Home as a Space of Worship

• Main Authors: Kong, Lily, Nair, S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2012
• Subjects: Ancestor worship; Home worship; Private worship; Processes of sanctification; Religious identity; Religious practice; Religious-inspired architecture; Sacred geometries; Sacred space; Social roles; Religion; Urban Studies
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1783
• Institution: Singapore Management University

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.