Eye of the Beholder series: "Will the real worship please stand up?"

[LuisDantas]

This thread attempts to compile a representative sample of the various takes on the meaning of the word "worship", with an emphasis on practical questions such as whether it is possible for people to be worshipping something without realizing it; whether it is possible to determine what is a proper object of worship, and by which criteria; and whether the word has any form of objective meaning at all.

I will start by pointing out that, in my opinion, "worship" is awfully hard to define in any objective way. Most of the time it is probably fair to allow people to declare themselves worshippers without making the judgement from the outside.

What that worship entails, though, is almost entirely arbitrary. It often involves some form of reverence or contemplation, but that is just a general trend.

What do you think?

 

[sun rise]

To me, worship can be performing rites, rituals and ceremonies. It can be an emotion combining awe and love. Or it can be another word for greed or lust such as worshipping money. So it is a very tricky word.

 

[Twilight Hue]

This thread attempts to compile a representative sample of the various takes on the meaning of the word "worship", with an emphasis on practical questions such as whether it is possible for people to be worshipping something without realizing it; whether it is possible to determine what is a proper object of worship, and by which criteria; and whether the word has any form of objective meaning at all.

I will start by pointing out that, in my opinion, "worship" is awfully hard to define in any objective way. Most of the time it is probably fair to allow people to declare themselves worshippers without making the judgement from the outside.

What that worship entails, though, is almost entirely arbitrary. It often involves some form of reverence or contemplation, but that is just a general trend.

What do you think?

Worship is best as a personal thing. A private matter.

 

[firedragon]

This thread attempts to compile a representative sample of the various takes on the meaning of the word "worship", with an emphasis on practical questions such as whether it is possible for people to be worshipping something without realizing it; whether it is possible to determine what is a proper object of worship, and by which criteria; and whether the word has any form of objective meaning at all.

I will start by pointing out that, in my opinion, "worship" is awfully hard to define in any objective way. Most of the time it is probably fair to allow people to declare themselves worshippers without making the judgement from the outside.

What that worship entails, though, is almost entirely arbitrary. It often involves some form of reverence or contemplation, but that is just a general trend.

What do you think?

1. In the bible Sakhah means to worship. Sometimes you worship people, but when it comes to people like your king it means paying respect, the idea of bowing. So it depends.
2. Proskunisis in the New Testament basically means the same but can be used to bowing to jesus so people look at it in a divine sense.
3. From the Quranic sense worship is to make anything divine. Ibadha. You can make your money, property, children, your Mullah's all of them divine. So that means you are not worshiping them in some ritualistic manner but by making them divine. Well, even your own desire/ego or Havah can be worshiped.
4. All of these people have rituals that they consider worship.

So in the same religions there are different ideas of this so called "Worship".

 

[PureX]

Worship is best as a personal thing. A private matter.

I agree. I don't really need to know how or what other people mean by that term. I don't even need to know what it means to me. Or if it applies to me. What I do need is to maintain a certain frame of mind and spirit regarding my relation to the great mystery of existence, and I have my own ways of doing that. Are those ways my version of "worship"?

The labels are just labels.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

For me, worship is either purposefully or not purposefully focusing your intent or emotions on some aspect of life that breaks you out of the routine doldrums of everyday living and brings you into a mindset that is focused on meaning in some existential aspect.

 

[Jainarayan]

To me, worship can be performing rites, rituals and ceremonies. It can be an emotion combining awe and love.

I’m going with this.

 

[PearlSeeker]

It can be everything that you do.

 

[Erebus]

I will start by pointing out that, in my opinion, "worship" is awfully hard to define in any objective way. Most of the time it is probably fair to allow people to declare themselves worshippers without making the judgement from the outside.

Pretty much.

When I use the word, I mean it in the sense of viewing something with profound awe and reverence. To me, that's apparently the most common element among the various uses of the word (though I don't claim that this is an objective or universally applicable definition) and most accurately describes my own view of the things I deem to be gods. Rituals, prayers and community are very much optional extras in my opinion.

With that definition, I may well view somebody as engaging in worship of something they do not view as a deity and do not consider themselves to be worshipping. For example, I may consider somebody to be a worshipper of money or a particular sports team. However, that's just going by my own standard and I see no reason to compel people to call what they're doing worship if they don't consider that to be an accurate description. The inverse is also true, though it's much harder to gauge from an outside perspective whether or not somebody genuinely reveres the thing they claim to be worshipping. Either way, I'm perfectly happy for them use the word they deem most appropriate even if it may not be from my own perspective.

 

[j1i]

This thread attempts to compile a representative sample of the various takes on the meaning of the word "worship", with an emphasis on practical questions such as whether it is possible for people to be worshipping something without realizing it; whether it is possible to determine what is a proper object of worship, and by which criteria; and whether the word has any form of objective meaning at all.

I will start by pointing out that, in my opinion, "worship" is awfully hard to define in any objective way. Most of the time it is probably fair to allow people to declare themselves worshippers without making the judgement from the outside.

What that worship entails, though, is almost entirely arbitrary. It often involves some form of reverence or contemplation, but that is just a general trend.

What do you think?

Worship is a comprehensive name for all that God loves and pleases with words and deeds, the inner and the visible, and it is defined as the following: Worship in language: submission and humiliation to god with the intention of glorifying Him, and this submission is forbidden for anyone except to God Almighty

 

[LuisDantas]

Worship is a comprehensive name for all that God loves and pleases with words and deeds, the inner and the visible, and it is defined as the following: Worship in language: submission and humiliation to god with the intention of glorifying Him, and this submission is forbidden for anyone except to God Almighty

By that understanding, is it possible to have wrong or misdirected worship?

If so, how?

 

[j1i]

By that understanding, is it possible to have wrong or misdirected worship?

If so, how?

We live our normal lifestyle common to human society
The difference is that we thank God and confirm that rest, happiness and sustenance were from God

And that we must pray and ask him until he is satisfied so that he gives us our needs and also to escape his punishment
His punishment, at the very least, would be poverty and deprivation

If we look at the past, we will find that there is a source that created us all, and we must thank this source
Not the father and mother
The human chain is the result of reproduction, not the process of creation
Humans transfer tools, not manufacture children
That is why we worship the Creator, not the worship of the carriers
Or worship the tools that we use to help us stay alive

In short, if you take a loan from the bank
You must return the amount in the bank account
What if I put the money in the account of the bank manager or one of the department heads
Will your loan fall?

That is why we humans believe that we must return the good,Virtue and benevolence to the Creator by thanking him

We worship only Who is worth
As for the bank’s employees, they perform their duties and obtain salaries, and we are not obligated to worship them

 

[paarsurrey]

By that understanding, is it possible to have wrong or misdirected worship?

If so, how?

I agree, the misdirected worship or wrong worship is not to be done.

I request one to investigate/explore into the attributes of G-d mentioned in Quran, which one of them is dangerous for the humanity, please?

Regards

 

[LuisDantas]

We live our normal lifestyle common to human society
The difference is that we thank God and confirm that rest, happiness and sustenance were from God

And that we must pray and ask him until he is satisfied so that he gives us our needs and also to escape his punishment
His punishment, at the very least, would be poverty and deprivation

If we look at the past, we will find that there is a source that created us all, and we must thank this source
Not the father and mother
The human chain is the result of reproduction, not the process of creation
Humans transfer tools, not manufacture children
That is why we worship the Creator, not the worship of the carriers
Or worship the tools that we use to help us stay alive

In short, if you take a loan from the bank
You must return the amount in the bank account
What if I put the money in the account of the bank manager or one of the department heads
Will your loan fall?

That is why we humans believe that we must return the good,Virtue and benevolence to the Creator by thanking him

We worship only Who is worth
As for the bank’s employees, they perform their duties and obtain salaries, and we are not obligated to worship them

If I understand what you mean, you are claiming that the only thing that could make anything other than belief in a monotheistic Creator God religiously defensable would be ignorance or inability to understand that such a belief exists.

Would that be an accurate understanding?

 

[LuisDantas]

I agree, the misdirected worship or wrong worship is not to be done.

By definition, even.

But is such misguidance possible?

Is any worship, by definition, valid on its own terms?

I request one to investigate/explore into the attributes of G-d mentioned in Quran, which one of them is dangerous for the humanity, please?

Regards

It is ethics, such as they are, as well as its insistence on exclusive worship coupled with proselitism and monotheism.

 

[paarsurrey]

Worship is a comprehensive name for all that God loves and pleases with words and deeds, the inner and the visible, and it is defined as the following: Worship in language: submission and humiliation to god with the intention of glorifying Him, and this submission is forbidden for anyone except to God Almighty

I like the points with a little change.

Worship in language:

1. submission and humbleness to God
2. with the intention of glorifying Him,
3. and this submission is forbidden for anyone except to God Almighty
4. Worship to others is in misguided direction

Regards

 

[amorphous_constellation]

This thread attempts to compile a representative sample of the various takes on the meaning of the word "worship", with an emphasis on practical questions such as whether it is possible for people to be worshipping something without realizing it

Well, it looks like the english language and the western time keeping system seem to conducive toward worship, and may possibly cause unintended worship by design. There might be a tacit sort of genuflection to something every time you write down the day's date, or rest on the 7th day of the week. If you think it is 2019, and that there's a 21st century, then you think tacitly about the birth of a divine being every time you look at the clock. Everytime you say goodbye or goodmorning, well I guess god is related to the word good, so maybe you genuflect a bit to god in saying the that morning is good.

 

[LuisDantas]

Well, it looks like the english language and the western time keeping system seem to conducive toward worship, and may possibly cause unintended worship by design. There might be a tacit sort of genuflection to something every time you write down the day's date, or rest on the 7th day of the week. If you think it is 2019, and that there's a 21st century, then you think tacitly about the birth of a divine being every time you look at the clock. Everytime you say goodbye or goodmorning, well I guess god is related to the word good, so maybe you genuflect a bit to god in saying the that morning is good.

Are you telling me that you consider wishes of good morning worship?

 

[j1i]

If I understand what you mean, you are claiming that the only thing that could make anything other than belief in a monotheistic Creator God religiously defensable would be ignorance or inability to understand that such a belief exists.

Would that be an accurate understanding?

thanks for respond my replay

What I have to say
Humans are trying to reach the bliss point which is God (the Creator) which is the source of happiness and comfort because he is their source of existence

But many do not succeed due to the lack of experience in reading
Or getting false news from ignorant people that is inherited as a habit
Or affected by influential events

I believe that my success in life will depend on the gratitude of this maker which is God

And this information we passed on from the main source, Adam
If you notice, even though there are primitive people in remote, isolated and unknown places, all the world agrees that shaking hands with the right hand

How did everyone on this planet agree to shake hands with the right hand?

From this thread it appears to me that the belief in the oneness of God was present with the first source, Adam

But what happened next is to falsify data and concepts

I think Tawhid is only the path of truth
Tawhid - Wikipedia

 

[j1i]

I like the points with a little change.

Worship in language:

1. submission and humbleness to God
2. with the intention of glorifying Him,
3. and this submission is forbidden for anyone except to God Almighty
4. Worship to others is in misguided direction

Regards

Thank you brother for participating
I wish you a happy day