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":
... commonly found in Japan, the home of kami worship ... 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 ...
... 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 ... practitioners of Shaktism, focus most or all worship on Shakti, as the dynamic feminine aspect of the Supreme Divine ... is considered solely transcendent, and his worship is usually relegated to an auxiliary role ...
... of the Faith — Evangelicals and 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 ... 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 ...
... Ancestor worship Animal worship Idol worship Intercession Imperial cult Major world religions ...
Famous quotes containing the word worship:
“Almost like a god looking at her terribly out of the everlasting dark, she had felt the eyes of that horse; great glowing, fearsome eyes, arched with a question, and containing a white blade of light like a threat. What was his non-human question, and his uncanny threat? She didn’t know. He was some splendid demon, and she must worship him.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“So long as men worship the Caesars and Napoleons, Caesars and Napoleons will duly rise and make them miserable.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“You don’t know what you might be if you would look beyond the ball, the opera, the fashion-plate—and right over the heads of the perfumed, mustached bipeds who call themselves men and worship at your feet.”
—Mattie Chappelle, U.S. women’s magazine contributor. The Revolution (April 28, 1870)