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'''Worship''' in its broadest meaning is to ascribe honor, worth, excellence or authority to someone, whether a [[hero]], [[Philosopher|sage]], a [[magistrate]], a [[ruler]], or [[God]], as being worthy of honor, respect, or dignity, even veneration. In the [[Latin]] language the varying degrees of intensity of worshipful respect are expressed as the terms ''dulia, hyperdulia, and latria'', this last, ''latria'', being the unconditional ''adoration'' due to God alone. [[Saint Paul]] in his [[Epistle to the Romans]] expressed it this way:{{cquote|Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those that resist will incur judgment.... Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. <br>—Romans 13:1-2, 7 (RSVCE)}}[[Saint Peter]] wrote:{{cquote|Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. <br>—1 Peter 2:13-17 (RSVCE).}} God commanded, "Honor your father and your mother" <ref>Exodus 20:12</ref>. Paul also wrote, {{cquote|Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ...let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth”. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ; not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good any one does he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and forbear threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.<ref>Ephesians 5:21-22, 5:33–6:9</ref>.}}In human society, this is the proper worship of honor and respect according to human dignity (''dulia''), for God made man, male and female, in the image of God <ref>Genesis 1:26-27</ref>.

'''Worship''' is essentially, primarily, the appropriate primacy of attention properly given to whatever is in reality most fundamentally important, [[Truth]], [[God]]; or a fundamental emphasis on, or orientation to, that which a person believes rightly or wrongly to be basically essential to his or her well-being, whatever is held to be of most vital importance above all other considerations in life. Worship involves willing or unwilling sacrifice of time, talent and treasure, variously rooted in [[fear]], [[addiction]], [[Obsessive thinking|obsession]], [[Motivation|dedication of purpose]], or [[Admirable|admiration]] of whatever is the primary focus of attention, of worship, whether or not it is called worship.

==Worship in religion==

==Worship in religion==

==Degrees of Worship: Dulia, Hyperdulia, and Latreia==

==Degrees of Worship: Dulia, Hyperdulia, and Latreia==

Many [[Protestantism|Protestants]] have been taught that Orthodox and Catholic Christians worship Mary as God or Goddess apart from or greater than Jesus Christ and above God the Father, and worship all the other saints as a [[pantheon]] of gods, and that they commit [[idolatry]] in reverently showing them respect by bowing to them, to their images and pictures and [[icon]]s, and praying to them for their [[intercession]]. The Protestant teaching that this is all pagan idolatry is based on a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word "worship", which has been severely restricted and redefined by Protestant teachers and [[Apologetics|apologists]] since the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] as being strictly limited in meaning to "adoration" only, as has the word "prayer", which broadly meant simply "petition", but has become restricted by them to [[Connotation|connoting]] solely the worship of God or a god, and the word "intercession" also being strictly limited and restricted by them to mean only "mediation",<ref>Compare 1 Timothy 2:1-6.</ref> cases representing examples of ''semantic shift'' and a consequent narrowing of the modern ''semantic field'' of related terms in the 20th and 21st centuries. This is misleading.

The word "worship" has undergone a change in meaning in English. This is due primarily to the struggle of the [[Protestant Reformation]] in its influential [[polemic]] against the doctrines of the [[Catholic Church]], representing an example of what [[Linguistis|linguists]] call ''semantic shift'' and a consequent narrowing of the modern ''semantic field'' of related terms in the 20th and 21st centuries.<ref>See the following articles:

 

The word "worship" has undergone a change in meaning in English. It comes from the [[Old English]] ''weorthscipe'', which means the condition of being worthy of honor, respect, or dignity. To worship in this older, larger sense is to ascribe honor, worth, or excellence to someone, whether a sage, a magistrate, or God.  

</ref> This is misleading. In the [[Latin]] language the varying degrees of intensity of worshipful respect are expressed by the terms, ''dulia, hyperdulia, and latria'', this last, ''latria'', being the unconditional ''adoration'' due to God alone.  

For many centuries, the term worship simply meant showing respect or honor (Latin, ''dulia''), and an example of this usage survives in contemporary English. British subjects refer to their magistrates as "Your Worship," although Americans would say "Your Honor." This does not mean that British subjects worship their magistrates as gods (in fact, they may even despise a particular magistrate they are addressing), or that Americans give to their magistrates and Supreme Court justices honor due only to God. It means they are giving them the venerable dignity, honor and respect appropriate to their office (''dulia'' "veneration"), not the honor appropriate to God (''latreia, latria'' "adoration").

For many centuries, the term worship simply meant showing respect or honor (Latin, ''dulia''), and an example of this usage survives in contemporary English. British subjects refer to their magistrates as "Your Worship," although Americans would say "Your Honor." This does not mean that British subjects worship their magistrates as gods (in fact, they may even despise a particular magistrate they are addressing), or that Americans give to their magistrates and Supreme Court justices honor due only to God. It means they are giving them the venerable dignity, honor and respect appropriate to their office (''dulia'' "veneration"), not the honor appropriate to God (''latreia, also spelled latria'', meaning "adoration").

   

   

In the traditional Anglican Solemnization of Matrimony ceremony, found in the [[Book of Common Prayer]], when the groom placed the ring on the bride's finger, he said to her:  "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee '''worship''', and with all my worldly goods I thee endow" (''boldface emphasis added'').  Did he consider his wife a goddess?  Was he committing [[idolatry]]?  No, for he was using the word "worship" in its original sense of "honor" (''dulia''). This is the meaning of the words in the Book of Common Prayer.

In the traditional Anglican Solemnization of Matrimony ceremony, found in the [[Book of Common Prayer]], when the groom placed the ring on the bride's finger, he said to her:  "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee '''worship''', and with all my worldly goods I thee endow" (''boldface emphasis added'').  Did he consider his wife a goddess?  Was he committing [[idolatry]]?  No, for he was using the word "worship" in its original sense of "honor" (''dulia''). This is the meaning of the words in the Book of Common Prayer.

The same goes for a quote from an old (obscure) official Catholic prayerbook entitled  '''''All for Jesus!''''':  

The same goes for a quote from an old (obscure) official Catholic prayerbook entitled  '''''All for Jesus!''''':  

:"[[Holy|Holiest]] [[Virginity|Virgin]], with all my heart I '''worship thee''' above all the angels and saints in paradise... I consecrate my soul and all its powers...I '''worship thee''' the spouse of the Holy Ghost..." (''boldface emphasis added'') <ref>'''Devotions to Our Blessed Lady, All for Jesus:''' Approved Devotions and Prayers for Church and Home, p 283. Imprimatur: John Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of NY, Mar 13, 1884.</ref>

:"[[Holy|Holiest]] [[Virginity|Virgin]], with all my heart I '''worship thee''' above all the angels and saints in paradise... I consecrate my soul and all its powers...I '''worship thee''' the spouse of the Holy Ghost..." (''boldface emphasis added'') <ref>'''Devotions to Our Blessed Lady, All for Jesus:''' Approved Devotions and Prayers for Church and Home, p 283. Imprimatur: John Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of NY, Mar 13, 1884.</ref>

This quote does not [[Proof|prove]] that Catholics offer Mary the divine worship of ''latreia''. Note that the prayer says "I worship (honor) thee above all the angels and saints in paradise" (''hyperdulia''), not "I worship thee above God" or "equal to God", or "as my God" (''latria'').  Catholics and Orthodox believe it is entirely appropriate that [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary, the mother of Jesus Our Lord and God]], should receive a higher honor (''hyperdulia'') than any other mere creature, such as angels and saints, as God Himself honored her by his messenger [[Gabriel (archangel)|Gabriel]] as "blessed among all women", but never equal to or greater than the supreme honor of unbounded adoration given to the Creator of all (''latria''), to Jesus who is not a creature but God. As the Catholic Answers tract "Saint Worship?" explains''':'''  Catholics understand according to the doctrine they have been taught that all the honor given to Mary (''hyperdulia'') and the saints (''dulia'') redounds to the greater honor and praise (''latria'') of their Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ! "And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified." <ref>Romans 8:30 (RSVCE)</ref> Those who have actually read in full the more complete explanation of this Roman Catholic doctrine in the book by St. Alphonsus Ligouri, ''The Glories of Mary'', 1852 (available in a variety of formats online), have been surprised at how much it has been [[Quoting out of context|quoted out of context]], [[Calumny|maligned]] and [[Misrepresentation|misrepresented]].<ref>See for example, [https://forums.catholic.com/t/glories-of-mary/9567/5 Catholic Answers Forum - Glories of Mary (catholic.com)]</ref>{{cquote|To say all in a few words''':''' Almighty God, in order to glorify the mother of the Redeemer, has ordained that her great charity should intercede for all those for whom her divine Son offered and paid the superabundant ransom of his precious blood, in which '''alone''' is our ''salvation, life'' and ''resurrection''. (''italic emphases by the author; boldface emphasis added'')<br>—''from'' To the Reader, ''The Glories of Mary''.<ref>[http://www.themostholyrosary.com/the-glories-of-mary.pdf The Glories of Mary, Translated from the Italian of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, Founder of the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer, 1882, copyright 1888 by P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 44 Barclay Street, New York. pdf—full text]<br>See also [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWcXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=glories+of+mary&hl=en&ei=LWM7TM2zNsyMnQe_rKHlAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books link to ''The Glories of Mary'' providing immediate access to any part of the work from the table of contents page. (books.google.com)]</ref>}}

This quote does not [[Proof|prove]] that Catholics offer Mary the divine worship of ''latreia''. Note that the prayer says "I worship (honor) thee above all the angels and saints in paradise" (''hyperdulia''), not "I worship thee above God" or "equal to God", or "as my God" (''latria'').  Catholics and Orthodox believe it is entirely appropriate that [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary, the mother of Jesus Our Lord and God]], should receive a higher honor (''hyperdulia'') than any other mere creature, such as angels and saints, as God Himself honored her by his messenger [[Gabriel (archangel)|Gabriel]] as "blessed among all women", but never equal to or greater than the supreme honor of unbounded adoration given to the Creator of all (''latria''), to Jesus who is not a creature but God. As the Catholic Answers tract "Saint Worship?" explains''':'''  Catholics understand according to the doctrine they have been taught that all the honor given to Mary (''hyperdulia'') and the saints (''dulia'') redounds to the greater honor and praise (''latria'') of their Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ! "And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified." <ref>Romans 8:30 (RSVCE)</ref> Those who have actually read in full the more complete explanation of this Roman Catholic doctrine in the book by St. Alphonsus Ligouri, ''The Glories of Mary'', 1852 (available in a variety of formats online), have been surprised at how much it has been [[Quoting out of context|quoted out of context]], [[Calumny|maligned]] and [[Misrepresentation|misrepresented]].<ref>See for example, [https://forums.catholic.com/t/glories-of-mary/9567/5 Catholic Answers Forum - Glories of Mary (catholic.com)]</ref>{{cquote|To say all in a few words''':''' Almighty God, in order to glorify the mother of the Redeemer, has ordained that her great charity should intercede for all those for whom her divine Son offered and paid the superabundant ransom of his precious blood, in which '''alone''' is our ''salvation, life'' and ''resurrection''. (''italic emphases by the author; boldface emphasis added'')<br>—''from'' To the Reader, ''The Glories of Mary''.<ref>[http://www.themostholyrosary.com/the-glories-of-mary.pdf The Glories of Mary, Translated from the Italian of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, Founder of the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer, 1882, copyright 1888 by P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 44 Barclay Street, New York. pdf—full text]<br>See also [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWcXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=glories+of+mary&hl=en&ei=LWM7TM2zNsyMnQe_rKHlAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books link to ''The Glories of Mary'' providing immediate access to any part of the work from the table of contents page. (books.google.com)]</ref>}}  

 

 

 

==''Sola scriptura'': Bibliolatry, Bible worship==

==''Sola scriptura'': Bibliolatry, Bible worship==

Similar to the charge of Mariolatry, "Mary worship", is the charge of Bibliolatry, "Bible worship", [[Ignorance|ignorantly]] leveled against Protestants, in particular [[Fundamentalism|Fundamentalists]], for whom the '''[[Bible]]''' itself, infallible, inerrant, and divinely inspired, is the very living Word of God, Spirit-breathed to mankind, in which is discerned and communicated the very Mind of God to the believer who reads its pages.  

Similar to the charge of Mariolatry, "Mary worship", is the charge of Bibliolatry, "Bible worship", [[Ignorance|ignorantly]] leveled against Protestants, in particular [[Fundamentalism|Fundamentalists]], for whom the '''[[Bible]]''' itself, infallible, inerrant, and divinely inspired, is the very living Word of God, Spirit-breathed to mankind, in which is discerned and communicated the very Mind of God to the believer who reads its pages.<ref>See the following:

The term '''bibliolatry''' is from the Greek '''βιβλίον''' ''biblion'', "a book", and '''λάτρία''' ''latreia'', "worship".

The term '''bibliolatry''' is from the Greek '''βιβλίον''' ''biblion'', "a book", and '''λάτρία''' ''latreia'', "worship".

===People who have been considered deities===

===People who have been considered deities===

[[Wikipedia]] has a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_been_considered_deities list of people who have been considered deities.] This list does not include the [[Pope]]s.

[[Wikipedia]] has a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_been_considered_deities list of people who have been considered deities.] This list does not include any [[Pope]]s, or the office of the papacy.

===Does the [[Pope]] claim to be God on Earth?===

===Does the [[Pope]] claim to be God on Earth?===

According to the [[tradition]] of [[apostolic succession]], and according to the official doctrine of [[Petrine Primacy|papal primacy]], the Bishop of Rome, the Patriarch of the West, the Pope occupies the office of the Apostle Peter as chief ambassador of God, like Saint Paul, "in the place of Christ". This has been denounced by [[Protestantism|Protestants]] since [[Martin Luther]] as an outrageous [[blasphemy]] of the [[Antichrist]] of [[Satan]] in direct opposition to the clear teaching of the Bible.<ref>[http://www.7thdaynotsunday.org.nz/PDFs/Luther%20on%20Antichrist.pdf Martin Luther's Views on the Antichrist, Dennis Pettibone, Southern Adventist University. ''Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 18/1 (Spring 2007): 81–100.'' (7thdaynotsunday.org.nz) pdf]</ref> <ref>[http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/luther/againstexecrablebull.html ''Against the Execrable Bull of the Antichrist'' (excerpt) Martin Luther's Reply to the Papal Bull of Leo X. Source: Roland H. Bainton, ''Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther'' (Hendrickson Classic, 1950)(pp. 153-155) (law2.umkc.edu)]</ref>

According to the [[tradition]] of [[apostolic succession]], and according to the official doctrine of [[Petrine Primacy|papal primacy]], the Bishop of Rome, the Patriarch of the West, the Pope occupies the office of the Apostle Peter as chief ambassador of God, like Saint Paul, "in the place of Christ". This has been denounced by [[Protestantism|Protestants]] since [[Martin Luther]] as an outrageous [[blasphemy]] of the [[Antichrist]] of [[Satan]] in direct opposition to the clear teaching of the Bible.<ref>[http://www.7thdaynotsunday.org.nz/PDFs/Luther%20on%20Antichrist.pdf Martin Luther's Views on the Antichrist, Dennis Pettibone, Southern Adventist University. ''Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 18/1 (Spring 2007): 81–100.'' (7thdaynotsunday.org.nz) pdf]</ref> <ref>[http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/luther/againstexecrablebull.html ''Against the Execrable Bull of the Antichrist'' (excerpt) Martin Luther's Reply to the Papal Bull of Leo X. Source: Roland H. Bainton, ''Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther'' (Hendrickson Classic, 1950)(pp. 153-155) (law2.umkc.edu)]</ref>

Catholic apologists argue that the widespread belief that Popes claim to be God on Earth is based on a [[strategy]] of [[defamation]] using [[misrepresentation]] and [[quoting out of context]], as part of an ongoing campaign of [[polemic]]al arguments against the [[Catholic Church]]. A famous list of "''proof texts''" current since the late 19th and early 20 centuries has been reproduced in full and in part in print and online. The sources of the quotations have been carefully researched and debunked as either misquotes, distortions, or entirely fictitious fabrications from sources that never existed.<ref>See also [[''The Two Babylons'']] by Alexander Hislop, and [[Foxe's Book of Martyrs]].</ref> Catholic apologists claim that those who do not know the facts but believe the list to be true and promote it as being truthful are not necessarily [[Lie|liars]] but are involved in spreading a [[falsehood]] based on [[specious reasoning]], [[Cherry picking|cherry-picking]] and [[confirmation bias]], and possibly [[invincible ignorance]].

Catholic [[Apologetics|apologists]] argue that the widespread belief that Popes claim to be God on Earth is based on a [[strategy]] of [[defamation]] using [[misrepresentation]] and [[quoting out of context]], as part of an ongoing campaign of [[polemic]]al arguments against the [[Catholic Church]]. A famous list of "''proof texts''" current since the late 19th and early 20 centuries has been reproduced in full and in part in print and online. The sources of the quotations have been carefully researched and debunked as either misquotes, distortions, or entirely fictitious fabrications from sources that never existed.<ref>See also [[''The Two Babylons'']] by Alexander Hislop, and [[Foxe's Book of Martyrs]].</ref> Catholic apologists claim that those who do not know the facts but believe the list to be true and promote it as being truthful are not necessarily [[Lie|liars]] but are involved in spreading a [[falsehood]] based on [[specious reasoning]], [[Cherry picking|cherry-picking]] and [[confirmation bias]], and possibly [[invincible ignorance]].<ref>See the following articles:

*[http://www.geoffhorton.com/PapalClaims.html Have Popes Really Claimed to be God? by Geoff Horton (geoffhorton.com)]

*[http://www.geoffhorton.com/PapalClaims.html Have Popes Really Claimed to be God? by Geoff Horton (geoffhorton.com)]

*[http://sacrificium-laudis.blogspot.com/2008/09/our-lord-god-popenot-part-1.html "Our Lord God the Pope"...not: Part 1, posted by Patrick (sacrificium-laudis.blogspot.com)]

*[http://sacrificium-laudis.blogspot.com/2008/09/our-lord-god-popenot-part-1.html "Our Lord God the Pope"...not: Part 1, posted by Patrick (sacrificium-laudis.blogspot.com)]

*[http://blog.theotokos.co.za/pdf/The%20Truth%20about%20the%20title%20Lord%20God%20the%20Pope.pdf The Truth about the title "Lord God the Pope", (''scroll down to'' article copyright 2003 Sean's Faith Website) (blog.theotokos.com.za) pdf]

*[http://blog.theotokos.co.za/pdf/The%20Truth%20about%20the%20title%20Lord%20God%20the%20Pope.pdf The Truth about the title "Lord God the Pope", (''scroll down to'' article copyright 2003 Sean's Faith Website) (blog.theotokos.com.za) pdf]

*[https://threeminuteapologetics.blogspot.com/2013/05/havent-some-popes-claimed-to-be-god-on.html Haven't some popes claimed to be God on earth? (threeminuteapologetics.blogspot.com)]

*[https://threeminuteapologetics.blogspot.com/2013/05/havent-some-popes-claimed-to-be-god-on.html Haven't some popes claimed to be God on earth? (threeminuteapologetics.blogspot.com)]</ref>

===The Saints of the Lord as admirable Heroes of the Faith===

===The Saints of the Lord as admirable Heroes of the Faith===

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[[Category:Religion]]

[[Category:Religion]]

[[Category:Christianity]]

[[Category:Christianity]]

[[Category:Catholic Church]]

[[Category:Catholic Church]]

[[Category:Orthodox Church]]

[[Category:Orthodox Church]]