Home›Devotional Practices›Obligation›Optional and voluntaryBrowse ByOptional and voluntaryThis page groups practices by whether they are a required duty or a voluntary devotion. Wikipedia notes that cultus "implies the necessity of active maintenance beyond passive adoration," a distinction between merely believing and actually being obliged to act. Browsing this way lets a visitor separate a commanded practice from one an adherent may take up or leave off freely.FactsLearn MoreOptional and voluntarySourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe sustained acts by which adherents attend to a deity, ancestor or holy figure - prayer at fixed hours, recitation and chant, offerings at a shrine or home altar, veneration of saints and images, pilgrimage. It is the widest and loosest of these groupings and holds acts that are obligatory in one tradition and freely optional in another. 2StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard analytic category in the study of religion 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedPractices 1ComparisonPrimary Academic DisciplineWell-attestedComparative Religion 3Learn MoreThe Devotional Practices This group gathers devotional practices, the acts by which the faithful express love, reverence and dependence toward the divine: prayer, worship, praise, offering, the reciting of names and the observance of daily and seasonal devotion. It is the largest practice grouping in the atlas, reflecting how central devotion is to religious life. The browser will find devotional practices from across the world's traditions. The entries describe each practice's form, purpose and setting, noting the tradition to which it belongs and how it is performed.Optional and voluntaryFilter Results8 entriesOrigin Period Start YearAll300 (1)850 (1)1100 (1)1200 (1)1400 (2)Unesco StatusAllInscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (1)Solitary or CommunalAllPerformed alone or together (5)Performed by a gathered group (2)TraditionAllAlexandrian Wicca (1)Dianic Wicca (1)Eclectic Solitary Wicca (1)Feri Tradition (1)Gardnerian Wicca (1)Reclaiming (1)Roman Catholicism (4)Seax-Wica (1)Sufism (1)Category of PracticeAllDevotional (1)Who Performs ItAllAll adherents of the tradition (3)Lay people (3)Trained or authorised specialists (1)Practice StatusAllLiving tradition, practised today (5)Scholarly StandingAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (8)CadenceAllAs the occasion requires (3)Daily (1)Monthly (1)Seasonal, at set points in the year (1)Weekly (1)In GroupAllChristian Devotional Practices (4)Hindu Devotional Practices (1)Islamic Devotional Practices (2)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 8Eucharistic adorationOptional and voluntaryMut'ah of HajjOptional and voluntaryNew Moon observanceOptional and voluntaryNovenaOptional and voluntaryPraying the RosaryOptional and voluntarySama (spiritual music and whirling)Optional and voluntaryStations of the CrossOptional and voluntaryVrataOptional and voluntarySources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. Worship and Devotional LifeView the Source3. Wikipedia: Comparative religiontier 2WikipediaComparative religion, opening definitionQuote, Comparative religion, opening definitionComparative religion is the branch of religious studies that systematically compares the doctrines, practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the worlds religions.View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.