A  dear friend directed me, perhaps not willingly, into this area of contemplation and examination. What is the nature and relationship of emotions, specially those primal and visceral ones, to themselves and to the Nature of God, if he exists and is, as a God should be, worthy of a spontaneous admiration and reverence? If we observe nature as our guide, we will find the relationship between prey and predator to be one of fear and hatred on the one hand and desire for and dominance over on the other. The prey, for example a rat to a cat, hates and fears the predator, for his existence is threatened by it.

The predator on the other hand desires, craves and has dominion over the prey, by virtue of superior strength or intellect or both. It does not fear or hate the prey any more than the prey desires the predator, or can ever hope to have dominance over it.

The above points out certain truths, that upon examination and contemplation, are self-evident. Fear is always the cause of hatred, and thus of hateful acts. He, who does not fear, cannot hate or commit hateful acts. He who has dominance upon another by virtue of superiority, cannot fear and thus hate that other. His only relationship with an inferior other is always based on dominance and therefore, if any relationship originating in the superior exists between the superior and the inferior, it must be on the basis of the desire of the superior for the inferior.

Another clear thing, which can be discerned from observation, is the difference between Goodness and Love, or desire. The desire of the predator is a selfish desire to eat the prey, or to take advantage of the prey in the human species. Love is based on desire; if there is no desire, there cannot be love, but love can be selfish or selfless, depending on the nature of the one bestowing the emotion. However, selfless or not, love is still based on desire. However, goodness is superior to love, because it does not depend on desire. It is an innate natural response always to do good to others, regardless of a desire or love for the other.

Goodness is not a naturally existent quality in mortals, or other animal species. It is not an emotion since all emotions are based on either fear or desire and goodness neither fears, nor desires its object. Humans must learn goodness, although it can be perceived, by inference, to be present in nature, in the beauty, order and balance of the created. Thus, Goodness source is beyond the creature and must come from another source. This source is to us Zoroastrians, God ...Mazda Ahura.

Goodness seeks no harm in any way. Harm can only be a response from fear, hatred or desire, all of which are inferior to goodness. Moreover, goodness does not express dominance but friendship, for dominance is the relation of one desiring to the object of its desire, while friendship is a relationship based on trust and goodness.

Thus, we can say that there are certain emotions that can be assigned to the created and certain qualities and attitudes that can be assigned to the creator. The created, either the prey or the predator, has emotions based on either fear and hatred, or on dominance and desire. The creator has innate goodness, expressed not through dominance, but through friendship. Thus, a creator should counsel, convince, edify, improve, lift, teach, reform and rehabilitate and not command, condemn, punish, separate and torture.

Let us apply these contemplations to the One God concept. Can God have a relationship based on fear and or hatred? No, of course S/He cannot; by definition, God cannot. So, what are we to make of a conception of God that claims God; orders genocide, *Number 31.17 and other passages and QURAN (8: 7, 12 & 17), that claims that S/He is jealous (Exodus 20.5, Deuteronomy 6: 15, Nahum 1:2,) revengeful, (Nahum 1:2, Romans 13:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:6, Hebrews 10:30) wrathful, (Deuteronomy 29.20, Romans 1:18, Job 9:13 Judges 2:12) etc. What can we make of a conception of God that claims S/He at the same time is all the above and loving. (1st John 4:7) Merciful, Forgiving and Compassionate? (The chapters of the Quran start with this appellation to Allah)

Moreover, may God express Her/His Goodness, by declaring Her/His commands, orders, under threat of punishment and torture? Is not this expressing dominance, rather than friendship. Is not this concept of God that of a predator God, rather than a God of Goodness? Is it not obvious that a concept of God, which pictures Her/Him as ordering hateful acts, is a concept based on fear, meaning that it reflects a weak prey God, afraid of harm?

Even more, why would a God of goodness demand, worship, sacrifice, veneration or praise? These things would please the emotions of someone desiring a relationship for a benefit. God is Goodness and is beyond all that. Since it is obvious from the above that there are quite a number of conceptions of God, that cannot possibly be right, isn't it also obvious then, that the religions of man, which posit these erred conceptions, cannot be of God and that therefore God is independent from religions per se, that is, religion is man made and is, but a tool to attempt to perceive the Nature of God?

In other words, God to be God, has to be devoid of a number of things like fear, hatred, desire and the urge to dominate or express Her/His dominance. Rather, God must be Goodness itself and express this Goodness, not through a master/slave relationship, nor through a mighty/weak relationship, but through a friendship relationship. Any other type of conception of God infers a God that is not a superior being, but one that is just as fallible and human as his creatures; a God made in man's image.

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