The Big Questions About God 預覽

Is God a Narcissist?

When people ask this question, they ask why God wants us to praise him and worship him.

This is a logical question for people not brought up in the Judaeo-Christian tradition because they don’t have a concept of a God who is above all and is worthy to be worshiped.

Think of the people around you, your friends, and your work colleagues. People don’t enjoy being near someone who constantly wants to be the center of attention, who wants you to remember how good they are all the time. The name we have for such people is the term I used in this big question: a narcissist. I’m sure we’ve all had to deal with them, and we’d all prefer to avoid them! They’re usually very selfish and annoying people. Some people have that view of the Christian God.

Let me now paint a different picture for you.

What if God isn’t like a human being at all? What if God is, above all, our sovereign creator? What if this God has made you, and you only ever find your true self when you are right with this God, putting him at the center of your life?

This God requires worship because when you adore him above all, you keep your life centered on who you truly are and on his purpose for your life. Worship becomes how you connect with this God. It’s how you find real peace and joy, and it’s how you’re energized to live a quality of life beyond anything you could ever experience elsewhere.

The God I am describing is entirely selfless. He’s entirely loving. It’s only right and natural that such a God would demand your worship because it’s for your good.

God doesn’t ask you to worship him to satisfy his own needs. He desperately wants your worship because he wants your good, but he doesn’t need it. He knows you are only truly safe when you enter into his strength and love. You do it by acknowledging who he is and surrendering yourself to him. That’s worship. There’s no insecurity in true worship. It’s how you find your true identity.

The reality is that God created humanity, so we need to worship. Worship is fundamental. Everyone worships something. We worship what gives us a sense of security and what we want to have in greater quantity. For some people, it’s money and material possessions. For others, it’s the current crop of Instagram influencers or reality stars.

If you worship anything other than God, you’re going to be let down. If you adore anything other than God, that’s what he calls idolatry. God is not a narcissist, but perhaps you might be if you don’t worship him.

– Eliezer Gonzalez