Where is God hiding?

[pokoko]

richardhutnik said:

pokoko said:
On a serious note, god existing or not, I will never, ever understand the concept of worship. I don't get it. In fact, I would automatically lose respect for any god that required worship. It's an immature and fearful idea born from immature and fearful cultures.

If there really is a god out there, and he's as illuminated as people claim, I would imagine that he face-palms quite often over the whole bowing and kneeling thing. He's probably waiting for humanity to stand up and start thinking for itself on a regular basis.

Explain what the point of the that picture in your profile for me. I don't get it.

My understanding of worship, in its many forms, is that people feel a need to trumpet things they see of superior value to others, to show virtue and whatnot.  There is also a desire to have things that are sacred.  Real worship involves doing things to reflect the ideals of the object of the worship, and reflect its nature, and then when seeing it express one's feelings towards it.  That is the heart of worship actually.  And you see a LOT of it on this site, in these forums thrown at this game or that, or this fictional character or that.

Are you really, actually somehow suggesting that I worship a picture because I like it?  Come, now.  You know that's a failure as an analogy.  Worship, for most people, is about dedication and surrender.  With many religions it comes with the warning that suffering is the alternative.  Most forms of christianity will say that worship is a requirement, which goes far beyond the idea of simply communicating what you like or respect.

That brings to mind the undercurrent running through Dan Simmons' Hyperion novels, that humanity has paid its dues to god and no longer needs to bow and scrape, that we've offered up enough.