Why does God need to be worshiped?

Scully

Just curious about this question today and wondered if anyone else has pondered this.

Is worship meant to be a reverent show of appreciation for life that God imparts to individuals? If that's the case, and someone - by the mere accident of their birth - has a truly crappy life, why should these people worship God or show him "appreciation" for their unfortunate circumstances? Why should anyone who endures hardships worship God, particularly if they have been worshiping God and then all of a sudden a heap of trouble just plops into their lives, unannounced and unwelcome??

Is God some attention starved juvenile acting out with random acts of cosmic violence against people? Does God have some kind of deep seated insecurities that make him demand that people worship him?

Any ideas??

Love, Scully

StinkyPantz

He is a human invention. Some people feel the need to worship SOMETHING.. so..

Scully

I know what you mean, SP, and pretty much my take on things too.

patio34

Good question, Scully. To me, it shows up the ridiculous position of most religions. Actually, "god" is invented to serve us, it would seem, to give comfort and aid (Dumbo's magic feather).

In Joseph Campbell's book, Myths to Live By, he claims the problems arise when people believe these myths and legends as factual. They're great to help us thru life as long as we realize "they're myths representing the facts of our psyches," he says.

For instance, he talks about the great ceremonial ritual at JFK's funeral: the riderless horse, seven other horses and all the attendant pomp. This was a comfort to people and unified a country at a horrible time. Of course, the horses weren't actually conducting the president to heaven (what the myth and legend purport), but still it was a great comfort.

The rituals and myths are to comfort, not fact.

Pat

RevMalk

great thought.

I don't believe in God myself (Because it's Sunday, ask me on Wednesday)

but either way, the demand for worship seems a bit selfish if you ask me.

Although I guess I've heard that before "Our God is a selfish God"

interesting.....

Rev

Satanus

Yes, exactly. What parent expects worship from his/her progeny, why should god? Sercondly, when has it ever been proved that god gives life to a new born? This process has been observed for centuries, and while many people have been amazed by it, it has never been shown where god is involved in it.

S

Abaddon

I've got pretty much the same idea.

If god is all that, then what does 70kg of human kneeling do for it? I mean if god cares about that sort of thing it would be mind-bendingly petty. It's like god be more bothered about what we do with our genitalia than dying babies. Very silly.

If god is a human idea, however, then isn't it utterly predictable that he wants power and adulation? Those two things have been sought by many humans for millenia. If some guy invented a sky-man, he'd just mirror his own desires.

Of course, Christians don't have a monolpoly on the word 'god'. There's some conceptions of a divine entity out there that are less silly, and some that can be interpretted as merely being philosophies where the actual existence of any postulated entity is moot. Hindu's conception of Brahman, Atman and atman, for example.

But Bible-god? If it exists he's not MY god, he's a very naughty entity...

jst2laws

Karen Armstrong in her book "History of God" opens in chapter one saying

"In the biggening man created god"

Perhaps because mankind is ensecure we created an ensecure god who needs attention and praise.

We also created a proud god who felt his name and personal vindication was more important than human life.

I too believe most of all sacred stories are nothing more than sacred stories. Beat me up if you will, but they are nevertheless a journey of mankind's to discover the 'First Cause', the 'ultimate reality' of which the god concept is a primative manifestation.

Jst2laws

Narkissos

In Enuma Elish, tablet VI, the worship of the gods is the very reason for the creation of man:

When Marduk heard the word of the gods,
His heart prompted him and he devised a cunning plan.
He opened his mouth and unto Ea he spake
That which he had conceived in his heart he imparted unto him:
"My blood will I take and bone will I fashion
I will make man, that man may
I will create man who shall inhabit the earth,
That the service of the gods may be established, and that their shrines may be built.

StinkyPantz

the worship of the gods is the very reason for the creation of man

Why does God need to be worshiped?

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