What is worship?

[$ecular#eckler]

How does a person worship?
Is believing in the existence of an unprovable entity a form of worship?
Are abstract values worthy of guarding?
Is guarding the value of abstract qualities a form of worship?

 

[jackflash]

How does a person worship?
Is believing in the existence of an unprovable entity a form of worship?
Are abstract values worthy of guarding?
Is guarding the value of abstract qualities a form of worship?

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand answers. Check out images Nuremberg party rallies 1933 to see worship in action. I would have included images but it appears the images are all 'owned' by someone or another that will not let them be used by others.

 

[ding]

How does a person worship?
Is believing in the existence of an unprovable entity a form of worship?
Are abstract values worthy of guarding?
Is guarding the value of abstract qualities a form of worship?

Great question. Meriweather posted her opinion on what worship means in another thread. My opinion is very similar.

The word worship comes from the word worthy as Meriweather so astutely pointed out. And I think she may have touched on worshiping is for us and not for God but I want to expound on that. Setting aside the theology that God is complete, lacking in nothing and in need of nothing - which justifies my belief that worshiping God is for us and not Him - I will approach this from a practical or natural benefit stand point. But first I have to set the stage.

Most people don't realize - or take for granted - the amazing gift we have been given. We have literally won the cosmic lottery. And that applies to each and every human being who has ever lived no matter their experiences in life. We are the pinnacle of creation. We are beings that know and create. The most complex thing that creation has produced. We get to experience existence. Existence is literally made manifest by our minds. The very fabric of what we are made out of was created out of nothing ~14 billion years ago. It's pretty incredible stuff if you stop to think about it.

And how should one show appreciation for being given such a wonderful gift? I say it is the exact same way we show appreciation for all the gifts we are given. We thank the gift giver for the gift and then show them how much we appreciate the gift by using the gift. Thus proving to the gift giver that we were worthy of receiving the gift. And that's where the benefit of worship comes in. We are happiest when we use our talents to create. Creating is supposed to be so much fun that we have to be told to take a day off from creating. I worship God by treating every act I do as a sacred act. It's sublime. No matter what the task is I see this as my way of thanking God for giving me the precious and rare gift of existence. As such I get joy and contentment from everything I do. When obstacles arise, I see it as a challenge instead of a burden. So instead of getting discouraged or pissed off I look at it as an opportunity to discover what God wanted me to learn.

There are two things that happen when one is happy; dopamine is released which gives us that happy feeling and all the learning centers of the brain switch on. That's the benefit of worshiping God.

 

[Meriweather]

The word worship comes from the word worthy as Meriweather so astutely pointed out. And I think she may have touched on worshiping is for us and not for God but I want to expound on that. Setting aside the theology that God is complete, lacking in nothing and in need of nothing - which justifies my belief that worshiping God is for us and not Him - I will approach this from a practical or natural benefit stand point. But first I have to set the stage.

Most people don't realize - or take for granted - the amazing gift we have been given. We have literally won the cosmic lottery. And that applies to each and every human being who has ever lived no matter their experiences in life. We are the pinnacle of creation. We are beings that know and create. The most complex thing that creation has produced. We get to experience existence. Existence is literally made manifest by our minds. The very fabric of what we are made out of was created out of nothing ~14 billion years ago. It's pretty incredible stuff if you stop to think about it.

Thank you, Ding, and your post is great.

I will also reiterate that in ancient Hebrew, the word also signified obedience. We should obey God above all others--but obedience is not absolute to God. Obedience to an employer is a good example, to a parent, to a club or organization--but only up to the point where it is in agreement with obedience to God.

For example, in today's news, a congresswoman called for rioters to get more confrontational which is at odds with, "Blessed are the peacemakers..." I am sure more examples, both historical and present-day, are readily available. Before we step into any political situation we need to ask, "Is this love of God? Is this love of our fellowman?"

The Bible advises we can only serve one Master lest we end up loving one and hating the other.

Have we ended up hating God as we pursue love of our political party and its leaders?

 

[ding]

How does a person worship?

See post #3 for how I worship God

Is believing in the existence of an unprovable entity a form of worship?

That's some weird wording. I don't think so, unproven or otherwise. If a belief doesn't manifest itself as a positive change that's called lip service.

Are abstract values worthy of guarding?

No idea, it probably depends. Manifested values that effect positive change certainly are.

Is guarding the value of abstract qualities a form of worship?

I don't think so. But there is value in exploring all sides of an issue to arrive at objective truth.