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If, it was proven beyond all doubt that a god existed. Would you worship it?

Mister Silver

Faith's Nightmare
What is imaginative about 2 Timothy 3:1-5,13 describing these last days of badness on Earth before Jesus, as Prince of Peace, will usher in global Peace on Earth among persons of goodwill.

What is imaginative about Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8 because exactly as Jesus said it would be done is being done.
There is nothing imaginative about good news about God's kingdom government of Daniel 2:44 which is Now proclaimed all over the world as never before in history. Even modern technology has made rapid Bible translation possible so that people even in remote areas can now have Scripture in their own mother tongue or native language. Do you know of anyone who never heard of the Bible. Nothing can stop that international proclaiming about God's kingdom to come and govern Earth in Peace. We are even told about the ' final signal ', so to speak, found at 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 that when ' they' (powers that be) will be saying," Peace and Security " that is the precursor to the coming great tribulation of Revelation 7:14 before Jesus ushers in global Peace on Earth. So, you will find out that God's Word the Holy Bible is Not the fallible men's elaborate imaginations, but for the saving of righteous mankind.

Evidence that Spider-man exists in reality as a divine superhero:

"We're not just our failures. As much as they hurt, we learn from them. Then we go out there and do our best to make up for them-- Even though we never will. We save people. We save as many as we can to make up for the ones we couldn't. That's all we do."
--Peter Parker (Earth-616)
 
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SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
As an atheist I think this is highly unlikely but for this thought experiment, let's assume that a god has revealed themselves to the world.

Now would you worship it?

I couldn't bring myself to do so; I'd be happy to say thanks for what I have but regularly get on my knees and give thanks, NO!

Thoughts.

I have a difficult time understanding why people feel It would wish to be worshiped.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
By that yardstick... hard to tell. It feels so impossible to me.
I guess I would not. I don't even understand why such a God would want or accept worship.

I find you are far from alone in your ^ above ^ thinking.
You might find of interest that there is No mention of 'wanting or accepting' worship in the Genesis Adam and Eve account.
I find what God wanted from them (and by way of extension us) is ' obedience '. Don't break the Law.
That to me is why 1 Samuel 15:22 can say to 'obey'..........
So, worship is connected to obeying God's Golden Rule and Jesus' New commandment of John 13:34-35 to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as Jesus has.
I suppose whoever a person prays to would be connected to the worship part.
We can see from the yardstick measuring mankind's religious history that forms of worship are mostly man made because of being out of harmony with the teachings of Christ as found in Scripture.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Evidence that Spider-man empirically exists in reality as a divine superhero:
"We're not just our failures. As much as they hurt, we learn from them. Then we go out there and do our best to make up for them-- Even though we never will. We save people. We save as many as we can to make up for the ones we couldn't. That's all we do."
--Peter Parker (Earth-616)

I find Jesus ' saved ' people but Not to make up for the ones who didn't want to be saved/rescued/delivered.
Jesus forced No one to follow his NEW commandment of John 13:34-35 to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as he has. We all have the same two (2) choices of 2 Peter 3:9 to ' repent ' if we do Not wish to ' perish ' (meaning be destroyed). As in the wording of Psalms 92:7 that the wicked will be destroyed forever (annihilated).
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
It's also worth remarking for a moment about what worship actually is. Some folks get this caricature image in their heads of kowtowing that is just plain silly and not accurate. To worship something means to behave in a manner that acknowledges something's worth or value. That takes many forms. Sometimes it is living in accord with virtues that aligin with your gods. Sometimes it is holding a happy celebration or party. Sometimes it is giving thanks and and credit where credit is due. To use three words, worship is gratitude, humility, and happiness. The kowtowing caricature? I'd call that supplication - begging the gods. Which is... well... not part of my tradition, at any rate.

Before I comment on this, can you please provide how you differentiate 'worship' from 'reverence?'
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
I have a difficult time understanding why people feel It would wish to be worshiped.

I find the Bible's 'form of worship' is found in the words of James 1:27 is to look after orphans and widows in their times of affliction besides keeping one's self without being spotted by the world.
In other words, when there is conflict between what God's Word (Scripture) says is right and the world wants you to do the opposite, then we are to choose what God says is the right thing to do. So, we are to have a ' relative ' subjection to authorities, whereas we are to give ' absolute ' subjection to God's supreme authority, or that God's Word has the final say on matters of choices. We are to obey God as Ruler rather than men according to Acts of the Apostles 5:29.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm not an atheist so I don't know if you want me to respond. I can't see myself worshiping an "it", as you said in your question. God needs to be far more personal and relatable than an "it".

Hypothetical: If you found out that the deity you've been worshiping all along was without gender and not anthropomorphic, would you cease worship of It?
 

Bird123

Well-Known Member
As an atheist I think this is highly unlikely but for this thought experiment, let's assume that a god has revealed themselves to the world.

Now would you worship it?

I couldn't bring myself to do so; I'd be happy to say thanks for what I have but regularly get on my knees and give thanks, NO!

Thoughts.


I would have to say no simply because God does not need worship nor desires worship. Worship is mankind's view of how reality should be. On the other hand, God has such great intelligence that I would experience some awe with God's ways. Of course, this hungry student will be trying to learn how and why God is doing things that way. There is much to learn from watching High Intelligence.

As I see it, since we all already know God, everyone would just feel at home and loved. Mankind's ways of worship, praise and buttering up to gain favors is laughable in true reality. I bet God feels the same way too.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
Before I comment on this, can you please provide how you differentiate 'worship' from 'reverence?'

I don't think I do, really. Seem pretty synonymous to me. W
orship has more explicitly theistic connotations, so I would use that word when describing reverence of the gods, but it's pretty po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I don't think I do, really. Seem pretty synonymous to me. Worship has more explicitly theistic connotations, so I would use that word when describing reverence of the gods, but it's pretty po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

I suppose that's why I was confused by your post. I see a significant difference between worship and reverence. What you explained here...

...to behave in a manner that acknowledges something's worth or value. That takes many forms. Sometimes it is living in accord with virtues that aligin with your gods. Sometimes it is holding a happy celebration or party. Sometimes it is giving thanks and and credit where credit is due.

...is how I define reverence.

For me, worship is expressing devotion to something so deeply that one doesn't question it. Worship includes created practice or ritual with the intent of pleasing what which one is devoted to.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
For me, worship is expressing devotion to something so deeply that one doesn't question it. Worship includes created practice or ritual with the intent of pleasing what which one is devoted to.

I suppose that kind of blind devotion would be very atypical of the religious demographics i most associate with, thus I wouldn't gravitate to associating worship with that kind of reverence. :D


Put another way, worship in contemporary Paganism is rarely (if ever) unquestioned/blind devotion.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I suppose that kind of blind devotion would be very atypical of the religious demographics i most associate with, thus I wouldn't gravitate to associating worship with that kind of reverence. :D

Put another way, worship in contemporary Paganism is rarely (if ever) unquestioned/blind devotion.

Therein lies the difference. I was raised in a Catholic household.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I find the Bible's 'form of worship' is found in the words of James 1:27 is to look after orphans and widows in their times of affliction besides keeping one's self without being spotted by the world.
In other words, when there is conflict between what God's Word (Scripture) says is right and the world wants you to do the opposite, then we are to choose what God says is the right thing to do. So, we are to have a ' relative ' subjection to authorities, whereas we are to give ' absolute ' subjection to God's supreme authority, or that God's Word has the final say on matters of choices. We are to obey God as Ruler rather than men according to Acts of the Apostles 5:29.

So you're telling me you worship because someone said that God told him to tell you to?
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
Whatever a person puts as first priority in one's life is their worship.
Some people look in the mirror and see their god.
As Philippians 3:19 says some people's god is their belly.

I don't think so......

  1. 1.
    the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.
    "the worship of God"
    synonyms: reverence, veneration, adoration, glorification, glory, exaltation; More
verb
  1. 1.
    show reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with religious rites.
    "the Maya built jungle pyramids to worship their gods"
    synonyms: revere, reverence, venerate, pay homage to, honor, adore, praise, pray to, glorify, exalt, extol; More
 

Scott C.

Just one guy
Hypothetical: If you found out that the deity you've been worshiping all along was without gender and not anthropomorphic, would you cease worship of It?

Yes, as long as God turned out to be the infinite God of love and compassion that I understand him to be, I would continue to follow and worship. It would be quite a paradigm shift for me though.
 
No, but everyone tells me how loving and compassionate and forgiving this god is. Hell can't possibly be that bad.

But, in the spirit of this thread, IF it was made perfectly clear to you that hell was indeed that bad and amounted to eternal excruciating torment, you would worship this god as he desired?
 

Altfish

Veteran Member
But, in the spirit of this thread, IF it was made perfectly clear to you that hell was indeed that bad and amounted to eternal excruciating torment, you would worship this god as he desired?
Possibly but I'd have my fingers crossed and an 'I love Satan' t-shirt on.
 

Altfish

Veteran Member
But, in the spirit of this thread, IF it was made perfectly clear to you that hell was indeed that bad and amounted to eternal excruciating torment, you would worship this god as he desired?
I'd also be looking for a third option, Hell sounds awful but I'd go crackers in Heaven
 
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