Worship

To worship is to formally praise, honour, and declare one's devotion to a supernatural being, typically a god or goddess. Typical acts of worship include:

• prayer;
• sacrifice;
• rituals;
• meditation;
• holidays, festivals;
• pilgrimages;
• hymns or psalms;
• the construction of temples or shrines;
• the creation of idols of the deity.

Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy distinguish between worship (Latin adoratio, Greek latreia, [λατρεια]) which is due to God alone (see latria), and veneration (Latin veneratio, Greek dulia [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. Judaism and Islam hold that for all practical purposes veneration should be considered the same as prayer; Judaism, Islam, and Protestantism forbid veneration of saints or angels, classifying these actions as akin to idolatry.

In a figurative sense, worship of monarchs, lords, or lovers has a long history.

See Prayer; Goddess worship; dog worship; ancestor worship; demon worship; idol worship; imperial cult

External Links

  *the Taizè Community 
  *Lift Up Your Hearts (Canadian Lutheran) 
  *WorshipInfo.com 
  *the Anglican Liturgy Library at Oremus 
  *A Christian Worship Resource Center