Lightkeeper
Well-Known Member
Do we all worship something, even if we don't believe in God? Can we be worship free?
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Worship
- Thread starter Lightkeeper
- Start date
Green Gaia
Veteran Member
I think it is in our nature to "worship" something, be it God, money, drugs, celebreties, ourselves.....
Mr Spinkles
Mr
Well, it depends on what you mean by "worship". Certainly I hold the cosmos in high esteem, but my feelings and actions towards it are vastly different from the worship of believers to their respective gods.
Ceridwen018
Well-Known Member
Huh...this is a very interesting question, Lightkeeper. I would have to say that I don't feel I really worship anything. I basically agree with Spinkles--there are things that I have great respect for, but by my definition, great respect and worship are not the same.
Here's a little P.S. question: How do you think having something to worship makes a person different from someone who doesn't have anything? Is there a difference?
Here's a little P.S. question: How do you think having something to worship makes a person different from someone who doesn't have anything? Is there a difference?
Lightkeeper
Well-Known Member
I think eveyone worships something. The differences between people would be what they choose to worship.Ceridwen018 said:
Ceridwen018
Well-Known Member
Honestly Lightkeeper, I don't think I worship anything. I mean, I'm wracking my brain here, but there is nothing that I hold in higher esteem than everything else. I could say that I worship love or something like that, but then I might have to go paint a picture of babie bunnies in a field of wild flowers with a rainbow in the sky, while reading the latest by Nicholas Sparks to complete the girly, sappy trend. (j/k)
Seriously though.....there is not one thing that I consider to be a constant in my life, which I cannot live without (would that be suitable criteria for something worthy of worship?). Even love, it seems, has made cameo appearances in my life at best. Who knows--maybe things will change...
Seriously though.....there is not one thing that I consider to be a constant in my life, which I cannot live without (would that be suitable criteria for something worthy of worship?). Even love, it seems, has made cameo appearances in my life at best. Who knows--maybe things will change...
Hope
Princesinha
Could it be we worship ourselves sometimes? 
I'm of the same opinion as Lightkeeper. I think it's human nature to worship something. And worship doesn't mean bowing down or singing praises or what-have-you. Some people worship celebrities, some worship their spouse, or b/f or g/f, their children, their pets...whatever. The object of worship could be almost anything. Mr. Spinkles, when you are in awe of the cosmos, you are in a way worshipping it. I am a Christian and should therefore worship God--and I do--but not nearly as much as I should. Instead I find myself 'worshipping' other things--such as family members, friends, my time, my freedom, etc., etc. With all due respect to all you atheists--I think athiests worship the power of the mind.
Worship is showing immense appreciation for something, because, in one's mind, the object of the worship deserves it.
I'm of the same opinion as Lightkeeper. I think it's human nature to worship something. And worship doesn't mean bowing down or singing praises or what-have-you. Some people worship celebrities, some worship their spouse, or b/f or g/f, their children, their pets...whatever. The object of worship could be almost anything. Mr. Spinkles, when you are in awe of the cosmos, you are in a way worshipping it. I am a Christian and should therefore worship God--and I do--but not nearly as much as I should. Instead I find myself 'worshipping' other things--such as family members, friends, my time, my freedom, etc., etc. With all due respect to all you atheists--I think athiests worship the power of the mind.
Worship is showing immense appreciation for something, because, in one's mind, the object of the worship deserves it.
Simon the Cat
Member
What exactly do you all mean by worship? I appreciate many things, am moved by many things, am even astounded by many things - is this worship? or is worshipping something more formal?
Cat, worship is more severe than appreciate.
If someone buys us a gift, we appreciate the thought. But we do not usually worship the giver of the gift. If someone offers to clean out the car for you, you appreciate their help.
Worship however, is a stronger term. Worship depicts STRONG idolization of a person or object.
This idolization may include praying to worshipped object/person, treasuring items or icons that represent the worshipped one (like a teenage girl with posters, for example), and even trying to
act as the worshipped item.
Me, I don't worship anything, really. Except for Death. Death is cool.
If someone buys us a gift, we appreciate the thought. But we do not usually worship the giver of the gift. If someone offers to clean out the car for you, you appreciate their help.
Worship however, is a stronger term. Worship depicts STRONG idolization of a person or object.
This idolization may include praying to worshipped object/person, treasuring items or icons that represent the worshipped one (like a teenage girl with posters, for example), and even trying to
act as the worshipped item.
Me, I don't worship anything, really. Except for Death. Death is cool.
The dictionary can help to give a definition of worship and one is to idolize, I guess,
but scriptures indicate stubborness is idolatry in the sense of making own opinions of more importance in a situation.
Therefore being opinionated and stubborn is a type of worship.
Everyone needs to have strong opinions in this world to retain some power of self. An individual would diminish in any self worth if no mental power was exerted.
Because all humans live in what they create the subtleness of what is occuring is not appreciated. What is occuring is not wildly dramatic.
but scriptures indicate stubborness is idolatry in the sense of making own opinions of more importance in a situation.
Therefore being opinionated and stubborn is a type of worship.
Everyone needs to have strong opinions in this world to retain some power of self. An individual would diminish in any self worth if no mental power was exerted.
Because all humans live in what they create the subtleness of what is occuring is not appreciated. What is occuring is not wildly dramatic.
rousley
New Member
Merriam-Webster's #4 definition of worship http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=worship seems to capture an overall essence of worship: "extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem <worship of the dollar>". I think that worship and faith are closely associated in that whatever we place our faith in, such as whatever we spend time, energy, and value on, is our object(s) of worship. I spend a lot of time in thought, since I drive umpteen hours nearly every day, usually about God. I don't "esteem" driving even though I respect road conditions and traffic. But I do "esteem" God so I worship God in my thinking. I've worshiped money at times in the past because I wanted much more and spent a lot of time trying to accomplish that. But I got over that when I worked in mortgaging, insurance, and annuities throughout the decade of the 90's. I love my family and try to put quite a bit of confidence in them, but I don't always have a lot of faith in them so I don't worship them. And, of course, I love diversity and believe that a great deal of God's purposes are invested in diversity, hense Unidiversal.com, but my view of diversity is that it comes from God, not that it is God so I don't worship diversity.
It appears that if we worship something then it is something that we trust our highest ideal of life to. If we do not go around murdering people then we are trusting our highest ideal of life to faith in controling others. But if we share concern for others and do not wish to see people harmed then it appears that our highest ideal of life has something to do with a commonality and respect for each other. Some belive that that commonality is religion, but faith, even faith in God, is not "dependant" on religion even though many religions purpose is to try to focus on God. Some even worship religion above or instead of God.
So worship has more to do with whatever we put our confidence/faith in to complete our highest ideal of our own lives than anything else. If we don't think that we put our confidence and faith in anything to complete our highest ideal of our own lives then we need to look at what our lives our accomplishing. Are we encouraging or a drag on ourselves &/or society? Do we have purpose or are we living for no reason? It just seems like people's lives, religious and not, exemplifies our own guidelines in life to others whether we want to admit it or not, and whatever it is that each of us worship makes a difference in other's lives who see or know us. Even mundane purposeless has no absolute zero affect on anyone around us and if we think we only live for our own self then our own self is what we worship.
It appears that if we worship something then it is something that we trust our highest ideal of life to. If we do not go around murdering people then we are trusting our highest ideal of life to faith in controling others. But if we share concern for others and do not wish to see people harmed then it appears that our highest ideal of life has something to do with a commonality and respect for each other. Some belive that that commonality is religion, but faith, even faith in God, is not "dependant" on religion even though many religions purpose is to try to focus on God. Some even worship religion above or instead of God.
So worship has more to do with whatever we put our confidence/faith in to complete our highest ideal of our own lives than anything else. If we don't think that we put our confidence and faith in anything to complete our highest ideal of our own lives then we need to look at what our lives our accomplishing. Are we encouraging or a drag on ourselves &/or society? Do we have purpose or are we living for no reason? It just seems like people's lives, religious and not, exemplifies our own guidelines in life to others whether we want to admit it or not, and whatever it is that each of us worship makes a difference in other's lives who see or know us. Even mundane purposeless has no absolute zero affect on anyone around us and if we think we only live for our own self then our own self is what we worship.
ayani
member
The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.
The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.
well, do we all reverently love and show devotion towards something? i think generally we do. whether it's a principal like justice or political freedom, a place / country we hold dear, a person... this worship doesn't have to diefy the object of worship, though.
now, do we all have ceremonies to express that reverent love and devotion? maybe not ritualized ceremonies, but we can go to protests and write letters to show our love for a principal, stand up for a place we love or visit it from time to time, and we can show our love for a person in a myriad of ways.
niamhwitch
Celtic Faery Wiccan )O(
Personally, I have a pet peeve with the word "worship". I do not "worship" anything. However, I do honour and revere my Gods. Worship, to me makes me feel as if I am at the mercy of some higher being, when I honestly do not feel that I am. It also makes me feel as if I have to bow down to this/these being(s). I view Spirit as being a massive form of energy that is in all of us and we are all in it. Spirit has masculine (God) energy and feminine (Goddess) energy. Since we are all a part of this energy, I dont feel that I am at the mercy of this being... but rather that I am this being (as well as all other things in this world). Sure honour, revere, and worship may have similar, if not the same dictionary definitions, but I just dont really care for the word "worship" when being applied to what I do. Maybe that comes from my Christian upbringing and hearing "worship" used to describe the relationship between Christians and Jehovah. I do not have the same relationship with my deities as the Christians that I grew up with had with their deity. So, like I said, I honour Spirit, but I do not worship Spirit.