Praise in the context of "Free will"

Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembrance, supplication, or repentance. It forms a basis for establishing a relationship with God or the divine.

Technically speaking, liturgy forms a subset of ritual. The word liturgy, sometimes equated in English as "service", refers to a formal ritual enacted by those who understand themselves to be participating in an action with the divine.

Pride is a human secondary emotion characterized by a sense of security with one's identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame and, depending on context, may be viewed as either a virtue or a vice. Typically, pride arises from praise, independent self-reflection, and/or a fulfilled feeling of belonging.

The word pride may refer to group identity. Manifestations include one's ethnicity. It is notably known for Black Pride, which gained historical momentum during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Then, it became known for independence struggles—Feminist Pride, rooted in the women's rights movement with gender equality struggles and sexual identity (for example, Gay Pride or LGBT Pride, rising in visibility following the Stonewall riots). In this context of minority groups, the display of pride is in defiance of people outside of the minority in question trying to instill them with a sense of shame. There is also the sense of pride that can accompany national identity (patriotism), regional identity, or other affiliations (e.g. proud to be a university alumnus). In this context, the pride is more literal.

In philosophy, moral responsibility is the status of morally deserving praise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one's moral obligations. Deciding what (if anything) counts as "morally obligatory" is a principal concern of ethics.

Philosophers refer to people who have moral responsibility for an action as "moral agents". Agents have the capability to reflect upon their situation, to form intentions about how they will act, and then to carry out that action. The notion of free will has become an important issue in the debate on whether individuals are ever morally responsible for their actions and, if so, in what sense. Incompatibilists regard determinism as being at odds with free will, whereas compatibilists think the two can coexist.

A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, is the result of an effort to create an idealized and heroic image of an admirable leader, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.

Historically, it has been developed through techniques such as the manipulation of the mass media, the dissemination of propaganda, the staging of spectacles, the manipulation of the arts, the instilling of patriotism, and government-organized demonstrations and rallies. A cult of personality is similar to apotheosis (deification), except that it is established through the use of modern social engineering techniques, it is usually established by the state or the party in one-party states and dominant-party states. Cults of personality often accompany the leaders of totalitarian or authoritarian governments. They can also be seen in some monarchies, theocracies, failed democracies, and even in liberal democracies.