially testified that in the 1936–1938 period,Archbishop Maria Michał Kowalski had written "Mother said to me that she was present at the creation of the world and that she arranged the world." (for "mother", he used the Polish word "mateczka" which is a diminutive and a title held by Maria Franciszka).[41][42] | |
| L. L. Zamenhof |  | 20th century–present | Considered a god by members of theOomoto religion.[citation needed] |
| José Rizal |  | 20th century–present | Deified by some people in thePhilippines due to his contributions to thePhilippine Revolution.[43][44] |
| Wallace Fard Muhammad |  | 20th century–present | Posthumously (?) deified byElijah Muhammad. He is also given other titles by theNation of Islam.[45] |
| Adolf Hitler | .jpg) | 1958–present | Deified by some neo-nazis most notably among followers ofEsoteric Nazism. The claim of Hitler's divinity was first made bySavitri Devi in her bookThe Lightning and the Sun. Devi believed Hitler was avatar of Hindu godVishnu.[46] Later it was promoted by Chilean neo-naziMiguel Serrano. |
| John Coltrane |  | 1967–1981 | After Coltrane's death, a congregation called the Yardbird Temple inSan Francisco began worshiping him as God incarnate.[47] The congregation became affiliated with theAfrican Orthodox Church; this involved changing Coltrane's status from a god to a saint.[47] The resultant St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church, San Francisco, is the only African Orthodox church that incorporates Coltrane's music and his lyrics as prayers in its liturgy.[48] |
| Who | Image | When | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uzair | ? | TheQuran said that a group of Jews, often interpreted as theYemenite Jews, believed "Uzair" was the son of God.[Quran9:30][49] It is argued by some that Uzair wasEzra. Ezra establishedSecond Temple Judaism[50] and is regarded as a very important figure inJudaism.[51] | |
| Hayk |  | 2492 BCE | Legendary patriarch and founder of theArmenian nation Revolted against KingBel of Babylon |
| Antiochus II Theos |  | 286–246 BCE | Seleucid ruler. The younger son ofAntiochus I andStratonice, succeeded his father in 261. He liberated Ephesus, Ionia, Cilicia and Pamphylia from Egyptian domination, and in return for their autonomy the cities of Asia Minor gave him the title Theos ("God").[52] |
| Paul the Apostle andBarnabas |  | Autumn 49 CE[53] | According to a story recorded in theBook of Acts14:8–18, the apostle Paul and his companion Barnabas healed a crippled man in the street in the town ofLystra inAsia Minor, during Paul's second missionary journey.[54] The townsfolk immediately mistook them for the Greek godsHermes andZeus respectively and attempted to offer sacrifices to them.[54] |
| Master Qing Shui |  | 1047–1101 | Chan Buddhist monk during the Northern Song inAnxi County,Quanzhou. He is said to have saved the town of Anxi during a period of drought, bringing rain as he went from place to place. In reverence, the villagers built temples dedicated to him and hence became aDeity inChinese folk religion.[55] |
| Zheng He |  | 1371–1433 | Worshipped by some Chinese and South East Asians.[56] |
| Kumari |  | ~17th century–present | These are little girls who are worshipped by bothHindus andBuddhists as the incarnation of theHindu GoddessDurga (NepaliTaleju) in Nepal. They are picked when they areprepubescent and are worshipped until they reachpuberty. Their cult is inSouth Asian countries, especially inNepal.[citation needed] |
| John Nicholson |  | 19th century–present | Inspired the cult of Nikal Seyn.[citation needed] |
| Jiddu Krishnamurti |  | 1909–present | Renounced the status of messiah andMaitreya incarnation given him by theTheosophical Society.[citation needed] |
| Haile Selassie I | .jpg) | 1930s–present | Among most followers of theRastafari movement, Haile Selassie is seen as the second coming ofJesus Christ, God incarnate, the Black Messiah and "Earth's Rightful Ruler" who will also lead African peoples to freedom. Rastas say that hisimperial titles (i.e. King of Kings, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and Root of David) were prophesied as belonging to the returned Messiah inRevelation5:5. Their faith in his divinity first appeared inJamaica, soon after his 1930 coronation inAddis Ababa.[57] Before his coronation he was called Ras (meaning Prince) Tafari. |
| Mary Baker Eddy |  | 1947–present | Founder ofChristian Science, Eddy was first deified with the private publication ofThe Destiny of The Mother Church byBliss Knapp. Although the book is distributed in Christian Science reading rooms, it is not considered authorised literature, and Eddy herself denied any comparison to Jesus and allegations of her being the Second Christ.[citation needed] |
| Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh |  | 1950s~1960s–present | Considered a god in the village ofYaohnanen, acargo cult inVanuatu.[58] SeePrince Philip movement. |
| Douglas MacArthur | later 20th century | Honored for his role in theBattle of Inchon, a few followers ofKorean shamanism venerated him as a deity around his statue atJayu Park.[59] | |
| RabbiMenachem Mendel Schneerson |  | 1990s–present | While considered the messiah by most of his followers following his death in 1994, one group has deified him.[60] |
| Chiang Kai-shek |  | 1975–present | Worship in Japan: On the day Japan surrendered and the Second World War ended, Chiang Kai-shek, the supreme leader of the Republic of China, issued a "Victory Message to the Nation's Military, Civilians and People Around the World", stating that "our Chinese compatriots must know 'not to remember the evil of the past' and 'to be kind to others.'" for our nation The traditional supreme and noble virtue", that is, "repaying evil with kindness", allowed more than 2 million Japanese soldiers and civilians to return to Japan safely, prevented the great powers from carving up Japan like they cared for Germany, retained the emperor system, gave up the right to claim war compensation, and dealt with Japan leniently. These policies made a huge substantial contribution to Japan's postwar recovery. On April 5, 1975, Chiang Kai-shek died. The Japanese were grateful for Chiang Kai-shek's lenient treatment of Japan and the concept of world peace of repaying evil with kindness. In the 1970s and 1980s, they built Chiang Kai-shek Shrine (中正神社) in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and later moved it to Koda Town, Nukada-gun, Aichi Prefecture. Worship in Taiwan: After the Nationalist Government retreated to Taiwan in 1949, it still occupied many coastal islands. However, after 1953, the Communist army continued to invade and Yijiangshan Island was captured. The United Nations and the US military intervened, and the CCP suspended bombing.Tachen Island and surrounding islands were completely abandoned. In 1955, with the assistance of the US Seventh Fleet, about 16,000 island residents retreated to Taiwan. This operation was called "King Kong Plan." When Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975, the Tachen people set up a mourning hall on the coast of Cijin. Later, they raised funds to build a temple and enshrine the Guanyin Bodhisattva, which was originally the main enshrinement. It was rebuilt in 1983 and renovated in 2007. This temple is called Chiang Kai-shek Thanksgiving Hall (蔣公感恩堂). |
| Raj Patel |  | 2010–present | In January 2010 some adherents ofShare International, following an announcement byBenjamin Creme, concluded thatPatel could be the Maitreya.[61] Patel has denied being theMaitreya.[61] |
| Who | Image | When | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naram-Sin | .jpg) | 2255–2119 BCE | The first Mesopotamian king to claim divinity.[62] He marked himself with thedingir symbol, a determinative for a divinity. After him, his sonShar-Kali-Sharri and then later Mesopotamian Kings would carry the tradition onwards. These kings includedShulgi,Amar-Sin,Shu-Sîn, andIbbi-Sîn of theThird Dynasty of Ur;Shu-Ilishu,Iddin-Dagan,Ishme-Dagan,Lipit-Ishtar,Ur-Ninurta,Būr-Sîn,Lipit-Enlil,Erra-imitti,Enlil-bani,Zambiya,Iter-pûsha,Ur-dukuga,Sîn-magir,Damiq-ilishu of theIsin dynasty; andRim-Sîn I andRim-Sîn II of theLarsa dynasty.[63] |
| Shulgi |  | 2037–2028 BCE | Brought back self-deification during the Ur III Period.[63] |
| Amar-Sin |  | 2046–2037 BCE | Succeeded Shulgi[63] |
| Shu-Sin | .jpg) | 2037–2028 BCE | Built Temples for himself.[63] |
| Empedocles of Acragas |  | c. 490 –c. 430 BCE | Empedocles of Acragas was aPre-Socratic philosopher from the island ofSicily, who, in one of his surviving poems, declares himself to have become a "divine being... no longer mortal",[64] followed by descriptions of him performing activities normally reserved for the gods.[64] The later historianDiogenes Laërtius claimed that Empedocles committedsuicide by jumping intoMount Etna in order to persuade people that he was an immortal god,[65] a legend which is also alluded to by the Roman poetHorace.[66] |
| Pharnavaz I of Iberia | .jpg) | 326–234 BCE | Iberian king (r. 299–234 BCE) |
| Antiochus IV Epiphanes |  | 215–164 BCE | Seleucid ruler (r. 175–164); the only Seleucid king to claim divine honors, calling himself Theos Epiphaneus "God Manifest" and Nikephoros "Bringer of Victory." Nearly conqueredPtolemaic Egypt, the primary rival of the Seleucids among theDiadochi states. Famously attempted to imposeancient Greek religion on theJews by persecution, leading to theMaccabean Revolt; remembered as a major persecutor in Jewish tradition.[52] |
| Antiochus I |  | c. 86 BCE–38 BCE | King ofCommagene who instituted a cult for himself and several syncretistic Graeco-Persian deities atMount Nemrud and elsewhere.[67] |
| Simon Magus | .jpg) | 1st–4th century | Considered a god inSimonianism. According toIrenaeus, he "was glorified by many as if he were a god; and he taught that it was himself who appeared among the Jews as the Son, but descended in Samaria as the Father while he came to other nations in the character of the Holy Spirit. He represented himself, in a word, as being the loftiest of all powers, that is, the Being who is the Father over all, and he allowed himself to be called by whatsoever title men were pleased to address him."[68] |
| Veleda |  | 1st century | Germanic prophetess considered a deity during her lifetime.[citation needed] |
| Ismail I |  | 16th century | Self-claimed to be an emanation of God and was considered such by theKızılbaş-Safaviya order,Qizilbash-Turkman subjects andAlevis.[69][70] |
| Danila Filippovich | 1700 | He believed that he was God and started theKhlysts. (There are various transliterations of his name including Danila Filipov, Danila Filipich, and Daniil Filippovich.)[71] | |
| Kondratii Selivanov |  | 1780s | Kondraty Selivanov proclaimed himself both as the latePeter III of Russia and Christ himself, and started theSkoptsy.[72] |
| Hong Xiuquan |  | 19th century | Chinese man who claimed he was the younger brother ofJesus, and thus a son of God. Led theTaiping Rebellion, conquering a large part of China before defeat and suicide.[citation needed] |
| Dios Buhawi | ~1887 | Philippineshaman who called himself "God Whirlwind."[citation needed] | |
| Father Divine |  | ~20th century | His followers considered himGod in the flesh.[73] |
| Taher Saifuddin |  | 20th century | Claimed to beIlah'ul-Ard (God on Earth) in Bombay High Court.[74][75] |
| Lou de Palingboer |  | 20th century | A divorced Dutchman named Louwrens Voorthuijzen who proclaimed himself "Lou the Eel Vendor", 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.[76] |
| Jehovah Wanyonyi | 21st century | "I am the one who createdAdam 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 toHeaven." There are between 120 and 1000 followers who consider him to be God.[77][78] | |
| Sathya Sai Baba | .jpg) | 20th century | Hindu guru that followers believed was a reincarnation of anavatar ofDattatreya. He alleged that he had the ability to heal, raise the dead, appear in more than one location at the same time, materialize objects, such as jewellery, etc.[citation needed] |
| Yahweh ben Yahweh | 20th century | He was born as Hulon Mitchell, Jr. and his self-proclaimed name means "God, Son of God." He could have only been deeming himselfson of God, not God, but many of his followers clearly consider him God Incarnate.[79][80] | |
| Mitsuo Matayoshi | .jpg) | 20th century | 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.[81] |
| Meher Baba |  | ~1930 | An Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar,[82][83][84] God in human form.[85][86] |
| Mita |  | ~1940 | According to theMita faith, Mita (Peraza) was the incarnation of theHoly Ghost on earth.[87] |
| Jim Jones | .jpg) | 1955 | Founder ofPeoples Temple, which started off as a part ofa mainstream Protestant denomination before becoming apersonality cult as time went on. One of Jones's devotees claimed that Jones said "If you see me as your savior, I'll be your savior. If you see me as your God, I'll be your God";[88] however Jones also described himself as atheist.[89] |
| Vissarion |  | 1961 | Claims to be Jesus Christ returned, which, he says, makes him not "God" but the "word of God".[citation needed] |
| François Duvalier |  | 1960s–1970s | Haitian Dictator claimed that he was the physical embodiment of the island nation. Duvalier deliberately modeled his image on that ofBaron Samedi, one of thelwa, or spirits, ofHaitian Vodou. He often donned sunglasses in order to hide his eyes and talked with the strong nasal tone associated with thelwa. The regime's propaganda stated that "Papa Doc was one with thelwa,Jesus Christ andGod himself".[90] The most celebrated image from the time shows a standing Jesus Christ with a hand on the shoulder of a seated Papa Doc, captioned, "I have chosen him".[91] Duvalier declared himself an "immaterial being" as well as "the Haitian flag" soon after his first election.[92] In 1964, he published a catechism in which theLord's Prayer was reworded to pay tribute to Duvalier instead of God.[92][93] |
| Nirmala Srivastava |  | 1970 | Guru and goddess ofSahaja Yoga, has proclaimed herself the incarnation of theHoly Ghost (AdiShakti), claimed that all other incarnations (e.g., Krishna, Christ, etc.) were aspects of her.[94][95] |
| Francisco Macías Nguema |  | 1970s | His party used the slogan, (officially decreed by him in 1974): "There is no other God than Macias". Catholic clergy were also required to preach that "God createdEquatorial Guinea thanks to Macias."[96][97][98] |
| Apollo Quiboloy |  | 1985 | Calls himself as the "Appointed Son of God" in his ownRestorationist church called theKingdom of Jesus Christ.[99] |
| Ayah Pin |  | 1980's-2010's | Founder of theSky Kingdom cult, he claimed to have direct contact with the heavens. Claiming to be the reincarnation ofJesus,The Buddha,Shiva, andprophet Muhammad,[100] he was regarded as the king of the sky and the supreme object of devotion for all religions.[101] His teachings attract followers ranging from approximately 23 to 22,800 individuals. |
| Joseph Kony | 1987 | Proclaims himself the spokesperson ofGod and aspirit medium, and has been considered by some as acult of personality, and claims he is visited by a multinational host of 13 spirits, including a Chinese phantom.[102] | |
| Ryuho Okawa |  | 1986 | Founder ofHappy Science, worshipped by his followers as 'El Cantare' and a reincarnation ofElohim,Odin,Thoth,Osiris, andBuddha.[103][104] |
| Amy Carlson | c. 2006 – 2021 | Founder ofLove Has Won. Proclaimed herself to be God, as well as Jesus, several secular historical figures,St. Joan of Arc, and theIndigenous Hawaiian goddessPele. Followers call her "Momma God" and were found to havemummified her in order to continue to worship her.[citation needed] |
| Who | Image | When | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus |  | Early Christianity–present | Further information:History of early Christianity andDivinity of Jesus There is debate whether Jesus claimed to be divine, or whether divinity was attributed to him progressively by his followers.[105][106] According toBart D. Ehrman Jesus did not make public claims of divinity.[107] In the first three centuries of the Christian movement, Jesus' identity and relation to God were often subjects of debate and controversy, and the belief among Christians that Jesus was not divine was common.[108] Even early Christians who believed that Jesus was God often meant different things by it.[109] Duringone such controversy, theFirst Council of Nicaea of 325 AD crystallized the notion in theNicene Creed that Jesus was God Incarnate,[110] and he is now considered divine in mostChristian views of Jesus. |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)It isn't hard these days to find discussions of Savitri Devi's books on neo-Nazi web forums, especially The Lightning and the Sun, which expounds the theory that Hitler was an avatar – an incarnation – of the Hindu god Vishnu
Thousands of posters appeared as the Péligre dam was about to be opened proclaiming that 'Duvalier alone is able to harness the energy of Péligre and give it to his people'. Others had Jesus with his hand on Duvalier proclaiming 'I have chosen him'.
Not satisfied with being the Haitian flag, . . . Duvalier also declared himself 'an immaterial being' shortly after he became 'President-for-Life', and issued aCatechisme de la Révolution to the faithful containing the following version of the Lord's Prayer: 'Our Doc, who art in the National Palace for Life, hallowed be Thy name by present and future generations. Thy will be done inPort-au-Prince as it is in the provinces. Give us this day our new Haiti and forgive not the trespasses of those antipatriots who daily spit on our country; lead them into temptation, and, poisoned by their own venom, deliver them from no evil . . .'
Notre Doc qui êtes au Palais National pour la Vie, que Votre nom soit béni par les générations présentes et futures, que Votre Volonté soit faite à Port‑au‑Prince et en Province. Donnez‑nous aujourd'hui notre nouvelle Haïti, ne pardonnez jamais les offenses des apatrides qui bavent chaque jour sur notre Patrie, laissez‑les succomber à la tentation et sous le poids de leurs baves malfaisantes: ne les délivrez d'aucun mal. Amen.
