Their Messengers said, "Can there be any doubt about Allah, the Initiator of the Highs and the Lows? He only calls you that He may grant you the protection of His forgiveness, to save you from trailing behind in humanity and to sustain your community for a long time." They said, "You are but mortals like us! You want us to turn away from the way our ancestors used to worship. Then bring us a convincing miracle?" (Allah is far too Glorious from feeling offended by idol worship in any form. But submitting to false deities and 'authorities' is the root cause of inequities in any society, such as superstition, exploitation, ritualism and division of humanity into castes and sects, and the resulting violation of human rights. That is why all Messengers of God began their mission by calling people to the worship and obedience of the One True God).