Not All Religions Require Worship in God

A fictitious analogy: 

Tubuku, a small remote island in the South Pacific has an active volcano on the island. This volcano has regular eruptions, but none yet have destroyed the inhabitants. The tribal elders have discovered long ago that they can use the predictable volcanic activity as a means to control the inhabitants by keeping them in submission all the while giving themselves a comfortable lifestyle.

The chief calls the inhabitants of the island together, saying: “Listen to your elders, they have something very important to tell us!” The storytellers come out in their ornate costumes with bizarre makeup and costly jewelry – each one of them dressed in apparel that peasants and commoners could only dream of earning enough in their lifetime to afford. They sing and dance and tell their stories of love and heartbreak. They tell of courage that even the greatest of their warriors are unworthy of – but they are mere stories. Nevertheless, the villagers weep and cheer and desire more of their stories. They throw their gold and precious stones to the storytellers so they can hear more stories of courage and love. The chief is proud of his storytellers and his elders and smiles in approval because they are the means of his own power and glory.

The wisest of the elders makes a proclamation: “Now listen, inhabitants! The fire god is jealous of us for using our own fires to cook with. You must immediately cease this practice or the fire god will bring down his wrath upon us and destroy us all! Only those who are worthy to be adorned with these precious costumes and our beloved storytellers may cook with fire.”

At that precise moment, the volcano belches out fire, smoke and lava as the villagers bow down and worship it. The elders raise their arms in acknowledgement of the impending peril of the inhabitants.

The villagers are distraught, but they know that the fire god must be appeased, so they throw all of their treasures at the feet of the chief, the tribal elders and the storytellers. But not all of them believe.

Those who question are bound and brought before the chief. “Most honorable chief” their spokesman cries, “without fire, we cannot enjoy our meals and it is unsafe to eat uncooked food.” The chief tells the spokesman, “my servant, be of good cheer because I have a solution. Our elders have developed a way that you can cook your food by using fire from the fire god. This pleases the fire god who will not take his vengeance out on us.”

The spokesman is relieved, believing that this solution will benefit the entire tribe. “What is it that you ask, my great chief?” The chief appears concerned and as he once was a storyteller himself, he can feign concern and compassion for his people. “The only thing I ask is that you give up more of your treasures so that we can harness the power that the great fire god has provided us.”

The spokesman’s countenance is fallen and he droops his head. “But we have given us all our precious treasures, what more yet can we give?” The chief explains, “this is a time of great sacrifice, so please understand. All citizens must bow before me and give freely of your lands and devote your labors to me and then we can invest your properties to appeasing the fire god.

The spokesman is puzzled and boldly questions the chief, “Why do the elders and storytellers not have to abide by the same decrees?” Why do you require so much for yourself?

The chief becomes furious, but dares not publicly censure the spokesman. He diplomatically declares, “it is necessary to make the storytellers and elders happy so that they can work to protect us from the anger of the fire god. As for me, no one else is worthy to be chief over this tribe.”

The spokesman is distraught, but knows no other way to negotiate with the chief. He abruptly returns to his home, vowing to find alternate solutions as he is skeptical of what the chief has to say.

Villagers mock the spokesman and those who question the tribal elders and storytellers. The unbelievers are scorned and are considered outcasts who are ignorant because they do not believe the chief, the tribal elders and the storytellers. They have no voice among the people anymore. The inhabitants ultimately sacrifice all that they own so they can be spared from the wrath of the jealous fire god.

The spokesman, though uncooperative, decides to concede and in his shame he throws himself into the volcano as a sacrifice for the fire god (this is the account from “official” sources anyway) and those who have supported him come to a consensus that they must also concede and follow the chief.

All the dwellers of the island are at peace and the chief and storytellers become wealthier while the elders “discover” a spring of hot water that the villagers can cook with and are rewarded for their discovery and they all live happily ever after because the fire god has chosen not to destroy them.

Be wary of your belief system. Not all religions require deity as those to bow down to and worship. We can worship a true God of miracles and deliverance, but there are many substitutes in our world of confusion.