Praise vs Worship
Difference between praise and worship may be puzzling to some as praise and worship are two words that are often confused as words that give the same meaning which makes people not think about a difference that exists between the two words. However, strictly speaking, there is some difference between them. One of the most important differences between praise and worship is that, praise can be somewhat distant in character and nature. On the other hand, worship is more intimate than praise. If this is the case, let us have a look at what each term means exactly and the difference between praise and worship.
What does Praise mean?
Praise means showing your warm approval or admiration of someone. This could be another human being or animal and even a deity. Look at the following sentences.
She praised Henry for his good work.
The audience praised his singing immensely.
In both the sentences given above, praise is used to mean showing admiration. In that case, the meanings of the sentences would be ‘she admired Henry’s good work’ and ‘the audience admired his singing immensely.’
According to Christianity, the heart of a man need not be near to God for praise to happen. On the other hand, his heart has to be near to God when worship occurs. This only shows that worship brings man closer to God than praise. This is true of the other religions too. Mere praise results in the use of epithets of the Lord. Any part of the nature can praise the Lord, but at the same time the Lord will not have any relationship with them. For example, the mountain, the bird, the rivers, the sun, the moon or for that matter anything can praise him. Unlike worship, praise involves either giving or receiving.
Another important difference between praise and worship is that praise is always seen. In fact, it can be said that praise can either be seen or heard. Unlike the one who worships, the one who praises cannot be unassuming. On the other hand, one can easily judge and determine whether a person is praising or not. This is simply because of the fact that praise is felt by others.
What does Worship mean?
Worship, on the other hand, means the expression or feeling of reverence and adoration for a deity. In some cultures, worshipping the elders is also done out of respect.
More than praise, worship brings one closer to the Almighty. His mind gets one with the existence of God. Jesus is believed to have told his disciples on one occasion that rocks would cry out if they would not praise him. This is so because rocks do not have any kind of relationship with the Almighty.
On the other hand, worship is different in the sense that the proximity to the God gets improved. God develops a kind of relationship with such of those who worship. In fact, it can be said that relationship is a kind of requirement for anyone to worship God. Worship involves both giving and receiving. Thus, only one way is possible in the case of praise, whereas two ways are possible in the case of worship.
On the other hand, worship is not found by the observer. The worshipper alone is conscious of the experience. This is a very important difference between praise and worship. Sometimes, worship too gets visible to the observer, but it does not get visible like praise. Worship can be done quietly and hence, it can be said that the person who worships or the worshipper is always unassuming. In fact, it is highly impossible to watch people that worship. At the same time it becomes difficult for one to determine whether the person is worshipping or not. Unlike praising, worship is not felt by others.
What is the difference between Praise and Worship?
• Praise means showing your warm approval or admiration of someone. This could be another human being or animal and even a deity.
• Worship, on the other hand, means the expression or feeling of reverence and adoration for a deity, or even an elder in some cultures.
• Worship involves both giving and receiving. Thus, only one way is possible in the case of praise, whereas two ways are possible in the case of worship.
• The one who worships is unassuming and the one who praises is not unassuming.
• Determining whether someone is worshipping or not is difficult. However, it is easy to determine whether or not someone is praising.
• Praise is felt by others; worship is not felt by others.
These are the important differences between the two words, namely, praise and worship.