why do people worship god?

[anu]

Assuming god does exist, what did 'he' do, is currently doing and will do for the benefit of the people, which deserve worship? Or could it be fear that they will be punished and go to hell if they do not worship 'him'? That's similar to what dictators do to people who disobey them.

I asked this simple question to some members of Jehovah's Witnesses who came to our house and they gave this answer - they do not need a reason to worship god. Simple answer but I find it hard to understand it. For me, my every action has a reason.

[Fisherking]

Assuming god does exist, what did 'he' do, is currently doing and will do for the benefit of the people, which deserve worship? Or could it be fear that they will be punished and go to hell if they do not worship 'him'?

If God exists and created the universe, I would think that in and of itself is worthy of worship. Does God "send" us to hell? --Mankind can get there just fine on their own. When we walk on slippery slopes, we need nothing but our own weight and gravity to pull us down.

...Another thing implied is that they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another. As he that stands or walks on slippery ground,needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down.
That the reason why they are not fallen already, and don’t fall now, is only that
God’s appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, “their foot shall slide.” Then they shall be left to fall as they are inclined by their own weight. God won’t hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands in such slippery declining ground on the edge of a pit that he can’t stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost.

.... that natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell;
they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold ‘em up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of, all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted unobliged forbearance of an incensed God. Jonathan Edwards, SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD (1741)

[anu]

[quote="Fisherking If God exists and created the universe, I would think that in and of itself is worthy of worship. [/quote]

Not quite enough. Because the intelligent designer's creations are not perfect. He could have created all the planets, at least in our solar system, to support life. If I were god and created the Earth, I'd ensure that there will be no earthquakes, tornadoes, drought, floods, etc. I would not create termites, mosquitoes, ants, etc. I'd create human beings who do not get sick. No one will be born handicapped. I will always be there whenever they need help. I'm perfect so nothing's impossible. Then people can worship me. I truly deserve it.

[Fisherking]

Not quite enough. Because the intelligent designer's creations are not perfect. He could have created all the planets, at least in our solar system, to support life. If I were god and created the Earth, I'd ensure that there will be no earthquakes, tornadoes, drought, floods, etc. I would not create termites, mosquitoes, ants, etc. I'd create human beings who do not get sick. No one will be born handicapped. I will always be there whenever they need help. I'm perfect so nothing's impossible. Then people can worship me. I truly deserve it.

...Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?...

...Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?...

[anu]

...Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?...

...Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?...

I must apologize I do not speak this kind of English. Perhaps you can translate it for me in a manner that an average person like me can understand.

[ZAROVE]

Anu, as popualr as it is for Ahtiest to spell god in the lower case, it is both bad gramer and insulting to sodo so. You spell all other Proper nouns correclty. From "I've" to names of locations. But god is another matter.

When used in this context, God is a proper noun.,hus the usual excuse of a "Generic deity" won't fly. You aen't referign to a god, or the god, but God.

You use the term as a name, to identify an individual. As a result, it is used as a name. Thus, it shoudl eb Capitolised.


The reaosn it is not Capitolised usually is as a diliberate attemot at mocking God, but it stsill bad grammer and their is no need for diliberate insult.

So I ask you if you'd spell God properly.


That said, to your posts.

Assuming god does exist, what did 'he' do, is currently doing and will do for the benefit of the people, which deserve worship?

Well, for starters he created evrythign, and withiut God, nothign lives. Gos is the sustainer of all creation, and ultimaley our surce for good, kidnness, and love, even life itsself.

But the real queasiton for you is, why does everyhtign have to centre on us? Why does God need to deserve worship base don what he does for us now?

Why is it abotu us and what we get out of it?

Or could it be fear that they will be punished and go to hell if they do not worship 'him'? That's similar to what dictators do to people who disobey them.

I'm not afraid of Hell. Peple go to Hell volunterily, because they do nto want to meet God.

I asked this simple question to some members of Jehovah's Witnesses who came to our house and they gave this answer - they do not need a reason to worship god. Simple answer but I find it hard to understand it. For me, my every action has a reason.

Love coudl motivate them as well. But I wonder if you understand Love?

[quote="Fisherking If God exists and created the universe, I would think that in and of itself is worthy of worship. [/quote]

Not quite enough. Because the intelligent designer's creations are not perfect.

The purpos of life is o learn certian lessons, that we cannot learn elsewise.

If we already where mrolaly perfect, their wudl be no need to come here.If we where physiclaly perect, we'd have nothign to overcome.

He could have created all the planets, at least in our solar system, to support life.

Why woudl this be nessisary or expected, though?

If I were god and created the Earth,

This is what I mean, you spell Earht with a Capital, and god in a lower case. Its not rellay good grammer, and doens't rellay help matters.

I'd ensure that there will be no earthquakes, tornadoes, drought, floods, etc.

So, if you where God you'd make a perfeclty safe world in which no natural disasters sike and thus hinder any acualk development peopel make due to thise disasters.

I would not create termites, mosquitoes, ants, etc.

Whats wrgn with them? Other than hey annoy Humans, they are perfeclty legitimate life forms.

Liekwise they are vita tothe Ecosystem.

I'd create human beings who do not get sick. No one will be born handicapped.

You'd create Humans who never learn, never progres smroally, never face challenges...

I will always be there whenever they need help.

God is here whenever we need help, but what you mean is, You'd do all their work for them, and prevent humanity form makign any mroal progress. Rather, what you seem to mean is that you want a God who pampers you and gives you everythign you wan and prevents you from any and every harm.


Thats harldy worthwhile, and defeats the poitn of living.

I'm perfect so nothing's impossible. Then people can worship me. I truly deserve it.

So you essentuaklly don't worship God because God doesnt cater to your every whim and things bother yo, or ar ehard.

Thats what I'm reading here.

[McCulloch]

Well, for starters he created everything, and without God, nothing lives. God is the sustainer of all creation, and ultimately our source for good, kindness, and love, even life itself.

Assuming what is to be proven, are we? Of course, those who do not know the correct god or God correctly, have no capacity for good, kindness or love.

I'm not afraid of Hell. People go to Hell voluntarily, because they do not want to meet God.

Then I won't be there. If and when God presents Himself to me, I'll want to meet Him.

But I wonder if you understand Love?

That's right. All heretics, heathens and atheists are completely without love. Do you understand love?

I'd create human beings who do not get sick. No one will be born handicapped.

You'd create Humans who never learn, never progress morally, never face challenges...

Please explain how the existence of severely mentally challenged persons help us to progress morally.

God is here whenever we need help.

Except for those who He chooses not to help.

[ZAROVE]

ZAROVE wrote:
Well, for starters he created everything, and without God, nothing lives. God is the sustainer of all creation, and ultimately our source for good, kindness, and love, even life itself.

Assuming what is to be proven, are we? Of course, those who do not know the correct god or God correctly, have no capacity for good, kindness or love.

I like how things can be twisted, beyind the actual statements.

Sicne God is our souce, we cannot love anyhtign without God, for he is Love, and the source of Love. Just as he is the source of kidnness. And the source of life.

Everyone knows God, the queasiton is oen of Denial, or of attribtion. God is seen in all cultures at all times, and is merley filtered through that culture in how he is explained.

We are even born with an intrinsic knoweldge of God. An Instict.




ZAROVE wrote:
I'm not afraid of Hell. People go to Hell voluntarily, because they do not want to meet God.

Then I won't be there. If and when God presents Himself to me, I'll want to meet Him.

Will you? Many who make such proffessions, and yet who reject God and his way here in this life, woudl find they woudl eb repelled by God, by the choices they themselves make.



ZAROVE wrote:
But I wonder if you understand Love?

That's right. All heretics, heathens and atheists are completely without love. Do you understand love?

I wonder if you, too , Understand Love. Anu, I wondered, sicne hte tone of his posts. You, I wonder, becaus of the tone of yours.

You also presume what was not rpiven by assumign meanign in my words I did not present.



Quote:
I'd create human beings who do not get sick. No one will be born handicapped.



ZAROVE wrote:
You'd create Humans who never learn, never progress morally, never face challenges...

Please explain how the existence of severely mentally challenged persons help us to progress morally.

Numerous ays. FOr one, it helps the mentlaly disabled, sicne they must learn to cope with their disability, and overcome it.

It helps also those who ust care for them, for it teaches them love, humility, kindness, and many other traits.


Life is given to us to teach us how to be better prsons, and so, it is t this end that challenges occure.




ZAROVE wrote:
God is here whenever we need help.

Except for those who He chooses not to help.

God has helped eveyone, an continues to.

But to equate help wth short-term imediate aid to the Physcils body base dupon ones own safety whilst in htis short mortal life, or worse, as Anu did tot he fulfillment of every wheim whislt makign humanity perfecly safe, is to equae Help wiht Confinement.

[McCulloch]

Everyone knows God, the question is one of denial, or of attribution. God is seen in all cultures at all times, and is merely filtered through that culture in how he is explained.

We are even born with an intrinsic knowledge of God. An instinct.

We are not born with a knowledge of God. We are taught about God by other humans. Did you discover God yourself or did some other human teach you.

By claiming that I know God, you are essentially saying that I am being dishonest when I say that I do not know God and am not convinced by the alleged evidence of a supernatural being.

I'm not afraid of Hell. People go to Hell voluntarily, because they do not want to meet God.

Then I won't be there. If and when God presents Himself to me, I'll want to meet Him.

Will you? Many who make such professions, and yet who reject God and his way here in this life, would find they would be repelled by God, by the choices they themselves make.

I have not enough evidence to believe in God. Once such evidence is provided, such as meeting Him post mortem, I would then believe. I am not dogmatic about such things. I can admit that I am wrong.

Please explain how the existence of severely mentally challenged persons help us to progress morally.

Numerous ways. For one, it helps the mentally disabled, since they must learn to cope with their disability, and overcome it.

I will forgive you since you speak from ignorance. I used the word severely. There are many who will never be able to overcome their disability.

It helps also those who us to care for them, for it teaches them love, humility, kindness, and many other traits.

Patience, self-defense, emergency first-aid, crisis de-escalation techniques, how to clean blood from carpets, drywall repair, negotiation with police, advocacy skills, yes there are many benefits of caring for severely mentally challenged people.

God is here whenever we need help.

Except for those who He chooses not to help.

God has helped everyone, and continues to.

Except the severely mentally ill, the very poor, many very sick people, those in war and drought, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and terrorist activity.

[ZAROVE]

ZAROVE wrote:
Everyone knows God, the question is one of denial, or of attribution. God is seen in all cultures at all times, and is merely filtered through that culture in how he is explained.

We are even born with an intrinsic knowledge of God. An instinct.
We are not born with a knowledge of God. We are taught about God by other humans. Did you discover God yourself or did some other human teach you.

WE are born with an intrinsic instinctual knowledge of God. There's even a region in our brains dedicated to this. Each of us are born with a knowledg eof our creator. Certian things abotu God are tught us later, or discovere don our own, and cultural means of understandign God are certianly taught us, but the basic ocnept of our creator is inrinsic.

By claiming that I know God, you are essentially saying that I am being dishonest when I say that I do not know God and am not convinced by the alleged evidence of a supernatural being.

No one is with excuse.




ZAROVE wrote:
I'm not afraid of Hell. People go to Hell voluntarily, because they do not want to meet God.
Quote:
Then I won't be there. If and when God presents Himself to me, I'll want to meet Him.
ZAROVE wrote:
Will you? Many who make such professions, and yet who reject God and his way here in this life, would find they would be repelled by God, by the choices they themselves make.

I have not enough evidence to believe in God. Once such evidence is provided, such as meeting Him post mortem, I would then believe. I am not dogmatic about such things. I can admit that I am wrong.

Fromt he tn e of your posts I have reservations about bekeivign you.



McCulloch wrote:
Please explain how the existence of severely mentally challenged persons help us to progress morally.
ZAROVE wrote:
Numerous ways. For one, it helps the mentally disabled, since they must learn to cope with their disability, and overcome it.

I will forgive you since you speak from ignorance. I used the word severely. There are many who will never be able to overcome their disability.

Your arrogance is a deep flaw, as is your anger, ancd inability to see beyind your own desires.



ZAROVE wrote:
God is here whenever we need help.
Quote:
Except for those who He chooses not to help.
ZAROVE wrote:
God has helped everyone, and continues to.

Except the severely mentally ill, the very poor, many very sick people, those in war and drought, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and terrorist activity.

You ar emuch too liie din scope. God is there as well, and those who endured those thigns ill safley attest this.