Definition

Noun: 1. The worship of the cosmos: Cosmolatry refers to the religious veneration, adoration, or worship of the universe or cosmos as a whole, often as a divine or sacred entity.

Usage

• Cosmolatry is a formal, specialized term used primarily in academic contexts such as religious studies, anthropology, or philosophy of religion. It describes a specific type of religious practice or belief system.

Examples

• The ancient philosopher's writings hinted at a form of cosmolatry, where the stars and planets were seen as manifestations of the divine.
• Some interpretations of pantheism border on cosmolatry, equating God with the entirety of the natural universe.
• Anthropologists study whether certain indigenous rituals constitute cosmolatry or a more specific form of nature worship.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used in a metaphorical or critical sense to describe an excessive reverence for scientific cosmology or the physical universe to the exclusion of other perspectives.
  • His absolute faith in astrophysical models was criticized as a kind of scientific cosmolatry.

Variants and Related Words

• Cosmotheism (noun): A theological doctrine identifying God with the cosmos.
• Pantheism (noun): A doctrine that identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God. (Note: Pantheism is a broader, more common philosophical concept, while cosmolatry specifically denotes the ).

Synonyms

• Cosmic worship
• Universe worship

Antonyms

• Anthropolatry (noun): The worship of human beings.
• Idolatry (noun): The worship of idols or physical objects as gods. (This is a more general term for worship directed at a specific, often tangible, object rather than the entire cosmos).

Noun

1. the worship of the cosmos