What does it mean to worship something or someone? Sometimes we speak of someone that we hold such admiration and desire for that we say we worship them, such as celebrities or people we are in love with. When we do something daily, ritualistically, we say we do it religiously. If you could say there is one thing you worship, above all else, what would it be? What is that thing you think about or do every day, that you revere above anything or anyone else in the world?
May I suggest that all of us have a god, a religion, and a form of worship? Most commonly we worship what is most natural for us to love. What we worship should come as no great surprise to us. We commonly have several gods we vacillate between at different stages of life. Most commonly, I believe, we worship our romantic and sexual relationships. We also worship our music, our games, our food, and our dreams for success. We even worship wealth and power. The interesting thing is, it has always been that way. When we look at the gods and goddesses of ancient history, it is easy to see these patterns emerge.
Gods of romance and sexuality are an extremely common find, perhaps universal among pantheistic religions. Gods of war and victory are just as common. Gods of harvest and plenty are also common, connotating the worship of food. Gods of education, worldly success and wealth are also common. Anyone who has studied Greek myths should have some familiarity with these themes.
It is interesting that with the decline of Christianity, people are literally becoming pantheist or pagan. I have known people to literally worship pagan gods. Judeo-Christian tradition stands almost utterly alone in the idea of a single God of selfless love, that is interested in the universal well-being of humanity. In Jewish and Christian laws, all the themes of worship in the Pagan religions are given guidance as to their proper use. Everything is put in subjection to a higher purpose. For example, Judeo-Christian tradition warns against committing adultery in order to serve the higher function of the family. It seems the Pagan gods are worshiped largely for personal pleasure. People decide what particular emphasis they want in life based on what is most comfortable and fun for them. In contrast, Judeo-Christianity always has one emphasis, one God to serve, one straight and narrow right way, a higher purpose, directed towards the well-being of the whole human race.
In the United States, European nations, and many other first world nations where Judeo-Christian tradition is present, we are increasingly choosing to worship pagan gods. This is because when Judeo-Christian religion is gone, that is what we are essentially worshiping anyway. In places where these traditions fade, we quickly deteriorate into the worship of false gods, sometimes even literally. To me it is a startling thought that people who are studying at colleges and universities who would dismiss the Jewish or Christian god as myth, now embrace even more bizarre ideas such as the god Thor. People are literally worshiping Thor, an idea that years ago would have been considered ridiculous and unscientific.
To me, this proves that our beliefs were never about what made sense, even if we call ourselves scientific or logical. We worship someone or something because we like it, because we find that it brings us some form of comfort or pleasure. The thing is, that seeking the blessing of humanity as a whole and living so that all your actions are for a higher purpose is a difficult thing to do, but it brings much richer rewards, much greater peace, much higher joy. Commandments naturally seem extremely difficult if we have not felt the love of the One True God. When we feel God's infinite love and come to know Him, we find that nothing could bring us more joy than living His laws, serving His children (all of us), and subjecting our behaviors to a higher purpose. Commandments become blessings instead of burdens.
The first commandment given on Mount Sinai is just as real today as it ever was in history, perhaps more today than it ever was. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)
