question for history buffs..

by candidlynuts 14 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  gumby

  where does this need for worship come from if there isnt someone we're supposed to worship?

  do you know what i'm saying? seems like its ingrained into our make up somehow that we should give thanks and worship " someone"

  Simple.

  All our lives, our culture and enviroment has taught us this. It teaches.....every single thing has a creator or it doesn't exist with any intelligent purpose. Humans believe that for something as complex as life itself to exist, it had to be designed. Man cannot understand something as unique as the human body just happening. From this comes mans search for lifes maker...........myself included.

  Gumby
• 

  Narkissos

  Seedy3,

  Just a few remarks:

  As Leolaia pointed out, Akhenaton's worship of Aton (Atum = the solar disk) was not monotheism but henotheism (meaning, there are several gods but only one of them is to be worshipped). The Egyptian "Hymn to Aton," ascribed to Akhenaton, is echoed in Psalm 104.

  Monotheism in the strictest sense (there is only one God) doesn't appear before the end of the exile in Babylon (6th century BC, Isaiah 40-55), probably under Persian influence.

  Yhwh and Baal are nowhere attested as brother gods: they are most probably two variant names of the very same god (one of the sons of the supreme god El). In henotheistic Yahwism and later in monotheism features of both Baal (the son) and El (the Father) will be blended and attributed to Yhwh.
• 

  frankiespeakin

  Interesting topic youv'e started Candidly.

  I suppose man's constant questioning nature lead to the almost natural conclusion that ancient man would invent gods to answer questions that at the time were totally unanswerable and that it would also involve some exploitation since man is by nature an exploiter.

  I think ancient man may have reasoned like this:

  "I man make things,,more things than other animals,,I am king over animals because I like gods. Gods must do different things like make rain,,have sex,,eat,,get feeling hurt,,feel lonely,,make fire,,good luck,,etc....""

  A sort of twisted mirror of what they knew and didn't know put together to satisfy man's curiousity. Or to give an answer,,to man's hungry mind which asks questions to try and manipulate the future as a protection device.
• 

  candidlynuts

  so.. humans want to worship.. but all religions are man made. even if you accept that the bible is from the True God, its impossible to know what he wants you to do to worship him. i think i'll be content accepting that Jesus died for all mankind. that the greatest commandment is to love your neighbor and try to reflect the fruitages of Gods spirit.. anything other than that is serving man made religions. and after i die.. maybe i'll figure the rest out lol
• 

  MungoBaobab

  It's worth noting that Akhenaton's, aka Amenhotep IV's, endorsement for henotheism was certainly a bid to wrest power from the Egyptian priest class. What we have here is one of the earliest recorded examples of a ruler changing religion to consolidate his power. By the way, he was married to Nefertiti, one of the earliest recorded examples of a drop-dead gorgeous trophy wife!