What is wrong with those people who to pray to statues?

[The Emperor of Mankind]

They are praying to a piece of plaster or bronze or wood, whatever the statue is made of. It isn't inhabited by anything. It's inanimate.

How on earth would you know?

Of all the people on this thread proclaiming that Pagan gods are false; how many of you have ever bothered trying to find out for yourselves whether or not they exist? As opposed to just assuming they don't because intolerant zealots pushing their own religious agendas said so millennia ago.

 

[Jainarayan]

I'm becoming more inclined to believe you created this thread to troll.

And/or this thread is showing an extreme personal anger and lashing out at others. The armchair psychologist in me says it's like a child who can't play with another child's toy, so he breaks it.

 

[Vinayaka]

Is electric wire inhabited by electricity?
Does fragrance inhabit a flower?
Do molecules contain atomic energy?
Is gravity a form of energy?
Do pheromones actually exist?

Nothing is as simple as a basic personal opinion.

 

[Eliab ben Benjamin]

I would have thought the statues prayed to included all the saints standing around the Cathedrals
throughout Europe and the world, as well as the crucifix in the nave of Xian churches,
or around the neck of so many individuals.

 

[RRex]

How on earth would you know?

Of all the people on this thread proclaiming that Pagan gods are false; how many of you have ever bothered trying to find out for yourselves whether or not they exist? As opposed to just assuming they don't because intolerant zealots pushing their own religious agendas said so millennia ago.

Former. Catholic.

I don't know for certain, but that is what I think. I don't think praying to a statue is spiritually productive.

 

[Quintessence]

Former. Catholic.

I don't know for certain, but that is what I think. I don't think praying to a statue is spiritually productive.

Neither do I. Then again, I also don't know of anyone who actually prays to statues, so it's kind of a moot point. But if you can show me someone who really does something like "oh great statue, grant me three wishes," or "oh great statue, hear my words of worship" I'll stand corrected. I'm not even aware of animists - who establish personhood to things most in my culture regard as "objects" without spirit - who do this.

 

[RRex]

Neither do I. Then again, I also don't know of anyone who actually prays to statues, so it's kind of a moot point. But if you can show me someone who really does something like "oh great statue, grant me three wishes," or "oh great statue, hear my words of worship" I'll stand corrected. I'm not even aware of animists - who establish personhood to things most in my culture regard as "objects" without spirit - who do this.

Just answering the OP's question with my personal opinion.

Doesn't mean I'm right.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I pray to my Saint Dawkins statue every day.

 

[sovietchild]

Why? Setting aside the false assumption that @Jainarayan pointed out earlier, why would expressing gratitude to something that can't answer or hear mean there is something "wrong" with someone? Do you ever give thanks at meal times? You know, "I give thanks to this corn, for through its sacrifice I do live" sort of thing? Us animists notwithstanding, most people in Western culture would say the corn can neither hear nor respond to such acts of thankfulness. Yet, according to you, such displays of gratitude mean there is something wrong with that person? Really? I mean... really? We have too little gratitude in the world as it is, never mind besmirching the behavior with this sort of nonsense logic.

Do you directly say thanks to the corn or do you thank The Creator for the corn? Because I read somewhere (I don't remember where) that talking to the corn and believing it can respond to you/hear you is official mental problem. Now I'm not 100% sure about it being official though.

 

[Quintessence]

Do you directly say thanks to the corn or do you thank The Creator for the corn?

I do not know what this "Creator" is you're talking about. Whatever it is, it isn't part of my religion.

Because I read somewhere (I don't remember where) that talking to the corn and believing it can respond to you/hear you is official mental problem. Now I'm not 100% sure about it being official though.

I'd bet my salary that it isn't.

 

[von bek]

I find physical representations of the gods to be conducive to my worship. Even when I visualize them in my mind, the image that appears is shaped by the artistic representations passed down to us. For instance, when I pray to Athena, I see her in her armor and helm, brandishing her spear with the gorgon's head mounted on her aegis. The representation of the goddess helps me relate to and approach her. Athena is not some nebulous idea to me; she is the goddess of wisdom and war, the divine protectress of civilization. She grants courage and strength, and also gives inspiration to artists and craftsmen. Her image represents her qualities. This is one of the reasons why images are used in worship.

Some may find images of the gods to be distracting or even limiting. I disagree; but, you should worship your god as you see fit. Us pagans and heathens will continue worshipping as we see fit.

 

[Jainarayan]

But if you can show me someone who really does something like "oh great statue, grant me three wishes,"

Does this count?

 

[Vinayaka]

Neither do I. Then again, I also don't know of anyone who actually prays to statues, so it's kind of a moot point.

I totally agree. In Hinduism, which is most likely the largest contingent 'involved' in said accusation, nobody prays to the statue itself. But that message clearly hasn't gotten through, or is not believed.

 

[sovietchild]

Neither do I. Then again, I also don't know of anyone who actually prays to statues, so it's kind of a moot point. But if you can show me someone who really does something like "oh great statue, grant me three wishes," or "oh great statue, hear my words of worship" I'll stand corrected. I'm not even aware of animists - who establish personhood to things most in my culture regard as "objects" without spirit - who do this.

How about gifting flowers and food to a statue. What do you think of that? Have you ever seen that? What is wrong with those people who bring offerings to a statue?

A quick reminder: Mass = Energy.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

Do you directly say thanks to the corn or do you thank The Creator for the corn? Because I read somewhere (I don't remember where) that talking to the corn and believing it can respond to you/hear you is official mental problem. Now I'm not 100% sure about it being official though.

If you believe corn came from someone like Corn Maiden, it would be praying to both, as she died and her body became corn.

How about gifting flowers and food to a statue. What do you think of that? Have you ever seen that? What is wrong with those people who bring offerings to a statue?

Why bring offerings at all? What's God going to do with them?

 

[viole]

How about gifting flowers and food to a statue. What do you think of that? Have you ever seen that? What is wrong with those people who bring offerings to a statue?

A quick reminder: Mass = Energy.

I have seen people praying and murmuring to an invisible, albeit almighty, being. Most of them ask that His (invisible almighty being) Will to be done, which is a logically useless request. As if this invisible ,almighty being needed to be reminded of that. Some even do that in the direction of a desert that happened to be hit by a small black meteorite. Have you ever seen that?

What is wrong with them?

Ciao

- viole

 

[Quintessence]

How about gifting flowers and food to a statue. What do you think of that? Have you ever seen that? What is wrong with those people who bring offerings to a statue?

A quick reminder: Mass = Energy.

I'm pretty confident that people who leave offerings before a statue are not gifting them to the statue, but to what the statue depicts or represents. The way you're talking about this is just problematic and a distortion of what is really going on. I can play that distortion game too: how about those people who gift flowers and food to tombstones? Man, what is wrong with those people! Pfft!

The fact of the matter is, these offerings are not about the statues, and they're not about the tombstones either. I won't answer a question that misrepresents people's cultural practices. Furthermore, other people's cultural practices are their business anyway, and I have little to no desire to spout nonsense about there being something "wrong" with them because they do things differently than I do.

 

[sovietchild]

I have seen people praying and murmuring to an invisible, albeit almighty, being. Most of them ask that His (invisible almighty being) Will to be done, which is a logically useless request. As if this invisible ,almighty being needed to be reminded of that. Some even do that in the direction of a desert that happened to be hit by a small black meteorite. Have you ever seen that?

What is wrong with them?

Ciao

- viole

I believe those people recognize that meteorite as a gift from heavens. They do not worship it nor bring offerings to it. If they do however on the ground of Arabia, I believe they will be arrested and thrown in jail.

 

[sovietchild]

Why? Setting aside the false assumption that @Jainarayan pointed out earlier, why would expressing gratitude to something that can't answer or hear mean there is something "wrong" with someone? Do you ever give thanks at meal times? You know, "I give thanks to this corn, for through its sacrifice I do live" sort of thing? Us animists notwithstanding, most people in Western culture would say the corn can neither hear nor respond to such acts of thankfulness. Yet, according to you, such displays of gratitude mean there is something wrong with that person? Really? I mean... really? We have too little gratitude in the world as it is, never mind besmirching the behavior with this sort of nonsense logic.

Do you directly say thanks to the corn?

Why bring offerings at all? What's God going to do with them?

A verse from Quran, "Jesus and Mary walked on this earth, and ate food like regular people, while God does not eat."

 

[Quintessence]

Do you directly say thanks to the corn?

Yes, I give thanks to Corn Spirit. Corn is one of the two major crops cultivated in my state, and the state economy would collapse without it. That's probably underselling it, because I wager the American economy would collapse without it considering how much corn and corn-derived products are part of international industries. But in my state in particular, corn is a cultural icon, a center of festivals and celebrations here. Sweet corn festivals, and all that. We look forward to them. There are always big trucks stationed on street corners selling freshly picked sweet corn, and it is amazing! Some crafty folks make things from the corn husks... that's lots of fun too.

And now you're going to call the cops on me to lock me up in some insane asylum, right?