Worship
To
worship is to formally praise, honour, and declare one's devotion to a
supernatural being, typically a
god or
goddess. Typical acts of worship include:
Catholicism and
Eastern Orthodoxy distinguish between
worship (Latin
adoratio, Greek
latreia [λατρεια]) which is due to God alone, and
veneration (Latin
veneratio, Greek
dulia [δουλεια]), which may be lawfully offered to the
saints. The external acts of veneration resemble those of worship, but differ in their object and intent. Protestant Christians question whether such a distinction is always maintained in actual devotional practice, especially at the level of
folk religion.
Judaism and
Islam hold that for all practical purposes veneration should be considered the same as prayer; Judaism, Islam, and
Protestantism forbid veneration of saints or
angels, classifying these actions as akin to
idolatry.
In a figurative sense, worship of monarchs, lords, or lovers has a long history.
See Prayer; Goddess worship; dog worship; ancestor worship; demon worship; idol worship; imperial cult
