Home as a Space of Worship

Publication Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

1-2012

Abstract

Worshipping at home is an important expression of religious adherence. The practice of home worship is not only a private endeavour but also a socially significant undertaking that defines an individual's relationship with his/her community and the space that he/she lives in. The home and the family is a space for the cultural practice and reproduction of religious beliefs. This article elaborates on some of the sociocultural issues surrounding home worship: the various reasons for home worship; the various ways in which worship at home is carried out; the rituals undertaken to sanctify the home and the processes that demarcate sacred spaces in the domestic sphere; the material dimensions of home worship, such as the transference of religious inspiration onto the physical structures of dwelling places and the belief in and adherence to sacred geometry; and the significance of home worship in asserting one's religious identity both individually and communally.

Keywords

Ancestor worship, Home worship, Private worship, Processes of sanctification, Religious identity, Religious practice, Religious-inspired architecture, Sacred geometries, Sacred space, Social roles

Discipline

Religion | Urban Studies

Research Areas

Humanities

Publication

International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home

Editor

Smith, Susan

First Page

394

Last Page

398

ISBN

9780080471716

Identifier

10.1016/B978-0-08-047163-1.00306-4

Publisher

Elsevier

City or Country

Amsterdam

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-047163-1.00306-4

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