Worship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Worship is an act of
religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the
Old English worthscipe, meaning
worthiness or
worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.
[1]
Evelyn Underhill
(2001) defines worship thus: "The absolute acknowledgment of all that
lies beyond us—the glory that fills heaven and earth. It is the response
that conscious beings make to their
Creator, to the Eternal Reality from which they came forth; to
God,
however they may think of Him or recognize Him, and whether He be
realized through religion, through nature, through history, through
science, art, or human life and character."
[2] Worship asserts the reality of its object and defines its meaning by reference to it.
[3]
An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader.
Worship in various religions
Worship in Christianity
Adoration versus veneration
In the New Testament various words are used for worship. The word
proskuneo "to worship" means to bow down to Gods or kings.
[4]
Catholicism,
Anglicanism,
Oriental Orthodoxy, and
Eastern Orthodoxy make a technical distinction between
adoration or
latria (Latin
adoratio, Greek
latreia,
[λατρεια]), which is due to God alone, and
veneration or
dulia (Latin
veneratio, Greek
douleia [δουλεια]), which may be lawfully offered to the
saints.
The external acts of veneration resemble those of worship, but differ
in their object and intent. Protestant Christians question whether such a
distinction is always maintained in actual devotional practice,
especially at the level of
folk religion.
According to
Mark Miravelle the English word "worship" is equivocal, in that it has been used in Catholic writing, at any rate, to denote both adoration/
latria and veneration/
dulia, and in some cases even as a synonym for veneration as distinct from adoration:
Adoration, which is known as latria
in classical theology, is the worship and homage that is rightly
offered to God alone. It is the acknowledgement of excellence and
perfection of an uncreated, divine person. It is the worship of the
Creator that God alone deserves. Veneration, known as dulia in
classical theology, is the honor due to the excellence of a created
person. This refers to the excellence exhibited by the created being who
likewise deserves recognition and honor. We see a general example of
veneration in events like the awarding of academic awards for excellence
in school, or the awarding of the Olympic medals for excellence in
sports. There is nothing contrary to the proper adoration of God when we
offer the appropriate honor and recognition that created persons
deserve based on achievement in excellence. Here a further clarification
should be made regarding the use of the term "worship" in relation to
the categories of adoration and veneration. Some schools of theology use
the term "worship" to introduce both adoration and veneration. They
would distinguish between "worship of adoration" and "worship of
veneration." The word "worship" (in the same way the theological term
"cult" is traditionally used) in these classical definitions was not at
all synonymous with adoration, but could be used to introduce either
adoration or veneration. Hence Catholic writers will sometimes use the
term "worship" not to indicate adoration, but only the worship of
veneration given to Mary and the saints.[5]
Orthodox
Judaism and orthodox
Sunni Islam
hold that for all practical purposes veneration should be considered
the same as prayer; Orthodox Judaism (arguably with the exception of
some
Chasidic practices), orthodox Sunni Islam, and most kinds of
Protestantism forbid veneration of saints or
angels, classifying these actions as akin to
idolatry.
Similarly,
Jehovah's Witnesses assert that many actions classified as
patriotic by Protestant groups, such as saluting a
flag, are equivalent to worship and are therefore considered idolatrous as well.
Worship in Islam
In Islam, Worship refers to ritualistic devotion which is ordained by
and pleasing to Allah (God). Worship has a unique role in Islam, and is
included in the
Five Pillars of Islam, primarily that of
salat, which is the practise of ritual prayer five times daily.
Thus, the innermost purpose of the creation of all rational beings is
their cognition of the existence of Allah and, hence, their conscious
willingness to conform their own existence to whatever they may perceive
of His will and plan: and it is this twofold concept of cognition and
willingness that gives the deepest meaning to what the Quran describes
as "worship". As the next verse shows, this spiritual call does not
arise from any supposed "need" on the part of the Creator, who is
self-sufficient and infinite in His power, but is designed as an
instrument for the inner development of the worshiper, who, by the act
of his conscious self-surrender to the all-pervading Creative Will, may
hope to come closer to an understanding of that Will and, thus closer to
Allah Himself.[7]
Worship in Hinduism
Worship in Hinduism involves invoking higher forces to assist in
spiritual and material progress and is simultaneously both a science and
an art. A sense of ´Bhakti´ or devotional love is generally invoked.
This term is probably a central one in Hinduism. A direct translation
from the Sanskrit to English is problematic. Worship takes a multitude
of forms depending on community groups, geography and language. There is
a flavour of loving and being in love with whatever object or focus of
devotion. Worship is not confined to any place of worship, it also
incorporates personal reflection, art forms and group . People usually
perform worship to achieve some specific end or to integrate the body,
the mind and the spirit in order to help the performer evolve into a
higher being.
[8]
Worship in Judaism
Worship in Sikhism
In Sikhism, worship takes place after the
Guru Granth Sahib,
which is the work of the 10 Sikh Gurus all in one. Sikhs worship God
and only one God, known as "One Creator", "The Wonderful Teacher" (
Waheguru), or "Destroyer of Darkness".
Worship in Buddhism
source : http://en.wikipedia.org
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