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What is the Purpose of Worship?
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
In Christianity it is a way of showing respect and love for God. It's like when a child grows up and comes to a parent and says "thank you for raising me the way you did". It's not necessary or required, but it sure is nice.
allfoak
Alchemist
A child takes on the mannerisms of the parent.
Worship.
The only rituals or books are the behavior and words of the parent.
Skwim
Veteran Member
Considering that god, at least the god of Abraham, doesn't merit worship---hardly a nice guy---I can only see worshiping him as a form of necessary appeasement; Necessary to forestall any cruel judgment when the end comes. "Play by my rules humans or suffer the consequences. Rule one: worship me. Got that?
" .
InChrist
Free4ever
I believe worship is a deep expression of love, honor, and thanksgiving. The purpose of worshiping God is to direct our love, honor and thanksgiving toward the One, who as the Creator, is truly worthy of our deepest love and thanksgiving which brings fulfillment and wholeness to our being.
Sha'irullah
رسول الآلهة
I have always viewed it as an act of loyalty and devotion to a god. The same way one might say that my fiancee "worships" me in the sense that she shows unconditional loyalty to me and respect.
The notion is identical at the end of the day. Worship is an act of humility, purification, and ritualized devotion in some cases.
The notion is identical at the end of the day. Worship is an act of humility, purification, and ritualized devotion in some cases.
Sha'irullah
رسول الآلهة
Considering that god, at least the god of Abraham, doesn't merit worship---hardly a nice guy---I can only see worshiping him as a form of necessary appeasement; Necessary to forestall any cruel judgment when the end comes. "Play by my rules humans or suffer the consequences. Rule one: worship me. Got that?
.
Sounds like someone needs Thor in their life.
Skwim
Veteran Member
A whore? Why would I need a whore in my life? I have a perfectly good right hand that's all paid for and never complains. Besides, whores aren't cheap, at least not arou . . . . OHH! "Thor!" That's different. Never mind.Sounds like someone needs Thor in their life.
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Buddha Dharma
Dharma Practitioner
For traditional Buddhists worshipping deities has all kinds of selfless benefits, which are the best kind. You're showing love and concern for unseen beings, and there's no telling how that may influence them. Their karma is not truly separate from ours in the pattern.
Invoking them means they get to observe practice of the Dharma. This may awaken in them a desire to change their course. After all, who says gods do not need humans for anything? Certainly not I.
Some of the gods like Indra and Brahma are said to be my fellow Buddhists. It is said Indra took refuge in Shakyamuni and Brahma in one of the Buddha manifestations before him. We practice together. Our practice benefits each other.
Buddhists are discouraged from asking gods for boons like riches and glory. Our worship should be as selfless as possible.
There are gods from other pantheons I am drawn to and invoke. My greatest hope is that those gods might take refuge in the Buddha.
Sha'irullah
رسول الآلهة
A whore? Why would I need a whore in my life? I have a perfectly good right hand that's all paid for and never complains. Besides whores aren't cheap, at least not arou . . . . OHH! "Thor!" That's different. Never mind.
.
Why am I picturing Pop Eye having intercourse with a muscular, hairy, red headed man.
My eyes are tainted forever now
Skwim
Veteran Member
And now mine are as well. Thanks!Why am I picturing Pop Eye having intercourse with a muscular, hairy, red headed man.
My eyes are tainted forever now
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First of all, let's keep in mind that "worship" is a rather vague concept. It has no clear meaning, no clear boundaries, and when people even have a specific expectation of what it should mean those expectations end up all over the place. One person's understanding of what constitutes worship will not much resemble that of others all that often.
And yet, the environments that created, use and value the concept nearly always associate it with attitudes of reverence or, sometimes, accusation. The end result is an almost deliberate lack of proper acknowledgement of the vagueness and dispersal of the concept.
That said, it seems to me that there are several purposes for worship. The most obvious is the nurturing of attitudes and sentiments related to the object of worship and seen as proper or desirable: contemplation, intimacy or closeness, gratitude or thankfulness, awe, admiration, even love or fear. For some people that can be a powerful motivation and lead to strong biological responses, including hallucinations and erotic arousal.
syo
Well-Known Member
it means we are thankful for the gift of life.
Rituals around a thing are a way for people to express how they value that thing.
Sacrifice in a common pursuit with a group (e.g. sacrificing your time for a worship service or your money through tithes) demonstrates to the other members of your group that you have "skin in the game:" you're invested in the group and therefore can be trusted to be loyal to the group.
Of course it has a purpose; theism without worship is pointless armchair theism: "I believe in gods, but they have no significance in my life whatsoever and I have no relationship with them." Heck, I wouldn't even call such a person a theist.
In my own tradition, worship does these things (or at least this is what is coming to mind right now):
- Mindfulness. Perhaps first and foremost, worship is the process of acknowledging one's relationships with the gods. Simple mindfulness goes a long way, and is a needed baseline for any and all practices.
- Relatedness. Beyond simple mindfulness, worship helps deepen one's relationships with the gods. The specific form this takes varies, and much of what is listed below are examples of various ways of deepening relationships with the gods:
- Gratitude and Celebration. Remembering to count one's blessings and express thanks for the gods is one of the most important functions of worship. These celebrations give meaningfulness to our lives.
- Learning. Deepening relationships requires getting to know someone (in this case, the gods). Getting to know the gods in my tradition looks like studying... well... everything. Especially the sciences, but also storytelling more broadly.
- Creativity. Finding different ways of celebrating relationships encourages creativity and producing works of art. It might be poetry, prose, sculpture, theatrics... the arts have roots in religious worship for a reason.
- Valuation. That which you spend the most time worshiping at a given time is an articulation of personal values, which in turn informs or guides life's meaningfulness.
From the Hindu perspective I would say purposes, not purpose. It's multifaceted. At any given day at the Hindu temple, you will see camaraderie, calming, thankfulness, celebration of events, beseeching for help with a specific problem, inner communion with the divine, just to cheer up, wiping out a problem, clarifying your thoughts, and likely several more purposes I can't remember just now. After all, I was at temple just now, and the sannidhya (darshan, energy) has had a calming non-intellectual effect.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
All I can think of is subjugation.