ven⋅er⋅ate
Pronunciation [ven-uh-reyt]
verb
to regard or treat with reverence; revere.
wor⋅ship
Pronunciation [wur-ship]
verb
to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.
•Definitions courtesy of dictionary.com•
~~~
Pronunciation [ven-uh-reyt]
verb
to regard or treat with reverence; revere.
wor⋅ship
Pronunciation [wur-ship]
verb
to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.
•Definitions courtesy of dictionary.com•
~~~
The above two words are very similar, even to their definitions. However, their main difference is how they apply to figures in religion, especially that of the Catholic church. As a Catholic Christian, I have learned the difference between the two, and to whom each practice applies. However, I know that not everybody knows the difference, even those who are Catholic themselves. Thus, this thread was born.
In the Catholic Church, their is a presence of not only our Trinitarian God, but also that of the Holy Mother, Mary, and the Saints. And without being educated on the subject, the additional presences can be confused as idol worship. This confusion is not young. Icons, those 2D paintings of Jesus, Mary, or various and sundry saints caused this HUGE mess somewhere around the 1000s which caused the Schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Churches (You know, the Orthodx ones? Byzantine and Russian). And we've all heard this and that's about the praying of the Rosary.
So with a Christian good will, for those who are interested, let us talk on the difference between veneration and worship.
