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.
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." Worship asserts the reality of its object and defines its meaning by reference to it.
An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader.
Read more about Worship: Aspects of Worship
Other articles related to "worship":
... Roman Catholics Together Reed Biblical Worship Book Review by Reed, Presbyterian Worship Old and New — A Review and Commentary upon Worship in Spirit and Truth, a book by John Frame (Phillipsburg, N.J. 1996 paper, 171 pages) An Essay by Reed on Presbyterian Worship — An Extended Review and Commentary Based upon the Geneva Papers by James Jordan Reed on the Decline of American Presbyterianism Reed ...
... most commonly found in Japan, the home of kami worship ... object meant to house a chosen kami, thus giving it a physical form to allow worship ... Worship at the kamidana typically consists of the offering of simple prayers, food (e.g ...
... The precise origins of the worship of Santa Muerte are a matter of debate, but it is most likely a syncretism between Mesoamerican and Catholic beliefs ... According to INAH researcher Elsa Malvido Miranda, the worship of skeletal figures has precedent in Europe during times of epidemics ... After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the worship of death diminished but was never eradicated ...
... Ancestor worship Animal worship Idol worship Intercession Imperial cult Major world religions ...
... or 'doctrine of the Goddess') is a denomination of Hinduism that focuses worship upon Shakti or Devi – the Hindu Divine Mother – as the absolute, ultimate Godhead ... Shaktas (Sanskrit Śākta, शाक्त), practitioners of Shaktism, focus most or all worship on Shakti, as the dynamic feminine aspect of the Supreme Divine ... Shiva, the masculine aspect of divinity, is considered solely transcendent, and his worship is usually relegated to an auxiliary role ...
Famous quotes containing the word worship:
“It is the weak and confused who worship the pseudosimplicities of brutal directness.”
—Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980)
“Men do not accept their prophets and slay them, but they love their martyrs and worship those whom they have tortured to death.”
—Feodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881)
“In the Lord’s Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)