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Post by Josh on Nov 7, 2011 21:01:34 GMT -8
"When I first began to draw near to belief God and even for some time after it had been given to me, I found a stumbling block in the demand so clamourously made by all religious people that we should "praise" God; still more in the suggestion that God himself demanded it. We all despise the man who demandes continued assurance of his own virtue, intelligence, or delightfulness.... thus a picture, at once ludicrous and horrible, both of God and of His worshippers threatened to appear in my mind... It was hideously like [God] saying, "What I most want is to be told that I am good and great."
-CS Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
How would you answer this question: is God's desire for praise just cosmic narcissism? If not, how is it different?
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Post by carebear on Nov 8, 2011 12:36:38 GMT -8
I'd have to say, 'no way' to the question asked...in my humble opinion. When I think of God and praising Him, I see a Lover who is so irresistible that I can't stop speaking kind words to Him. Can't stop looking for Him. Can't stop singing to Him how wonderful He is.
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Post by Josh on Nov 8, 2011 13:50:06 GMT -8
But why do you think God exhorts us to praise Him? If a lovely, otherwise praiseworthy human told us to praise them, we would think they were vain. Why is it different with God?
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Post by carebear on Nov 8, 2011 20:17:20 GMT -8
Well I can't look at him as an otherwise praiseworthy human (but I see why you ask). Also, I think it is normal in a healthy relationship that each person states what they enjoy from the other and God likes praise. I do too from the one I love.
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Post by Josh on Nov 8, 2011 20:24:05 GMT -8
You're tapping into part of the answer that Lewis arrived at in regard to this initial obstacle of his.
On Sunday we're going to talk about what praise is, why God deserves it, and why God is not arrogant to ask for it.
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Post by stevekimes on Nov 10, 2011 12:56:32 GMT -8
I think that God wants us to praise Him for our sake, not His. We need to praise that which is greater-- even skeptics praise that which is greater than they, or that which is beyond understanding. It is a basic human need. What God does is direct the praise to an Object worthy of it, unlike most things that we praise.
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Post by christopher on Nov 10, 2011 22:14:20 GMT -8
I think, as our creator, God knows we will worship and praise something, and that we become like that which we worship (be it dumb wooden idols or a self-sacrificing Messiah). He also knows that He is the ONLY thing (read person) in the universe that is worthy of praise and the only One worth emulating. If we're praising Him, our minds are fixed on Him and we are more inclined to want to be more like Him.
The reason we have disdain for narcissistic people is because we know deep down that they have no reason to be (all their admirable traits come down from the Father of lights after all). But God is not like that. He is the only one that is actually justified in desiring praise from his people.
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Post by Josh on Nov 11, 2011 16:36:25 GMT -8
good thoughts, folks!
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Post by Josh on Nov 13, 2011 20:56:46 GMT -8
Does God need our praise?
If he inspired the Bible, and the Bible exhorts (commands?) us to praise Him, how is that not some kind of cosmic narcissism?
And can we bribe him with praise? Some of the Psalmists seem to flirt with this (Psalm 54?), and we might sometimes subconsciously indulge a “pagan” temptation to do so.
Does God have a “right” to our praise?
What do we mean when we say a work of art is worthy of praise?
“Admiration is the correct, adequate, or appropriate response to it… that if we do not admire we shall be stupid, insensible, and great losers, we shall have missed something. “ (Lewis)
To admire God… “ is simply to be awake, to have entered the real world; not to appreciate [Him] is to have lost the greatest experience, and in the end to have lost all. The incomplete and crippled lives of those who… have never been in love, never known true friendship, never cared for a good book, never enjoyed the feel of the morning air on their cheeks, never (I am one of these) enjoyed football, are faint images of” what it is like to be ignorant of God’s worthiness. (Lewis)
God doesn’t need or crave our praise as a way of feeling better about himself (Psalm 50:12).
“Even if such an absurd Deity could be conceived, He would hardly come to us, the lowest of rational creatures, to gratify His appetite. I don’t want my dog to bark approval of my books. Now that I come to think of it, there are some humans whose enthusiastically favorable criticism would not much gratify me.” (Lewis)
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shirley
Advanced Member
Advanced Member
Posts: 114
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Post by shirley on Nov 20, 2011 8:02:27 GMT -8
"Now that I come to think of it, there are some humans whose enthusiastically favorable criticism would not much gratify me.” (Lewis) -and that's why I love reading C.S. Lewis!!!
Maybe then it is an honor that God deems us worthy to sing his praises.
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Post by Josh on Nov 21, 2011 21:55:46 GMT -8
true that!
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