Would the fact that a god existed automatically mean that it should be worshipped?

Question

For example, Christians ... Let's say that Zeus's existence was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Zeus routinely struck down those who fell out his favor with lightning bolts; he used his god powers to rape several women and conceive children with them; and he killed his own father to assume the position of king of the gods.

Just because he exists, should we worship him ... especially with that track record?

Many people who actually worshipped Zeus found him to be involved and loving also.

The point I'm trying to make is that not everyone views the biblical description of god as "involved and loving".

So even if some extraordinary event ocurred to prove his existence, it doesn't mean that he should automatically be worshipped.

Just a thought.

Answer 1

In short, no, one should not worship a deity because of these things. Just because someone/thing is older, richer, smarter, more powerful, etc. does not mean that they by default they should be granted special privileges of any kind. Just as one ought not to worship a deity who drowned children, ordered people put to death, and set people a flame. Use of power only breeds fear; one may have people who will obey, but only out of fear. I mean, if someone threatened to strike me with a lightning bolt, then I would at least consider what he or she asked me to do. Heck, I might even say the BS about he or she being a mighty, powerful, and great deity, but will I mean it…no. Will I always be looking for a way to be rid of the tyrant…you had better believe it.

Answer 2

If I had your beliefs(judging from your profile), I would say why not worship him. If he was the ruler of the universe, being on his good side could be a great benefit for you. Why would you even care about his 'track record'? You're an atheist! You have no logical basis for morality so why would you start moralizing about someones 'track record'? When one uses the words 'ought' or 'ought not' or 'should' or 'should not' or 'right' or 'wrong' or 'good' or 'evil' you are making a moral law. All moral laws must come from an ultimate standard. When I watch a football game and team A runs a play and the official blows his whistle and penalizes team A 10 yards there's one thing I can surmise without any other info about the game: This game must have a rulebook somewhere. If there's no ultimate standard, then 'right, wrong, good, evil' are just words that express your opinion . Why is your opinion better than Adolph Hitlers' if there is no God? If there is no God then there are no absolutes. If there are no absolutes then there is no such thing as right and wrong. Right and wrong are just whatever the culture defines them to be in a Godless society. Our christian culture says you're supposed to love your neighbor. Some cultures down in the amazon say you're suppose to eat your neighbor.
The real problem with your atheistic views are what they eventually lead to when they take over a government. A government can define right and wrong just by man made law that is not based upon anything higher. But man has a natural bent toward evil. It's inherent in him. If you don't agree with that, your argument is not with me but with 6000 years of human history. Being bent toward evil he will always water down those laws because those laws are not based upon anything but the governments opinion. It's as if God has established moral laws and man always wants to be free to live in any licentious manner he pleases.. Eventually, you come to one of two end results: 1)the morality keeps getting watered down and watered down until you have anarchy in your nation because no one has any morals. 2)You need more and more force to enforce those man made opinions(laws) that are not based upon anything ultimate(God) and pretty soon you have a totalitarian government. So you always end up with one of two end results.....either you end up with anarchy or a police state.
Francis Schaeffer, a recently deceased philosopher, used to say that atheistic moral relativists always bring on the thing they hate most......totalitarianism. What he meant was that they keep whittling down the morality in a nation until the only way you can keep order is with storm troops and a gestapo.
Mao Zedong understood this perfectly well. He said " the only real morality is at the point of a bayonette. In his society that was true. He was a communist and his state was atheistic. An atheistic state doesn't allow for a God. As I said at the beginning....if there is no God there are no absolutes......if there are no absolutes there is no such thing as right and wrong ........if there is no such thing as right and wrong then sooner or later you will need bayonettes to keep the peace. As I said before, If I had your beliefs I wouldn't worry about Zeus's 'track record'.

Answer 3

Pagan mythology has nothing to do with the God who created heaven and earth. Whether Zeus did something, or Moses did something, or any other human personality did something, has no bearing at all upon the duty of man to worship his Creator.
Equally, simply because "Christianity" has been turned into a laughing-stock by the feel-good antics of pastors and church-goers, money-grabbing "evangelists", or any other religious claimant; this does not mean that God is any the less deserving of reverent worship and respectful fear.
The intricate design of the human body alone (what is memory - how does it work? The intricate design of nerves and blood vessels etc.) alone is testimony to the fact that these things did not happen by "chance" simply because some amoeba wanted to be a fish; the fish wanted to see what it was like to live on land, and so on ...
The God who created you deserves your respect. So, yes: the fact that God exists, automatically means that he should be worshipped. The fact that your parents exist, automatically means that they, as decent upright parents, should be loved, respected, and obeyed by you.
I would be happy to help you further, if required; and hope that
this short answer helps with your consideration of the question.
Sincerely,
Philip Livingstone
www.theforgottenbible.org

Answer 4

Deist. Deists accept at least the possibility of a creator god, without acknowledging that any religion has 'got it right'. Most Deists are 'atheists' in as much as they do not accept an anthropomorphic god, more a 'force' kind of idea. By the way, 'Agnostic' does not really mean unsure. It literally means 'No Knowledge' and is a term invented by Huxley in order to explain his atheism. He argued that there was no evidence for a god. Absence of evidence is not, he acknowledged, evidence of absence, so all we could really say for sure is that we don't know, but in the absence of certain knowledge, the logical position, he asserted, is one of scepticism, not belief.

Answer 5

Zeus reminds me of Hari Krishna the little blue boy God that seduces shepherd girls and steals cattle.

Both are fairy tales. To worship either of them is foolishness.

There is only one "True and Living God" and He is the God of the Bible. On the day when all men stand before Him all the silly questions like the one you ask now will be answered without a word as all mankind that ever lived bow in either adoration or trembling in His presence, power, majesty and glory!

Those who don't know Him will not dare to look on His face because of the terrible fear they will experience knowing that they could have received eternal life from Him and rejected it.
They will have such clear understanding that there will be no doubt that they chose their just punishment and they will be told to depart from Him into the Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Those who know Him will rejoice with joy beyond anything on earth as He says to them, "enter into the joy of the Lord" and they will be at peace for all eternity in His glorious presence.

BY THE WAY, GOD IS NOT AN IT - GOD IS A HEAVENLY FATHER AND A PERSON AND IS SPIRIT.

Answer 6

Worship comes from a word that means obeisance which means to bow down or lie prostrate. The followers of Islam would be an example of this when they pray.

Now, given the existence of Zeus and he's demanding that we bow down before him, would we do it?
Maybe, if our life depended on it.
Would we consider that the kind of honor and reverence due the one true God and creator and therefore refuse to give it to any lesser god or any man?

You decide who you will worship.

Answer 7

Well, out of sheer self-interest, I'd want to stay on his good side, or out of range of lightning bolts.

There is some evidence to suggest that YHWH is a sky/storm god originally (home in the clouds, speaks from mist or on top of mountains, manna from heaven) and that henotheism and monotheism are somewhat later additions. Does he deserve worship? Again, not really, but the lightning bolts...

Answer 8

Deep question. If there is a God, his own character would be the only vessel from which our own characteristics flowed. From his character would come ours. (This is illustrated in the God of the Bible having created us in His own image.)

If I found out that god's character was 'evil', I would have no problem being evil, too. Not only would my character come from him, but so also would the world's moral standard.

In reality, God's character and moral standard are only good. Humans were created with the ability to make personal choice, and know right from wrong through conscience; which is to say, the image of God.

Evil exists, not as a expression of God's character, but instead, the rebellion against it.

Answer 9

It sounds like you have a complete misunderstanding of what it means to worship.

Worshiping simply means to honor and express devotion to. If Zeus were a true God, then I guess you would need to unless you wanted to get hit with a lightning bolt.

I'm glad he's not real.

Answer 10

Are you talking about adoration, or fear? The Greeks had as many words for love, as the did names for gods. I've read that the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom. I don't think it's the end of the process. Somehow, people have to learn to trust God. And each other.