Worship and Emotion

[ignoramus]

My cat IS God and demands worship! OR ELSE!

And the little poof gets it in spades!

I can say I worship my wife, in an ungodly way of course, but how on earth can anybody worship (a powerful emotion), something that doesn't even exist? Deluded to the core? God may not be real but the emotions certainly are.

[Astreja]

... how on earth can anybody worship (a powerful emotion), something that doesn't even exist? Deluded to the core?  God may not be real but the emotions certainly are.

Perhaps the emotional rush is part of what makes something seem real to someone -- even if it's imaginary.  I don't know which comes first, though, the emotion or the belief that something is real, but I've experienced something similar in regard to a few works of fiction.  Despite knowing that something was fiction, I wanted certain characters to be real.

[brewer]

Quite possible. I have channeled those feelings into a Saganesque admiration of the Cosmos, but I don't doubt for a second that other less benign meme viruses also exploit them to ensure their survival.

Deepak, is that you?

[WinterHold]

... how on earth can anybody worship (a powerful emotion), something that doesn't even exist? Deluded to the core?  God may not be real but the emotions certainly are.

Perhaps the emotional rush is part of what makes something seem real to someone -- even if it's imaginary.  I don't know which comes first, though, the emotion or the belief that something is real, but I've experienced something similar in regard to a few works of fiction.  Despite knowing that something was fiction, I wanted certain characters to be real.

Illusion is defined to be:

noun: illusion; plural noun: illusions

1. a thing that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or interpreted by the senses.
   

An idea gave  birth to the illusion, belief is just a set of actions to honor and serve any kind of idea. Even if that idea is a mere "illusion". To serve the idea well, you have to develop feelings for it.

Emotions, idea, acts.

"Emotions" to an illusion is the problem's core.

Feelings come first.

[Ravenshire]

... how on earth can anybody worship (a powerful emotion), something that doesn't even exist? Deluded to the core?  God may not be real but the emotions certainly are.

Perhaps the emotional rush is part of what makes something seem real to someone -- even if it's imaginary.  I don't know which comes first, though, the emotion or the belief that something is real, but I've experienced something similar in regard to a few works of fiction.  Despite knowing that something was fiction, I wanted certain characters to be real.

(emphasis is mine)

I get a bigger emotional rush sitting at home watching a Broncos game than I ever got in any church! If the emotional rush is what they're after, they'll have better luck at Six Flags.

[Astreja]

To serve the idea well, you have to develop feelings for it.

I agree with this.  If you have no particular feelings for something, it would be unlikely to play a major role in your life and there would be little incentive to do it, let alone do it well.

Emotions, idea, acts.

"Emotions" to an illusion is the problem's core.

Feelings come first.

I think the idea would have to come first, as an illusion would have to establish some sort of presence in the mind before generating any emotional response (as emotions are reactive rather than proactive).

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Religious worship is just a form of superstitious witchcraft. The person performs a set of certain rituals with the expectation that he will get some tangible benefits as a result. In the Bible the characters promise all kinds of rewards to their worshipers, up to and including eternal life. Why anyone would want to spend eternity worshiping a creature is a mystery but some people claim that's what they want as a reward.

[WinterHold]

To serve the idea well, you have to develop feelings for it.

I agree with this.  If you have no particular feelings for something, it would be unlikely to play a major role in your life and there would be little incentive to do it, let alone do it well.

Emotions, idea, acts.

"Emotions" to an illusion is the problem's core.

Feelings come first.

I think the idea would have to come first, as an illusion would have to establish some sort of presence in the mind before generating any emotional response (as emotions are reactive rather than proactive).

I think about it as emotions building up the proper environment that would produce the act we're searching for.

Some believe because emotions were the kick; the door opener. I think a perfect example would be an argument from design that led a thinker to get attached to an abstract figure in their head; then completed it with comparing different religions and picking the one more suitable to his/her previous thoughts.

You can strengthen the example more if we imagined the thinker's own emotions towards the design.

[The Grand Nudger]

Emotions didn't open the door, in your example.  An argument did (must have been a flimsy door ) .  This is what astreja, I think, was referring to.  In your example, a person began with an idea, Tinkergod - and then emotionally invested in it.

[WinterHold]

Emotions didn't open the door, in your example.  An argument did (must have been a flimsy door ) .  This is what astreja, I think, was referring to.  In your example, a person began with an idea, Tinkergod - and then emotionally invested in it.

What would lead a person to seek the truth, but "a love" for the truth ?