Narcissistic Deity Disorder

[Universal Mind]

Why would God need constant praise to avoid letting people be tortured for eternity? I don't require it of others, and I am not even totally good. In fact, I don't even hold it against people if they believe I don't exist. Does God have some kind of severe insecurity? Did he have a really rough childhood? Why are people supposed to make a huge deal out of him every day to avoid being exploded into the abyss under the bridge of death?

[Neruo]

I demand the option to choose: "If I was a non-existing fucking bastard, I would!"

[Leo Volont]

Originally posted by Universal Mind Why would God need constant praise to avoid letting people be tortured for eternity? I don't require it of others, and I am not even totally good. In fact, I don't even hold it against people if they believe I don't exist. Does God have some kind of severe insecurity? Did he have a really rough childhood? Why are people supposed to make a huge deal out of him every day to avoid being exploded into the abyss under the bridge of death? Now, I can see lawyers using such methods of argumentation -- to distort and obscure every element that plays against one's own personal agenda, and to do so blatantly and obviously because they only need to fool a Jury -- 12 people who are too stupid to get out of Jury Duty. But this Forum is supposed to be for intellectuals. So we need to ask who you think you are fooling. You certainly can't believe that the God of any of the Higher Religions is focussed entirely upon Its own worship. Indeed, there are endless Metaphysical and Theological Problems with such a view. Perhaps an Atheist from Kindergarten could be comfortable with such a perception of Religion, but what Educated Adult could possibly think such a thing. Let's enumerate the difficulties. The most important hurdle to overcome is that God is Unitary and Universal. All of the Higher Religions use Unifying Metaphors to express this. The whole Metaphor of God as Father is meant to decrease familiar distance and not to increase it. But the kind of grovelling worship our Poster referrs to cuts a defined separation between this God and those who worship God. One needs only referr to any of the Acknowledged Saints from any of the World's Higher Religions. Their expressions of Beatific Bliss in being Included into the Divine Oneness have little in them of grovelling worship. Now, if you have a complaint about Worship, you don't have to go all the way up to God and his Heaven to place it. Why not stay at home and accuse Capitalism. On the average a CEO of a Capitalist Company makes over 4000% what the average employee makes. All this while Unemployment even in the Advanced Economies is at about 20% and rising (not the Unemployment "Rate" which refers only to those who have been fired in just the last six months, which does not include the chronic unemployed). so it seems that the Propaganda that attacks religion the hardest comes to us from Capitalists who don't mind being blatantly worshiped themselves -- to be feated like Olympian Gods on Earth while what is left of Civilization slips into a bottomless poverty. Why is it that you suppose Catholicism ever became the Enemy of these predatory Capitalists in the first place, but that the Church as a Secular Institution regulating all of the affairs of Civilization never would have allowed such predatory and exploitative practices. And this brings up the Point about Hell. You see, there are people who believe in Collectivism, Community, Sharing, Love, Utopia, Idealism, God. They WANT everybody to get along. they want us to all be in this together. They are the Sheep, as Christ put it -- the animals with Herd instincts. Social Impulses. These are the Souls that are allowed into Heaven. Worship is nowhere involved. If one is a member of the Herd, then one is herded into heaven with all of the other Sheep. But what of the Wolves and predators. Well, they are not Sent into any particular Hell. They are simply excluded from heaven. God does not create, sustain or design a Hell. Just like God does not make Guantanamo Torture Centers. You see, the Predators and Demons in the World are very conscious of their own Rank and Position and Authority, their Wealth and Property. While the Sheep respect morality and are unassuming. The Wolves, always wandering in afresh, well don't you suppose that the Devil would make his own Hell, his own Prisons, his own detention centers where to put all these new lean and hungry predators. Just suppose that Hitler should be in Hell first before Stalin arrives. Don't you suppose Hitler would great Stalin with chains before he could rally any political powers to back up his own offensives and campaign of aggrandizement. You see, it is the Predators that make their own hell. One can hardly blame God for keeping these raiders and thieves out of Heaven. They wouldn't want to belong anyway. We know what Republicans think about Socialism, and they reject it. God does not need to refuse them heaven, since they have voluntarily rejected it themselves on their own terms. One can go to heaven and enjoy a leveled community, or one can side with the devil and go off and play King of the Mountain. Yes, of all the Souls who go to hell only one will be able to finally win the Competition, and all the rest will be enslaved. But that is what the Right Wing wants. That is what the Republican's stand for. Competition. Greed. Winners and Losers. Fine. Let them have it as an Afterlife. Here is a test. it will test whether or not you go to heaven or not. You have already taken it. What did you think when I said that heaven was for Sheep. could you accept being a sheep among many sheep. Or are you more comfortable being a wolf. Well, there is your Eternal Destiny right there. And notice, Worship had nothing to do with it. Just whether you are a socialist or a capitalist.

[Tsen]

Heh. Resorting to clear-cut labels. You know full and well that the US is not Capitalist. Such a system would never work. Socialism isn't exactly perfect, either. Certainly not 'heaven'. The US DOES need to reform its economy. But it DOESN'T need to be socialist. I'm a middle-class ex-theist. I'm not rich. I wasn't born an atheist. I'm not a CEO. But I still think that God is pathetically reliant on public opinion. In fact, I readily accept Hell, whether God created it or not. I made the decision that if there is no God, why waste time worshiping said non-existing deity, and if there is, I'd choose Hell over heaven any day. The intellectuals will be in Hell with me, and I'd much prefer their company over Heaven in the company of a bunch of dimwitted asses who only got there because their parents brought them up religious and they never bothered to think about it.

[InTheMoment]

Originally posted by Universal Mind Why would God need constant praise to avoid letting people be tortured for eternity? I don't require it of others, and I am not even totally good. In fact, I don't even hold it against people if they believe I don't exist. Does God have some kind of severe insecurity? Did he have a really rough childhood? And according to the Old Testament, he is also a malicious, cruel, intolerable and unjust deity as well. Sounds like god could use some quality time with Dr. Phil.

[Universal Mind]

Leo, you obviously have your own off the wall version of Christianity, but you are the one being deceptive by not acknowledging the fact that the vast majority of Christians believe in an arrogant God who will let them burn forever for not literally worshipping him. It makes him jealous and angry. The Old Testament says that. You might ignore a lot of the Old Testament, but that does not mean the rest of the world's Christians do. As for the capitalism tangent, socialism has been a historical failure, while capitalism has created history's greatest economies. Great economies are good for everyone. In the U.S., even our homeless people our fat. I wish the whole world would be capitalist. Without the desire to succeed, little gets done. I don't think like a greedy CEO, but I'm glad there are those who do. I benefit from it. If it weren't for these shallow, greedy business people, we wouldn't be able to use the internet, for example. The capitalist pigs you hate were necessary in the process of this mass communication set up. You don't have to be one, but you should appreciate their existence.

[syzygy]

Originally posted by Universal Mind Great economies are good for everyone. In the U.S., even our homeless people our fat. I wish the whole world would be capitalist. ummm... You are a very good American.