Why Worship God?
by Gene Johns

Thomas Paine, in his book "Age of Reason," declared he did not mean to condemn those who believe in Christianity (or other religions) for they have the same right to their belief as atheists, agnostics and deists do. Mr. Paine said it is necessary to the happiness of man that he is mentally faithful to himself and to declare or admit openly or freely what he does or does not believe. 

It is in that same declaration of purpose that, in this essay, I express my thoughts about worship and that I have no resentment or malice towards those who practice worship. It is not my intent to insult anyone. I am only expressing my opinion publicly about what I believe is an exercise in futility—worship.  

In 1888, author and journalist Rudyard Kipling declared prostitution "the world's oldest profession." Perhaps, but certainly the "world's oldest nonsense" (that is senseless, foolish, or absurd behavior), worship is as old as prostitution, if not older.

From the early days of humankind, when man worshipped the sun, the earth, and other inanimate objects, to the worship of mythical Gods, worship manipulates emotions, clouds the objectivity of humankind and plays into the fear of death. Religion and worship lead one to the surrender of logic and reason for belief in a mythical God and the false hope of eternal life.

I can remember seeing a movie or two showing primitive natives on some remote Pacific Island dancing and singing praise to an active volcano. As the volcano rumbles and threatens to erupt, the natives prepare a human sacrifice to calm the angry God they believe is causing the volcano to erupt. That may be a scene from a movie, but the truth is humankind "has" worshiped such inanimate objects and offered human sacrifice to please an angry God. Today, it is easy for us to see such foolishness to worship, in vain, inanimate objects as a God.   

Sadly, that primitive ritual of sacrifice to a mythical God continues today in modern times. It may not be a blood sacrifice as was the practice in the early years of humankind or as in the climax of the story of Jesus, which was a blood sacrifice. The blood sacrifice of Jesus is still celebrated today as a victory for Christians who gleefully sing about being washed in the blood of Jesus.

Yes, there is no longer a blood sacrifice (in most religions) but, sacrifice and worship to a mythical God still exist today. What then, is that sacrifice? It is the unwarranted surrender or sacrifice of a part of one’s life in time, attending Church or worshipping at home, and tithing to their Church.   

Why do believers worship? Because the Bible commands the worship of a narcissistic God and provides guidance on how to worship. Tithing is an important part of worship for it gives their Church the ability to function, the energy to grow, and the ability to promote the message of their God. Praying, singing and sermons all work together in keeping the members of the Church emotionally involved and reinforcing the belief in their God, albeit a mythical God.

It is remarkable that in this day and time, when science has solved a good number of the natural mysteries of this world that were once credited to a God, and when reason and logic, coupled with the lack of sufficient and verifiable proof of a deity, millions of Americans and billions of people around the world still worship a mythical God of their choice.

It's not that I haven't worshiped myself, I have. I have attended Church. I've poured my heart out at the Alter, asking for God's forgiveness. I accepted the mantra of "being worthless" and "lost" without God. Twice, I have been ceremoniously washed (baptized) in the blood of Jesus. 

Eventually, I realized that God is a myth and that unbridled and emotional worship is a contagious act of demeaning oneself, seeking the approval and blessings of a deity that is not there.

If one believes in the Christian God, is worship even needed? Perhaps not. In an article dated June 6, 2015, Sam Storms, a Pastor from Oklahoma City, wrote: “Simply put, God does not need you or me. He is altogether self-sufficient, dependent on no one. He is, in fact, the one who is responsible for the existence and preservation of all life, yours and mine. Therefore, he cannot be “served” as if he were needy or exhausted or weak or lacking something that only you and I and the people of your church can supply.”

Well, that makes sense to me. But then, at least in the Christian religion, there is a problem with that way of thinking. In the New International Bible, John 4:23 says, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." John 24 continues, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

There are other references in the Bible that support the concept of worship. Perhaps Pastor Storms has a response to that, but whatever his response is, he clearly promotes the idea worship is not needed. Apparently, within the Christian religion, worship is a matter of interpretation anyway. 

To underscore that thought, one only must look at how different the Christian denominations worship. The Catholics, Methodists, and Presbyterians have scripted, and unfortunately from my personal experience, boring services. The Baptist and Pentecostal denominations keep services and worshipping lively, musically entertaining (in most cases) and certainly get those in attendance emotionally involved.

Faith, the belief in God without evidence, would fade into reality if it were not for worship. God, without worship, would be reduced to a mythical character in an epic story of literature, as it should be. Worship is the fuel for delusion, the energy for the propaganda of supernatural oversight of humankind, and the drug for addiction to religion. If not for worship, the energy and money of humankind could be better spent on the problems of humankind. Amen!