***WARNING - Possible Spoilers***

So, I keep hearing about the worship of Talos being outlawed - and I've talked to a bunch of NPCs about the back-story on this...but I still don't understand.

Why would this be outlawed? I understand the 'how' just not the 'why' haha

Different area. Im not sure.

Right now we have wars and atrocities around the globe by three factions who believe in the same God, they just disagree on some of the finer points (who was a prophet and were any of them actually god in human form?).

Is it so hard to fathom that the belief that a human ascended to godhood would offend elves (Especially one, IIIRC, warred with them quite bitterly)?

From what I've been told in game, it's because Talos was a man, not a God. Your classed a heretic for worshipping a man and not a god. This is what I was told by a group of travellers (non-nords) anyway, we disagreed on the matter and I had to set things straight.

Put that way, it makes more sense to me. I'm not very far into the story, and all I kept getting was an explanation of how if the Empire didn't ban Talos the Elves would have destroyed it.

Thank you

This is a spoiler and I know this is the right reason. The dominion (elves) do not think talos is worthy of religious worship. Some speculation is because it's that he is human and not elf, they don't want a human worshipped as a god when he is mortal. So as part of the peace treaty for the empire and dominion in the war, they wanted the empire to outlaw the worship of talos. This was another reason as to why Skyrim was very upset about the empire.

Another couple of great answers, thanks guys
I'm a lore junky, and now the game -actually- makes sense to me lol

The Thalmor want the eventual eradication of Men's influence in Tamerial, and want it to be restored to the ancient times when Elves were superior, they would not be able to abide a god who was once a mortal man who ascended into Godhood.