(June 23, 2017 at 1:35 pm)Astreja Wrote: I was pondering the phenomenon of humans worshipping gods, and this question occurred to me: What is worship, anyway?
My initial thoughts: It's an attempt to consistently cultivate specific emotions (e.g. awe, fear, love) through the use of ritual cues such as liturgy, actions and environment. What say you?
First, worship is an emotion by definition. So, ceremony or liturgy is not worship in itself--it is the framework that focuses the previously held belief that is the source of the emotion. If you are simply going through the motions and do not believe them/lack the emotion, it is not worship.
The reasons for it entirely depends on your relationship to the object of your worship. If you worship a stone statue, it is most likely that you believed someone else's explanation on what the particular stone statue is or represents. If you worship some nebulous great spirit/nature it may likely be a result of your observations/appreciation of the natural world and our connection to it. If you worship the God of the Bible, it may be from personal experience. Or it may be a combination of all three present in varying levels from person to person.
