Week Reflection No.3

The idea of worship is almost a key factor of the idea of "sacred space", which was mentioned in the first week of this blog. However, worship comes in many forms and varieties, and depending on the individual's personality, it is done very differently to the next person. In this week of Study of Religion, the class watched videos from the series called "Songs of Praise", which looked at a variety of religious worship styles, which very few of us had heard of before. An example was a Christian, who adopted "eastern meditation" into their doctrine and believed it had excellent enhancement to praying and being at one with God.

A woman meditating, with candles which suggests Christian doctrine.

Unfortunately, there are those, who are forced to do worship in a certain style, because they are either impaired or unable to leave their house to join religious communities and gatherings. A solution to this, is to use "worship DVDs" or videos to help that individual immerse themselves into what they believe is a sacred space, or to educate them about their own spirituality.

An old man enjoying television in the comfort of his own home

In a worship DVD, the screen is normally displayed with lyrics and a view of several singers. This also depends on what kind of song it is - whether it is a traditional Catholic hymn, or a Baptist Church piece with a whole band. Normally, the individual viewing the worship, will enjoy seeing the smiles upon the worshipper's faces, and even gestures which signify that they are truly immersed, and therefore the individual is compelled to join in as well. Examples of this are raising of hands, emotional voice and lyrics which the individual can relate to. I believe, that to an extent, the individual viewing the worship DVD may feel a peace and holiness in the room, but I firmly do not believe that it could be as ever of a sacred space as them simply praying quietly by themselves or with people present in the room. When an individual views something that which they enjoy, through a television, it becomes very virtual and sometimes not always that real, whereas in contrast if they are doing what they enjoy physically in the actual environment, then there is a far more empathetical effect.

A group of Christians, raising their hands in worship