Home›Devotional Practices›Origin Period Start Year›20th centuryBrowse By20th centuryThis page groups practices by the year their recorded history begins. Wikipedia notes that "the term 'cult' first appeared in English in 1617," even though the underlying Latin concept is far older. Browsing by start year lets a visitor see how far back a practice's documented use in its own language reaches.FactsLearn More20th centurySourcesComments (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.20th centuryFilter Results9 entriesSolitary or CommunalAllPerformed alone (2)Performed alone or together (2)Performed by a gathered group (5)TraditionAllAlexandrian Wicca (1)Church of Satan (1)Dianic Wicca (1)Eclectic Solitary Wicca (1)Gardnerian Wicca (1)Jehovah's Witnesses (1)Pentecostalism (1)Who Performs ItAllAll adherents of the tradition (4)Initiates only (1)Lay people (1)Trained or authorised specialists (1)Women only (2)Practice StatusAllLiving tradition, practised today (8)Scholarly StandingAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (9)CadenceAllAs the occasion requires (3)Daily (1)Monthly (2)Seasonal, at set points in the year (1)Weekly (1)ObligationAllRecommended and meritorious, not required (1)Undertaken only with authorisation or transmission (2)In GroupAllChristian Devotional Practices (2)Indigenous and Folk Devotional Practices (1)Islamic Devotional Practices (1)New Religious Movement Practices (5)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 9Aboriginal Dot Painting20th centuryChanting HU20th centuryCoven-based initiatory worship20th centuryDoor-to-door evangelism20th centuryGreater and Lesser Magic20th centurySolitary self-directed practice20th centurySpeaking in tongues (glossolalia)20th centuryWomen-only covens20th centuryWomen's Mosque Movement20th centurySources1. 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.