What is there in the universe that deserves worship? Is there anything?
What is there that men and women should kneel to, pray to and adore? If
there is anything that deserves such worship from human beings, where is
it? Let us see if we can find any such thing.
We look at the earth and its inhabitants, and while we see much which
calls for admiration, we find nothing to worship. The mountain impresses
us with its towering grandeur, the ocean with its vast extent and terrible
power, but we cannot get on our knees to rocks, no matter how high they
are piled; nor pray to water, no matter how much there is of it. The
flower elicits our wondering delight, but we cannot adore a rose, a
sunflower or a daisy. We own the marvelous beauty of the animal form, but
we cannot worship a horse, a tiger or a dog. We hear the gladness and
madness of melody which comes from the throat of the bird, but sweet and
entrancing as it is, we cannot adore a skylark, a nightingale or a thrush.
We see man, the fairest form that walks the earth, the most marvelous
piece of work that Nature reveals to our senses, but we cannot worship our
own image.
Beyond earth the eye looks, and cloud, black or bright, is seen and the
endless blue beyond the cloud, but man cannot get on his knees to vapor or
pray to the sky. In the daytime the sun is seen, and at night the moon and
countless stars, but man cannot worship a ball of fire nor a dying planet,
or adore a point of light.
We can find nothing on the earth or in the heavens that we can worship. Is
there something not on the earth or in the heavens? If so, what is it and
where is it? What do men and women kneel to? Nothing. What do men and
women pray to? Nothing. What do men and women worship? Nothing.
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Coals out of the ashes of love will never light the fires of friendship.
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The names of most men live on account of the falsehoods told about them.
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We should scorn the person who would be mean enough to allow his
fellow-being to be punished for his deeds. Yet we have a religion in our
midst that is founded on this kind of meanness.