In Clash of the Titans, the god of the underworld, Hades, had a plan to take over as head of the Greek pantheon (gods and godesses), a position occupied by Zeus. His plan was to make mankind hate Zeus by bringing calamities upon mankind, so that they will not worship him anymore. Devoid of worship, the powers of Zeus will diminish, opening the way for Hades to defeat Zeus. Zeus definitely needed worship, or he diminishes.

     This plan made me think of the question, "Does God need anything?" Does the creator need anything? If we look at only the need for survivival, the creator in a theistic worldview is the source of life, therefore, he does not depend on anything outside him to give him life. Besides, not being confined in a body, he does not have the same need for sustenance as human bodies do. He also does not depend on anything outside of himself to keep him safe, the second tier in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. No one can harm God the creator, who is the source of all power.

    What should we consider need? Is it just what is necessary for survival, or is there more to need? Should we completely separate need from desire? Or is desire a pointer to something deeper that humans need? Is Maslow right in extending human need beyond survival and identifying three more tiers- love, self-esteem, and self-actualization? There are reports that some infants died from lack of interaction, they just failed to thrive. This seems to show that a sense of love is necessary for a person to thrive.  When God created Adam, he judged his creation to be incomplete because no suitable mate was found for Adam. God definitely thought that Adam needed a mate, even though Adam did not die from being alone. Since humans today experience loneliness, it makes sense to believe that the first man experienced loneliness, a desire/need for another, and God lovingly met that need/desire. This points to the validity of seeing need as something beyond what is necessary for survival, what is necessary for God's creation to be complete. If God created man with the need for another, then we can't dismiss the desire for another as superfluous need. Man feels a hole in his being when this need is not met. It does not kill him, but it leaves him incomplete. Does God need an "other" to make him feel love? This is the beauty of the Christian doctrine of the trinity, that from all eterniity, the one God existed in relationship, God the father and God the son loved each other from all eternity.

     What about the need for self-esteem, to be seen as competent and a contributing member of society? God gave mankind a purpose, and later on gave them gifts to fulfill their pupose, which is good works. God had humans take part in his continuing creation by having them spread out and exercise dominion over creation. As the source of purpose, wisdom, and as the helper of mankind, in his common and special grace, God does not have anything to clarify his purpose. He has his plans and he knows he will accomplish it.

     What about the need for self-actualization? Self-actualization can be conceived of as salvation, however conceived. Self-actualization is the feeling of arriving at the end of a journey, that end being oneness with God or acceptance of God. However salvation is conceived, God is the end of the journey- he is the judge or the end-point. In Christianity, salvation is a promise that is so real, it is experienced in the present. It is a reality that is already and not yet. Because God is the end of the actualized self, it does not make sense to think of God as needing self-actualization or salvation.

     So what if God does not need anything? Everything that God does is because it enhances him. He gives us grace and kindness, not because he needs something from us, but because it is his pleasure to do so. He delights in our praise, but he won't feel diminished without it. A father can delight in his chilren's affection, but not feel diminished without it. He can love his child even if his child has stopped giving him the pleasure of his obedience and affection. God maintains relationship because it is his pleasure to do so. May we handle our relationships in the same way, loving as an end in itself, not as means to an end.