Worship Something.

[Terminal Est]

Just for fun, weather you believe in gods or not, tell us about which deity you would fancy to worship or attribute your nature to. It can be an existing god, something fictional or what have you. You can make it serious as well, or again just for the hell of it.

Here is mine.

Know this, O Prince, I am Crom. I am heartless and merciless. I give men the will to fight and nothing else. Those who follow me, I ignore until they prove their worth to me. Prayers do not concern me, offerings do not sway me.

Although just for fun, I pick a fictional deity; Crom. A god mentioned many times in the Conan novels, this deity is mostly ''worshiped'' in Cimeria, where Conan the barbarian is from. This god is indifferent towards mankind, and the most that he does is condemn everyone with disapprovement. This deity is not so much worshiped at it is feared, and it would be best not to ''bring its attention'' upon oneself.
He does however command courage and perseverance, and while he does not answer prayers, (In fact he does not even listen to man at all.) he will bestow certain elements on people, elements which are vital to their survival in the world, in respect to its natural laws, and that of humans.

Why would I want to look to a god that ignores me, and its sole gift after death (Which, like in Norse mythology, must be earned by death in battle.) is to eternally wander, aimlessly, in his clouds of black mist, I have no idea-I just love the idea of such a deity so much. It makes me feel strong and wise! (Joking. In reality, I am much too weak and ignorant in literal or analogical supposisions to walk such a path-weather we have a choice or no. ) It also reflects on how I feel about deities and the worship of such. Crom is like the truthful manifestation, in my opinion, of what deities really are, or rather their ideas. It seems to fit well in a world such as ours, even if there are no temples with giant snakes in them or that I have never lifted a real sword in my entire life. It fits well because of the futility this idea represents, and that with such knowledge, one must live life to the fullest.
In the end I believe that Crom grants his rare attention on anyone who realizes this grim conclusion, and not merely on who can slaughter the most people-although in Conan's harsh world, one lives and dies by the sword, so it applies then, as the social doctrine of most cultures and kingdoms in this fictional world reflect this.

But even in the real world of today, Crom could find his place indeed. Accept one's nature and thrive in it, kind of like with Satan, but with more guts and brain pieces. XD
So in order to contradict my own found meaning on this god, (I sort of had to, because even in the Conan stories, this god was never confirmed to even exist, but was mostly used in curses or calls for strength. A few times his disposition was underlined-but for those of you who have seen the film, it has nothing to do with the Secret of Steel.) allow me to recite a prayer;

"I have never prayed to you before-I've not the time for it. But today is different. Nobody will ever remember if we were good man, or bad-not even you. What is important is that this is two against many. Battle pleases you Lord Crom, so I ask you to grant me one request - grant me REVENGE! And if you do not listen, then the hell with you!"

This was said by Conan in the film before taking on an entire army with just his friend Subotai and himself. Best damn kind of prayer if I ever have heard one. XD
But yes, sometimes I like to transform Crom's orientation and indifference towards all into an analogy for our true world, and how we must always struggle and ''fight''. Although no, I do not walk around grunting or whispering his name or any such thing.

[MidgarFanatic]

I received my university degree in History, and so have had the chance to study many religions and deities from many different cultures. While reading about Norse mythology, I was particularly interested in Odin. (And not just because he’s a FF dude XD)

There have been a lot of different interpretations of Odin’s platform, ranging from a belief that he symbolizes a figure heavily entwined in the fine arts… to beliefs orientated around a more scientific outlook in the greater universe. These two characteristics balance well with me personally, because I would consider myself an artist, and I believe in science instead of following any structured form of religion.

Odin is also usually thought of representing wisdom, for most versions of his legend describe him as giving up one of his eyes in exchange for greater insight into the world and it’s infinite meanings… hmm, well that’s one hell of a trade-off I must say, go figure. Odin also likes animals, and he is almost always depicted as riding a horse and being constantly followed by birds and beasts. I realize that a lot of these are just interesting descriptions and have very little to do with any theological beliefs, but it’s all I have to go on since I am very unaccustomed to any other spiritual and dogmatic principles. They are just things I relate to; it’s all I know.

So a lot of this is just personal interest, because I believe the idea of a person like this just sounds “cool”, so this is my choice. But I am also attracted to the idea that Odin, although immortal, was not perceived as being all-encompassing, and was restricted to most of the same rules and physical laws of our plane… and so I see him as a God much more reflective of man/woman. For example, there is one interesting story about Odin that I remember reading somewhere out there in cyberland…

In a small and ancient Norwegian villa in a very isolated part of the country, a blacksmith was paid a visit in the dead of a cold winter night by an old and decrepit one-eyed traveler riding atop a large stead. The man asked for his horse to be re-shoed and some scraps of food for his following animals (which I believe was two hounds/wolves and a raven perched upon his shoulder); and he offered to pay many times it’s worth to have it done immediately. The stranger was obviously not from anywhere around there. When the work was done and the blacksmith was paid he found he could not holdback his curiosity any longer. Being in such a rural area the blacksmith asked the man where he had come from and how he had survived the harsh elements traveling between the vast expanse from the next nearest village. The old man jumped up onto his horse with the enthusiasm and vitality of a teenager and bellowed out, “I am Odin!” and left into the winter night never to be seen in the region again, leaving behind the blacksmith completely awed by the experience.

And that’s the kind of mystery I like to see in a God that I would believe in. Nothing wrong with a little theatrics here and there, as long as they encompass a willingness to not only guide man, but humbly be willing to ask for it in return.

[Terminal Est]

An interesting choice though. Also, his horse was named Sleipnir and his weapon was dubbed Gungnir-or some such thing. Really odd.

I agree though, it is a ''cool'' god, one whom is the lord of both death and war, and while everyone feasts and drinks, he sits and ponders mankind. I like your choice, and even more, your personal meaning for having chosen it.

[JET73L]

I actively worship no gods, believe in all gods, and occasionally offer prayer to or ask advice from whichever gods seem most relevant to a situation. he actual basis of omnitheism is a lot more complex, but that's already been explained.
The weird thing ius, I seem to have an affinity for the Norse pantheon and mythos. Very few of my ancestors even had anything to do with Scandinavia (if any, about an 8th of my heritage is a bunch of confusing little bits), but I've got all sorts of norwegian-style things going on, and I enjoy reading Norse mythology more than any phter I can think of off hand. I doubt I would be able to say who my associated god would be, though.

[Firesnake]

I wanna believe in Yevon because he was awsome till he went nuts and killed everyone

[Revenant]

Originally Posted by JET73L

I actively worship no gods, believe in all gods

I think that god can not be only one. they must make some........mediation or something

[Miss Lockheart]

I would worship the Phoenix. It's myth is a common theme throughout my life, the idea of dying and rising back up to glory once again, I can relate to that.

[JET73L]

Originally Posted by Revenant

I think that god can not be only one. they must make some........mediation or something

Sentient facets of a non-sentient force. The all is viewed as the many, not the many composing the all. In my opinion.

[MidgarFanatic]

Originally Posted by JET73L

Sentient facets of a non-sentient force.

JET I do not understand what you mean here... what do you mean by 'non-sentient force'? If we are talking about Gods here, wouldn't they be all-encompassing? Embodying the very meaning of consciousness?

[Terminal Est]

Indeed. It completely depends on what side of the force you are on and in what context this goes.

For example, most humans believe in gods and HAVE believed in gods, and these deities come from different pantheons, cultures and come in all sorts of colours.

However, if you are a sceptic as I, you might consider that all these gods and their concepts are born from the natural desire for peace, guidance and security. If the idea of a god is indeed a psychological phenomena of the subconscious and works in respects thereof and in accordance to our natural behaviour in the face of the unknown and adversity, then they all represent the same ''thing'' but are presented in different methods, names and cultural traits, this to suit evolution and social differences.

However, something somewhere ''makes it'' that we are all human and must all function in relatively the same ways-that could be the ''all'', and as we know not what it is, it becomes a god. This planet did not get here on its own, and wheather or not we live as one analogical organism or are influenced by natural forces, something made it this way. Very hard to explain though...argh. Well, it IS like attempting to define ''god''.

However, I am by no means attempting to define Jet's own words, as I know that his views differ from mine. But this is an example, one that came to mind when reading MF's question about such being what represents the consciousness, and to me, gods are desires, religion the practices used to forge these desires into solidified beliefs and reassurance-and I believe that for us to survive, we need to be conscious of our existence, and what I mentioned before are the tools we need to shield ourselves from the ulterior truths we all deny.

Depending on which philosopher made sense the most for you, there are other primary human aspects to consider, but in any case, these are mine.

By Crom, methinks I am needing some rest. XD