The Object of Worship is Irrelevant

This is the Hoba Meteorite in Namibia. It's estimated to weigh about 66 tons, and is the single largest known meteorite in the world. It was discovered by a farmer around 1915, was excavated, and sat in a field for a while. Only in 1987 did this theater get built to display it.

Which brings me to my point (maybe!). Worship, in one form or another. I recently heard a very interesting theory about humanity's invention of God, or the Afterlife. To wit: When whatever monkeyman got smart enough to conceive of his own mortality, this produced an existential/neurological crisis. If you think about it, this ability - to understand one's own mortality - is one of the key separations between humanity and all other animals. This understanding produced enormous anxiety and was probably, in the short term, highly detrimental to whomever conceived of it.

But quite quickly thereafter, another idea was conceived: The Eternal. Something that does not end, does not die. This conception was the antidote to the idea of one's own mortality - that it is possible to go on, forever. Soon enough this concept developed into all kinds of different forms - Gods, Heavens, Hells, etc. But the key, and they key to all worship, all spirituality, is the focus on the eternal. And this focus is essentially the brain's protection against the very real and tangible concept of death.

So, worship/spirituality = focus on the Eternal.


And to end, I give you, the Universe - all the eternities you could ever conceive of, and so much more. 


So while the specific object of worship is irrelevant (in that it could be anything as long as it evokes the Eternal), there's no doubt some objects of worship are more "worthy" than others. Christ on a Cross? Rather ludicrous. A meteorite? Getting closer!


If you're ever in Namibia, check it out!