Worship God? Please explain......

by AK - Jeff 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  AK - Jeff

  Perhaps there are wide variations in opinion as to what is constituted 'worship'. But why would an Omnipotent, Omniscient, All Encompassing, Self-Fulfilled Being need Worship from lowly human beings?

  Now, those who don't believe in God or any higher being, please don't turn this into a slamfest of insults against others who do believe. I am not certain precisely how much I believe myself. But I want to understand why others would believe that 'worship' is appropriate.

  We are often given the comparison by Christians of 'God the Father'. But what sort of egotistical, self-absorbed Father of children, would ever demand that they bow to him? I would never demand such as a father. I would expect respect. I would think that appreciation of a high level would exist in my children that were aware as adults of what I did for them. But I would never expect them to bow when I entered the room, to prostate themselves in total submission to my presence.

  Thoughts?

  Jeff
• 

  Elsewhere

  I used to have some sea monkeys and they refused to worship me and build monuments of me.... so I smote them all by pouring them out into the lawn.

  Kneel before me Sea Monkey!!!!!
• 

  BurnTheShips

  But why would an Omnipotent, Omniscient, All Encompassing, Self-Fulfilled Being need Worship from lowly human beings?

  I don't think he does need it, but we do.

  But what sort of egotistical, self-absorbed Father of children, would ever demand that they bow to him? I would never demand such as a father. I would expect respect.

  There is a certain respect due a human father, and a certain level of respect due to God who is described as a father, but is not one merely. But really, in order to analyze the question, we need to decide what "worship" means. Bowing and scraping merely? Or does it encompass much more? It is my opinion that everyone worships something.

  Here is a start from the Wikipedia entry on the term "worship."

  Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The adoring acknowledgment of all that lies beyond us—the glory that fills heaven and earth. It is the response that conscious beings make to their Creator, to the Eternal Reality from which they came forth; to God, however they may think of Him or recognize Him, and whether He be realized through religion, through nature, through history, through science, art, or human life and character." [ 1 ]

  In its older sense in English of worthiness or respect (Anglo-Saxon,worthscripe), worship may on occasion refer to an attitude towards someone of immensely elevated social status, such as a lord or a monarch, or, more loosely, towards an individual, such as a hero or one's lover.

  Practices in worship vary between religions but typically include one or more of the following:

  • prayer;
  • sacrifice;
  • rituals;
  • meditation;
  • holidays, festivals;
  • sacraments;
  • pilgrimages;
  • music or singing;
  • dance;
  • eating food;
  • readings from sacred books;
  • listening to a talk or sermon;
  • the construction of temples or shrines;
  • the creation of idols of the deity.
  • private acts of devotion

  BTS
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  AK - Jeff

  Precisely my point Bts. All of the bulleted items display a tremendous sense of ego. Coupled with God's seeming act of hiding himself from view, does not the worship aspect of Christians, Muslims, Jews, and others seem ludicrous? Is man forever destined to work tirelessly to appease and please a God who will not speak back to him?

  Would not a humble creator speak up, if for no other reason than to hush all the worshipful adoration? Or is He full of a flaming ego that requires such to keep him at arms length? I recall the scene in Apocalypto in which it took a seeming miraculous eclipse to get the worship to stop. Once God shows himself do we then stop worshipping him like the Mayans did?

  Jeff
• 

  wobble

  James 1v27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:to look after orphans and widows in there distress and to keep oneself without spot from the world" N.I.V

  No bowing and scraping here,no Field Circus or Meetings either!

  Love

  Wobble
• 

  Quirky1

  I could never understand "why" a creator would need to be so arrogant and require to be exalted. Why would there be a need to be worshipped if there is such a given authority.
• 

  restrangled

  I wonder if "worship" was not an invention of humans. Yes, I do believe in God, do I worship in the conventional sense? No.

  If you believe in the Bible, any Bible, I don't remember Adam and Eve being required to worship god. God was kind of minding his own business. The entire time until they ate from the tree of knowlege. The first reference to a sacrafice does not come about until Cain and Abel were full grown. It seemed to become a competition which resulted in the first murder.

  It's interesting that in Genesis Chapter 4 verse, 26: it states the following:

  "And to Seth also there was born a son and proceeded to call his name E'nosh. At that time a start was made of calling on the name of Jehovah."

  That seems to indicate praying, and perhaps the start of religion.....and its been a competition ever since. Up until that point it sounds as if God was dealing with everyone directly in one way or another. They could bargain, etc., like Cain did.

  Do I personally "worship" God? No, but I always make sure and thank him for a beautiful sunset, a gorgeous tree against a spotless blue sky, the flowers I grow that give me so much pleasure, a perfect summer day, a day at the ocean, my beautiful children, the ability to hear music that moves me, animals that bring me a smile, etc. etc.

  It may be very simplistic to some, but maybe thats all he ever wanted. Appreciation for what he had given us.

  I can't stand religion of any sort.
• 

  undercover

  Here's a similar thread from a couple of weeks ago...my thoughts are on it.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/172521/1/Would-god-even-if-he-DID-exist-deserve-to-be-worshiped

  edited to add: I see that Elsewhere plagerized himself...
• 

  jaguarbass

  I can give you all kinds of answers to your question.

  I'll give you 2 for the sake of time.

  The selfish simple answer for you or me is if you worship God and keep him first in your

  life, when things go wrong and you loose your focus and you get mad, you can just

  say God, I'm keeping you first in my life and it is sort of a reboot for your meat brain computer

  to stop it from melting down or to keep you from getting in trouble.

  the second answer unrelated to the first is.

  Earth was founded and developed by men like beings from Nibiru, planet X. They are called Annunaki.

  They made us in their immage but stronger and stupider to mine gold for them

  to take back to their planet, they need it for their atmosphere.

  In doing all that earth has been divided into regions governed by various Annunaki/ gods

  So each region wants their subjects to worship and obey them.

  Also a sideline of their management of earth is war.

  Religion and religious fanatacism is necessary to carry out war.

  War is good for the economy of the rich.

  Its not good for the working man.

  Check out Zechariah Sitchin start with the 12th planet.

  The Summerians wrote this all down in cuniform text and baked it in clay.

  Men has just in the last 50 years started to decipher and interpet the text.

  Society is in for a rude awakening regarding our history and origens.

  Various entities have a strong incentive to spread much disinformation regarding

  this information.
• 

  TheBiz

  I used to have some sea monkeys and they refused to worship me and build monuments of me.... so I smote them all by pouring them out into the lawn.
  
  Kneel before me Sea Monkey!!!!!

  LMAO!

  * Goes out to buy some "submissive" pets *