“Windows To Spirituality”
Jewish Prayer Jewish prayer (תְּפִלָּה, tefillah; תְּפִלּוֹת, tefillot; תּפֿלה tfile, תּפֿלות tfilles; davening from Yiddish דאַוון daven ‘pray’) are the prayer recitations and Jewish meditation traditions that form part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book. However, the term tefillah as referenced in...
Kinds Of Prayer In His Name There is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise. In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Say (O Muhammad): My Lord would not concern Himself with you but for your prayer’ (Al-Furqan, 25.77). Reflect on the following five points concerning the...
Catholic Devotions The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops defines Catholic devotions as “…expressions of love and fidelity that arise from the intersection of one’s own faith, culture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Catholic devotions are not part of liturgical worship, even if they are performed in a Catholic church,...
Bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian Religions, in any of the languages from the Indian subcontinent. The term bhajanam (भजनम्) means reverence and originates from the root word bhaj (भजति), means to revere, as in “bhaja govindam“. The term “bhajana” also means sharing. The term ‘bhajan‘ is...
What Is Reason For Worship And Servitude Of God? Worship and servitude of God look to the Divine command and Divine pleasure. The reason for worship is the Divine command and its result is Divine pleasure. Its fruits and benefits look to the Hereafter. But so long as they are...
Totem Pole Totem poles are monumental carvings, a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by First Nations and indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast including northern Northwest Coast Haida,...
Puja In Hinduism Puja or Pooja (pūjā; पूजा) is a prayer ritual performed by Hindus of devotional worship to one or more deities, or to host and honor a guest, or one to spiritually celebrate an event. It may honour or celebrate the presence of special guest(s), or their memories after they...
Who Are You Gonna Call When Everything Is United Against You? The supplication of Prophet Jonah is a most powerful supplication, a most effective means for obtaining answer to prayer. The summary of the celebrated story of Jonah is as follows: He was cast into the sea and swallowed by...
Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or humans to a higher purpose, in particular divine beings, as an act of propitiation or worship. While sacrifice often implies the ritual killing of an animal, the term offering (Latin oblatio) can be used for bloodless sacrifices of food or artifacts. For offerings...
Why All Of Our Prayers Have Not Been Answered This article covers Why All Of Our Prayers Have Not Been Answered. Belief necessitates supplication as a certain means of securing needs, and just as human nature has an intense desire for it, so too the Almighty God decrees, Say, “My...
Ceremonial Pole A ceremonial pole symbolizes a variety of concepts in several different cultures. For example, in the Miao culture in Yunnan China. In The Evolution of the Idea of God, Grant Allen notes that Samoyeds of Siberia, and Damara of South Africa plant stakes at the graves of ancestors. According...
![The Aztec Tula Atlantean statues have been called as symbols of idolatry, but may have just been stone images of warriors.[186]](https://slife.org/wp-content/uploads/Telamones_Tula-520x390.jpg)
Idolatry Idolatry literally means the worship of an “idol“, also known as a worship cult image, in the form of a physical image, such as a statue. In Abrahamic religions, namely Christianity, Islam and Judaism, idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than God as if it were...
Muscle Worship Muscle worship (also called sthenolagnia) is a form of body worship in which one participant, the worshiper, touches the muscles of another participant, the dominant, in a sexually arousing manner. The practice of muscle worship can involve various wrestling holds and lifts, as well as the rubbing, massaging, kissing, or...
Imperial Cult An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title) are worshipped as demigods or deities. “Cult” here is used to mean “worship“, not in the modern pejorative sense. The cult may be one of personality in...
Intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of praying to a deity or to a saint in heaven on behalf of oneself or others. The Apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy specified that intercession prayers should be made for those in authority. I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all...
Animal Worship Animal worship (or zoolatry) is rituals involving animals, such as the glorification of animal deities or animal sacrifice. When a god is respected or worshipped by means of a representative animal, an animal cult is formed (Teeter et al., 2002, p. 355). Animal cults may be classified according to their outward form or according...
Ancestor Worship Ancestor worship is a religious practice based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, that the spirits of deceased ancestors will look after the family, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the...
Why Do We Need To Worship God? This article covers the answer to the question: “Why Do We Need To Worship God?“ If you want to understand what great profit and happiness lie in worship, and what great loss and ruin lie in vice and dissipation listen to and take...
Farewell Discourse In the New Testament, Chapters 14-17 of the Gospel of John are known as the Farewell Discourse given by Jesus to eleven of his disciples immediately after the conclusion of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, the night before his crucifixion. The discourse is generally seen as having distinct components. First, Jesus tells the disciples...
Christian Prayer Prayer is an important activity in Christianity, and there are several different forms of Christian prayer. Christian prayers are diverse: they can be completely spontaneous, or read entirely from a text, like the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. The most common prayer among Christians is the “Lord’s Prayer“, which according to...
