# What is worship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 17, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684 "2000-08-17T04:45:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Guapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/82dd89/32.png) [@El\_Guapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Guapo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/1 "2000-08-17T04:45:25Z")
“How can you worship a God who . . .?” “God is worthy of worship because . . .” The word gets thrown around a lot on both sides of the arguement whenever it is about God. But what exactly is worship? How do religious types define worship? What do non-religious types think of when they hear the word worship? Can there be an agreed upon definition? If so, then maybe the question of worthiness can be addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Ptahlis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@Ptahlis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ptahlis)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/2 "2000-08-17T13:41:28Z")
My personal take on the word “worship” is that it is an offering of one’s supreme loyalty and devotion, and venerating the object of worship above all other things. I haven’t heard much discussion of this term, so I would be surprised if definitions differed greatly from this. The methods of worshipping may differ, but I think the concept of worship is fairly standard. Perhaps some others will prove me wrong though. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/3 "2000-08-17T13:51:20Z")
Speaking for myself, worship is listening for the Voice of God. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/4 "2000-08-17T16:17:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Guapo \* > \*\*Can there be an agreed upon definition?. [/b There already is. It’s in the dictionary. 🙂 3 : a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual 4 : extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem \ or the verb form 1 : to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power 2 : to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion intransitive senses : to perform or take part in worship or an act of worship > [@](#): > > \*\* > What do non-religious types think of when they hear the word worship? > \*\* Not much to tell the truth. > [@](#): > > \*\* > If so, then maybe the question of worthiness can be addressed \*\* It’s simple. If you do not adhere to my belief of what should be worshiped, you are not worthy of worship. It’s a personal call, or one made by a church. Is Mother Teresa worthy of worship, how about the pope? Up to the Catholic Church and individual members. Of course most people outside of this group will disagree. Are rat gods worthy of worship? Depends on who you ask… ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/5 "2000-08-17T17:12:45Z")
> [@](#): > > What do non-religious types think of when they hear the word worship? > > * * * > > Not much to tell the truth. Oh, I dunno. Not all non-religious types are flippant and disrespectful hand-stabbing atheists. Gaudere, for example, likely thinks of many things when she hears the word worship. But then, she’s a thinker. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/6 "2000-08-17T17:27:32Z")
True. She is. You could learn something from her Lib. Like not posting personal insults in Great Debates. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Guapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/82dd89/32.png) [@El\_Guapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Guapo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/7 "2000-08-17T18:21:25Z")
I **do** have a dictionary and did read the definition. It has a definition for love too, but I find neither very insightful. BTW: The worthiness issue was a side not, and not meant to be a debate topic here. > [@](#): > > Speaking for myself, worship is listening for the Voice of God. Like Moses and the burning bush, or listening to your conscious? Is just living a “good” life worship? Is praying part of worship? Reading the Bible? Maybe doing a dance or two? Speaking in tongues? I would figure athiests and agnostics would wonder what “worship” entails for those who believe. At least those who try to understand others viewpoints. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/8 "2000-08-17T18:31:18Z")
**OldScratch** > [@](#): > > True. She is. You could learn something from her Lib. You simply wouldn’t _believe_ how much I learn from her. > [@](#): > > Like not posting personal insults in Great Debates. I suppose this is a wasted effort, but on the off-chance that you might really mean that, I want you to know that nothing is more personal to me than my God. I take your third-gradish bullying of Him very very personally. **El Gaupo** > [@](#): > > Like Moses and the burning bush, or listening to your conscious? Is just living a “good” life worship? Is praying part of worship? Reading the Bible? Maybe doing a dance or two? Speaking in tongues? I hear Him in my silence. I don’t hear words, but I have “revelations”, I guess you would say. That is, my heart changes. I see things in new ways, and then I might say to someone, “God told me so-and-so”, meaning “Here’s how I see things after my worship” (some people say “prayer”). Anyway, I guess the closest analogy I might could find for your benefit (assuming you’re an atheist) is when you’ve been working on, say, a concept in algebra that you just don’t get, when, suddenly, “Oh! I get it now!” Suddenly, you see something you didn’t see before or see something in a new way. I have said before that a god who allowed himself to be a little bit evil would not be worthy of my worship. And by that, I mean that I wouldn’t listen to him. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/9 "2000-08-17T20:18:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\* > I suppose this is a wasted effort, but on the off-chance that you might really mean that, I want you to know that nothing is more personal to me than my God. I take your third-gradish bullying of Him very very personally. > \*\* Not sure how you translate not thinking of much when I hear worship to bullying a mythical being. Here’s an idea. Try not to take people’s opinions on God so personally, try not to put non existant words and statements in other people’s mouths. You’ll be much happier. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/10 "2000-08-17T20:58:24Z")
A heathen friend once pointed out to me that the term derives from the Old English for “worth-ship” – i.e., that which is worthy of your adherence. (“Heathen” is not being insulting; he was a Tiw-ist, and that was his chosen term – “to distinguish me from all the pagans running around” he would say with a grin.) I would think that whenever you find something that you value more than your own egocentricity, you have designated that thing as worthy of your adherence. This will normally be a deity of some sort, though I suspect the pagans may have something to say about that not always being true. Methodologically, worship would fall into two categories: corporate and personal. Whatever you do to profess or enhance your adherence to the worshipful entity of your choice is personal worship. This may be prayer, meditation, whatever works for you. To take an extreme example, someone with a devotion to fertility might make a case for worshipful masturbation. 😉 Corporate worship is always cultic (in the anthropological sense) in some way, with ritual and standardization of practice. Even Quaker worship fits this pattern: there are standards for what meets Quaker propriety and what does not. A broad range of behaviors is possible: symbolic cannibalism, slaying of a bull, consumption of a psychoactive drug, sitting in rows and alternately singing and listening to others read and speak, dancing ecstatically, communal prayer, a common meal: you name it, somebody’s used for worship somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/11 "2000-08-17T23:55:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Not sure how you translate not thinking of much when I hear worship to bullying a mythical being. A mythical being? You really _are_ oblivious, aren’t you? I’ve taken you wrong all this time. You aren’t mean; you’re simply ignorant. > [@](#): > > Here’s an idea. Try not to take people’s opinions on God so personally, try not to put non existant words and statements in other people’s mouths. You’ll be much happier. Well, you’re right. I should have realized all along that you weren’t talking about God at all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/12 "2000-08-18T00:06:58Z")
Well sorry If I don’t give more credence to your imaginary God(s) than I do to every one elses. I like to play fair though. One creation story is as good enough for me as any other. If you want to take yours seriously go for it. Indians tend to take their gods much more personally than you take yours. Some have even met them. Can you say that? Nope, didn’t think so. You just hear him in your silence. Not very impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2000, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/13 "2000-08-18T00:11:05Z")
How can you take peoples opinions personally over the internet?🙂 “hand-stabbing atheists.” I tried stabbing something with my hand, didnt work. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2000, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-worship/29684/14 "2000-08-18T00:15:40Z")
Yeah, I’d been meaning to ask about that. What exactly is a hand-stabber? I’m sorry, I’m just an ignorant San Franciscan. I don’t know what all these big fancy words mean.