For a while, I decided to worship God. It was a God I…
““For a while, I decided to worship God. It was a God I arrived at through a method of logical deduction. If there is a God, what would he be like? I asked. He would be a real person in my life, I reasoned, adhering to a literally anthropomorphic view of the sacred. He would be beautiful and I would desire him. Since a friend of mine named Trevor had all those attributes, I concluded that Trev was God. Having settled on him, I then further deduced God's other characteristics from Trevor's behaviour. He was narcissistic, perplexed, rather dispassionate, flawed in various ways, etc. So was God. At night I prayed to him by name. My entreaties seemed about as effective as other people's prayers to their Gods. And with Trevor there was the added advantage that if my prayers failed to reach him, I could always phone.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A logical deduction leads the author to equate a friend with God, exposing the absurdity of anthropomorphic worship.
In simple terms: Logic can mistakenly turn a person into a deity.
Key Takeaway
Question anthropomorphic views of the divine.
Themes
religion
logic
anthropomorphism
identity
Mood
skeptical
ironic
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- personal belief
- friendship
- spiritual crisis
- academic debate
Key Concepts
philosophy
psychology
theology
Questions to Reflect On
- What criteria define a deity for you?
- How does personal bias affect worship?
A Different Perspective
Equating humans with God may oversimplify complex theology.