What is Worship?

(It's more than you might think)


Like a great many words in the English language (such as nauseous and utilize), the word "worship" is generally misused. Most people seem to only use the word to mean something like "supreme adoration, fawning obedience, and/or slavish submission." A thoughtful examination of the word, however, reveals a far more inclusive definition.

Most dictionary etymologies trace the word to Old English weordth scipe, to give worth to (weordth = worth, scipe = ship). It indicates the giving of proper respect and honor to different individuals. It is entirely appropriate to "give worth to" one's parents, important supporters of the community, representatives of the government, and others who contribute to the welfare of society. It is in this sense that in some countries magistrates and similar officials are sometimes addressed with titles like "Your Worship." No one is suggesting the magistrate is a being deserving absolute submissive adoration; rather, they are individuals who as representatives of the community's laws and order are given respect and honor.

Thus, for instance, it is proper to worship one's ancestors. This doesn't necessarily mean that one believes that those who have come before are supreme beings; it means that it is right and good to recognize the worth of the lives of family members. The Christian Decalogue usually contains both an admonition to have no other gods before Yahweh and also instructions to honor parents, but there is no contradiction here. Even ahistorical monotheists who can barely name one or two of their own great-grandparents would likely agree that their ancestors were deserving of respect and honor. Giving them that respect and honor is called worship, and it's only ignorance and short-sightedness that lead some to think otherwise. A person may not worship ancestors in the same way one worships a god, but worship should still be an entirely appropriate word for what's given to someone's forebears.

In considering the worship of ancestors, one may more readily understand the worship a hard polytheist offers limited, mortal gods. To such an individual, the gods deserve honor and respect. According to the polytheist, the gods have contributed to the overall welfare of the worshipper and/or the community. Some polytheists view their gods as literal ancestors, though greatly removed, or ancestors in spirit ("the Elder Kin," "our Father who art in heaven," "Great Mother," and so on). There is ultimately a limit to their abilities, but the gods likely have significantly greater power than departed family members or human judges. These gods may not get slavish submission, but as beings of great power and great deeds, they are shipped more weordth than a judge or magistrate.

Ultimately, worship is something that can and should be offered in different ways to different beings. It is entirely proper to worship those who create along with those who have been created, to at all times give worth where it is due. To suggest that only one being deserves worship is to suggest that no one and nothing else in all of reality has any worth, an idea that even suicidal nihilists might not seriously entertain.

 

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