Does God really NEED to be Praised?

My dh and I were talking about this a few days ago. We were both raised RC, and last weekend went to a Bible Church wedding. We sat in an (I can only describe it as) arena. It had a stage, no cross, no statues, but a sound and light crew (for the Christian Rock Band, who played throughout the wedding) and the aformentioned Band on the Huge Stage.

Most of the songs the band sang were about telling God how Great He was, and "Praising" him.(Over and over and over and over.) Now, I think God needs to be worshipped and Honored, but I don't think he is a human, and thus has NO EGO, and does he really need humans to compliment him ad infinitum? I wouldn't think this would matter to the Creator.

Bear and I were talking about how the OT has a lot of fear in it, and that in old religions the gods were given a lot of human characterisitcs such as jealousy and pride. Is that the Christian God? Jealous and Prideful and needing constant refirmation that He is the Great One?

I think that isn't neccesary. Children need praise, (they have a developing Ego) but does God?

 

It could be good for you to praise God, and fun. Just a way for you to be truthful and know the truth.

You know how you say "Ohh God" when you are coming?

That was hilarious- someone in the library just said "Ohh God, Ohh God"... lol..

 

I think it's different. In Dutch we use the word honour rather than praise, and I think it's a better word. You praise kids to give them confidence, to let them know they are doing well. God of course doesn't need that. But if you have a strong believe in God it feels like everything you get in your life comes from Him, all the good things, and it makes you feel small. Believe makes you want to praise Him, it's not like you have to but you will find yourself very happy to do it.

If you don't really believe I don't think you can understand.

 

I don't think the problem with contemporary evangelical "worship" is that it praises God too much (as if that were possible) but that it often does so in such a banal manner:

http://web.archive.org/web/20030219173030/www.antithesis.com/commentary/sham_pearls.html

 

Well, it's more like saying 'thanks' for making such a beautiful world for me to live in. It's respect, like you would respect an elder.

Yeah, I don't like that word 'praise' either. 'Honor' or 'respect' is much more suitable.

 

There is never enough praise. I mean he died for all of us ya know!! He died for me and you!!! and anyone who is willing to give there life up for you should deserves all the praise you can give. ...Thas what i think!!

 

He's not full of pride. But he's a jealous God:

Deut 4:24
24 The LORD your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.
NLT

Deut 5:9
You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.
NLT

Deut 6:14-16
15 for the LORD your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you and wipe you from the face of the earth. 16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah.
NLT (I left the seconed verse in, because Jesus quoted that one! )

Josh 24:19-20

19 Then Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you."
NLT


However, unlike ours, his jealousy is righteous, because it's not out of competitive reasons.

I don't think you'll boost his ego by praising him. However, he does enjoy it, because that's a way of worship, showing the world that you love him (and it can soften people, so they can get saved. Good seed. ).

And I do agree with Amber, there's never enough praise. It's a snack for the Spirit. Helping the Holy Ghost inside you get big and fat.

 

I agree with the ideas of "Respecting" and "Honoring" God vs. "Praise", but I think that people just don't pay a lot of attention to the literal meaning of the vocabulary they use. I think "Praise" is used but "Respect" and "Honor" is what is meant.

Also, the purpose of praising God is not to boost his ego, but to continually give thanks and continue to show appreciation for everything He's done for us. It would be rude in my opinion to just say "Hey thanks" and then blow God off from that point on, because He continues to bless us every single day, there is always a new thing He's done for me that I haven't thanked him for yet.

I don't really ever use the term "praise", personally. But I do "praise" him in private in my prayers and meditation, because He fills me up and makes me so happy and feel so blessed and cared for that it's just a part of my human condition to naturally need some way to express that happiness and thanks, and thanking Him and honoring/respecting him in my worship is one way to do that.

 

Great, a god with self esteem issues. Any it wants my praise? hah!

 

The Bible says that God inhabits His praises (comes closer to the praiser).

Freiderick Neitchze said, "One admires, or one worships according to one's inexperience."

Not everyone is in full control of their powers of communication. Many Christians seem to think that if they say or sing something like "Lord I praise you", it counts for praise. It does not. Most of the newer Christian music, while about praise, is actually exhortation. In a sense, it might be good for them - what they say. But, it can be viewed on a par with fashion ads: according to them, I should be skinny and blond; swarthy, yet without hair on my chest. I live in the real world, with other real Christians: we know what's what. Some unexercised Christians are just annoying.

God is worthy to be praised - but that can't be judged by today's standards of music.

The test, of course, is - are they sincere; irregardless of their impoverished skills in communication.

"They think they will be heard for their much speaking". Christians are a windy lot. If I was God, I'd be telling a lot of people - 'Just shut up!'

 

Uh ... I hate to burst your bubble, but jealousy is not possible without competition.

- dictionary.com

Jealous == envious. And envy implies ... hold on, profound thought:

Jealousy implies being covetous of something or someone else. And "thou shalt not covet." Thus, God is breaking his own Ten Commandments. =\ That can't be good, can it?

According to the Bible, God created Man in his own image. Thus, if God looks a heck of a lot like us, doesn't it make sense that God would also have an ego, or a sense of self as separate from all other things? If not ... how could we possibly discern "God" from a stone, or you, or outer space? But since we can and do make this distinction, God must have an ego. And I don't mean he's got a big head, I just mean, he has an "ego" in the Freudian terminology.

 

I would say it is inevitble, For if your happy that you are alive, than you are being grateful. Thus inevitble praise.

 

This is what I am saying. I think Christ pretty much eliminated the "jealous God" idea. WHO is there to be jealous of? In the ancient Hebrew days, the idea of other gods was still beleived, although Yahweh was the One the Hebrew beleived in. There was a LOT of talk about the horrors of Moloch. God tells the Hebrews, not that Moloch does not exist, but NOT to honor him or to give sacrifice to him. In days of many gods, jealously was to be expected (well, if you look at the Cult of Moloch, and what he expected, burning children in homage, you can see why there was the problems with him!) But if one truely beleives there is only ONE God, there is no room for Him to be jealous. WHAT or WHO would He be jealous of?

There is a difference between saying "Thank you" and repeating "You are so Great Great Great Great." over and over. I don't think thanks (which should be done) and "praise" are the same things at all.

 

Good article, Huck. The section "plastic churches" is exactly what Bear and I were thinking when we were talking. I don't want to judge, because I guess that brings people into their church, but it seemed a bit false to us. Not that we are Paragons of Pure Christianity, but it was just so foreign to what we thought of as "church."

We have friends who attend the Willow Creek Church in Illinois (I would bet most of you have heard of it, I belive it is one of the largest churches in the USA.) And they have the same approach. A few weeks ago, for church services, they had a big country singer as a "guest." (I don't know Country music, I think it was the dude with the big black hat.) I know these churches want to bring in people with "entertainment" but the whole "praise praise praise" thing rang false with Bear and I (and you could tell people who were not familiar with this kind of church (probably a lot of RCs LOL) were kind of squriming after it went on for about an hour. (And no "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" which I really LOVE for weddings.)

 

I just lost my entire post.

I was just saying that that was an interesting article. The part about "Plastic Churches" is what Bear and I were talking about.

We have friends who attend the Willow Creek Church in Illinois, one of the largest churches in the US. They have big time country singers and other forms of "enterainment" all the time, as well as Christian Rock bands and the Arena Seating.

I don't want to judge an other's faith. It was just that these songs kinda rang false with us. And being raised RC, we saw others who probably were who were squirmig after about an hour or so of this type of "entertainmnet" before and after the actual ceremony (which seemed to be lost in all the lights, and decorations, and sound and seating ect.) No "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" in the wedding (I think the pianist played a bit of it as people were leaving.) That Bach is one of my favorite, and most fitting in wedding tunes, IMO.

 

only Bush and Hitler

 

I can't seem to post properly here. Please forgive if you see a couple of posts from me. I can't see them!



I just lost my entire post.

I was just saying that that was an interesting article. The part about "Plastic Churches" is what Bear and I were talking about.

We have friends who attend the Willow Creek Church in Illinois, one of the largest churches in the US. They have big time country singers and other forms of "enterainment" all the time, as well as Christian Rock bands and the Arena Seating.

I don't want to judge an other's faith. It was just that these songs kinda rang false with us. And being raised RC, we saw others who probably were who were squirmig after about an hour or so of this type of "entertainmnet" before and after the actual ceremony (which seemed to be lost in all the lights, and decorations, and sound and seating ect.) No "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" in the wedding (I think the pianist played a bit of it as people were leaving.) That Bach is one of my favorite, and most fitting in wedding tunes, IMO.

 

Some people don't understand this. God is the ONLY God.

When he means jealous, he means it like this:

Say, you gave a person a house, and they don't thank you, instead, they thank the books. Or you give somebody a giant theater tv, but they don't thank you, instead, they thank the one that breaks all their stuff.
Wouldn't that agrivate you?

You give a person something, but they thank someone else. That's what's meant with jealousy here.

 

ooook.

 

Deuteroromy aside, don't you think the Creator of Everything would be above this petty kind of human like characteristic?