Why worship?

Maize said:

Why does an all-powerful being need worship from humans?

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I can't say I would see it that way...I feel God deserves our love and devotion..afterall He is the one who created us to do HIS will not our own...we don't have to understand because we are mere humans but I do feel that in obediance will come rewards unmeasurable to anything earthly goods could compare to.

Who said He did?

Man was not made for the Sabbath. Sabbath was made for man. Worship is more for the believers than it is for God.

Maize said:

Why does an all-powerful being need worship from humans?

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Good question.

And the way I understand it is He doesn't.

It's in our best interest.

To worship God has several aspects.

One of them is love, and the other is thanking God for His bounties.

[font=Arial, Verdana, Helvetica] In Matthew 4:10, Jesus says, "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." So, worship is not merely a natural instinct, it's a command from God.I also agree with Cordoba. We worship Him to thank Him for the Earth He made, the food we eat,
the love we may have, not only with Him, but each other.
[/font]

"O Son of Man

I loved thy creation. Hence I created thee. Wherefore do thou love me that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life."

Because it's how humans connect to and have a relationship with God.

God probably tries to sleep, and keeps getting woken up by constant prayers and worship. The world is probably in such bad shape because he's angry, and tired. Just let the man sleep!!!!

"God – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth." (The Qur'an, 2:255)

[font=Arial, Verdana, Helvetica] God alone is worthy of our devotion, praise and worship. He is God, our Creator, and we are commanded to praise and worship Him. Psalm 96:9 says, "Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth." Psalm 29:2 says, "Give unto the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." [/font]

Maize said:

Why does an all-powerful being need worship from humans?

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God is Self-sufficient, and the fact of worshipping Him doesn't do any good to Him, on the contrary it DOES good to us. If we believe in Him or disbelive in Him, that doesn't do any good or harm to Him, for He is Independent and Omnipotent. It is we who are totally dependent on Him.. if we believe in Him it's for our own good and benefit, if we disbelieve (may God forbid) it's not for our own good at all, we are thus just bringing misery to ourselves, if not in this life it will be in the hereafter.
Logically, aren't we supposed to be thankful to the One who created us, who provides for us, who heals us, who supports us, who answers our prayers, who gave us a mind to think with and distinguish between what's good and what's bad. Shouldn't we love and be thankful to the One who gave us senses, eyes to see the beauty of His creation, ears to hear each other and listen with, nose to breathe oxygen to live and to distinuish between smells, mouth with tongue to communicate and to taste food and feel how delicious it is and .... and .... if we start counting the bounties of God on us, we cannot finish them, for they are endless. By the One who created the skies and the earth and who my soul is in His Hand, if we thank God and worship Him evey minute in our lives, we will never be able to thank Him for the smallest favor He bestowed on us.
May our dear God guide us to what pleases Him, ameen!!

Peace be with you,
Peace

Peace said:

God is Self-sufficient, and the fact of worshipping Him doesn't do any good to Him, on the contrary it DOES good to us. If we believe in Him or disbelive in Him, that doesn't do any good or harm to Him, for He is Independent and Omnipotent. It is we who are totally dependent on Him.. if we believe in Him it's for our own good and benefit, if we disbelieve (may God forbid) it's not for our own good at all, we are thus just bringing misery to ourselves, if not in this life it will be in the hereafter.
Logically, aren't we supposed to be thankful to the One who created us, who provides for us, who heals us, who supports us, who answers our prayers, who gave us a mind to think with and distinguish between what's good and what's bad. Shouldn't we love and be thankful to the One who gave us senses, eyes to see the beauty of His creation, ears to hear each other and listen with, nose to breathe oxygen to live and to distinuish between smells, mouth with tongue to communicate and to taste food and feel how delicious it is and .... and .... if we start counting the bounties of God on us, we cannot finish them, for they are endless. By the One who created the skies and the earth and who my soul is in His Hand, if we thank God and worship Him evey minute in our lives, we will never be able to thank Him for the smallest favor He bestowed on us.
May our dear God guide us to what pleases Him, ameen!!

Peace be with you,
Peace

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That is true, sister Peace. God created us to worship Him, but it all depends on us to worship Him or not, for worshiping or not worshiping will not do anything to God, for God is Self-Sufficient. God does not need us. It is us who needs God.

Firdaus Mardhatillah said:

God created us to worship Him

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Why? That makes no sense.

God does not need us. It is us who needs God.

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Then why create us? For his amusement?

Maize,

have you ever built or created something? You probably have, and I am sure you know the JOY that comes from it's fruition. God has created us in his image. Part of that image is the need to create. Obviously, God has a much bigger canvas to work with, but the principle is the same.

Do we want our kids to worship us? Yes and no... but the deeper our relationship, the more that they love us, and the more they imitate us. Nothing is sweeter to my ears than my son or daughter cracking some awful pun and then saying in absolute horror: "I just did a Dad!"

Why? I don't know! I am only glad that it HAPPENS.

I am going to go out on a different limb altogether. My belief in God is not one of a person-like deity who wants his worshipers to bow to him, kneel and pray.

I see God as I imagine Master Vigil sees Tao - if I have understood him in previous posts. God is the sum total of everything that we know; he is the 'energy of growth'; I believe that when we pray, we are directing chi, ki, (Whatever you want to call it) - and that energy, when we pray is one that encourages good things to come from it - as with a devil worshipper, who would direct negative thoughts and energy- or even possibly direct positive thought towards a negative goal.

I have been told a few times that I am psychic - I don't know if I am, and I don't think it particularly matters. I do know that when I have walked into a room full of other supposed psychics, that I have felt a definite change in the way I feel; I feel envigourated - it is hard to describe. The only way I can logically see it is that we all have the potential to channel this energy; most of use loose the ability to use it because we become embroyled in the very the basics of carving a life for ourselves in life.

Prayers, when said by a congregation are supposed to have a greater 'effect' than the prayers of individuals; again, I would suggest that that is because the energies sent by each operson praying are 'adding' to combination of the total 'energy' being created; in other words, when we worship God (and this is a very personal view), we are sending positive 'vibes' that are helping the permanent cycle of life of growth, and decay - the decay has to be there to balance with the growth. An example of that in the human body, is, for example the duplication - ie two nostrils, whilst one is working up to full power, the other is resting, and regenerating - and so on.

So why worship ? - worship is a way to 'keep energy moving'; in worship, there is often singing; singing is is emotive, in itself it creates energy, helping funnel the energy from prayer.

We worhip and pray to Him in order to communicate and connect w/ HaShem
that was the purpose to begin with...and since the end of prophecy it is to only way

of course this is from a traditionally jewish standpoint...

Maize said:

Why? That makes no sense.

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Why make no sense? If God wants to create humans and jinns to worship God, nothing can influence His decision. Peace has described it perfectly above: The purpose of worshiping God is for human's own good, so humans can find peace within themselves and spread peace to his/her surroundings. Not worshiping God will not make God smaller, and vice versa, neither worshiping God will make God bigger, for God is self-sufficient.

Maize said:

Then why create us? For his amusement?

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God created us so that human can know God. So that God can be known. Why exist but unknown?