The wrong way to worship God
I’m pretty adamant about being allowed to worship God the way I see fit, and I think most people are that way. Religion is one of those areas of our lives where we prefer to have as little interference as possible. We all want to find our own path to God, and that’s the way it should be. We all come from different cultures and backgrounds, and we all perceive God in different ways. We relate to His presence individually, although we tend to worship collectively.
Having said that, I think of God as a rational being. As the creator and master of the Universe, author of the Ten Commandments, and of the laws of nature that govern our very being, He is logical, rational, compassionate and loving. In His every address to us through the Bible, we see Him as articulate, all-knowing, powerful, and as someone we can trust with our lives.
Because that’s what I think of God, I have a very hard time considering certain worship practices acceptable. The modern way of speaking in tongues, is, in my opinion, a fallacy. I don’t think God would endorse wild blabbering that makes no sense to anyone, not even to the person engaging in it. The Bible says the apostles spoke in tongues, but they spoke articulately, and in languages that the various people who gathered to listen could understand. No one can understand the gibberish that comes out of certain congregations nowadays. It is not the proper way to worship God.
Another foolish practice is that of tempting God by handling snakes or other dangerous animals in church. I just cannot see how that could be considered an act of faith. We are not Paul, and even he did not seek such practices. When he got bit by a snake, it was accidental, and God protected him. He did not go out to find the animal and brandish him around like some kind of totem, blabbering on about faith like some believers do nowadays.
Let me briefly cover some others. Faith healing (the way it’s done in certain pentecostal churches) is nothing but fakery. It has nothing to do with God, and has more to do with the devil. Why? Because I can spot charlatans on sight. Chanting certain verses or dancing until some sort of religious epiphany is experienced is also not Biblical nor Christian. This sort of thing has its roots in Far East, New Age religions.
Some churches carry this even further by engaging in sessions of hysterical laughter that go on until people either pee or defecate on themselves. They argue that it’s Biblical, but I think it’s nothing but sheer idiocy. I’m sorry if this offends some people, but you’d have to be truly retarded to think you’ve just found God after you relieve yourself in your pants, rolling on the floor in hysterical, uncontrollable laughter.
The problem with these wrong ways is that they rely too much (or entirely) on feelings in one’s quest for God. But that’s diametrically opposed to the way God wants us to find Him. Read the Bible. It’s not about feelings. It’s about hard laws, decisions, thought, work and time. God gave us the privilege of free choice so we could think about our choices, then decide on the path to follow. He did not give it to us so we could fritter it away on idiotic worship practices that have nothing to do with Him. If you don’t agree with me (yet), think about it. Put that brain of yours to good use, and do some research in the Bible.
Some of these wrong ways were documented in a documentary made in 1967, called “The Holy Ghost People“. It’s available in its entirety on the Internet Archive, and can be downloaded and viewed freely. You can also view an edited version containing the highlights, courtesy of Ransom of the mental_floss magazine. I invite you to view either version, and draw your own conclusions. You know where I stand by now…
