...Name: Laura Blumberg Class: ENG 101 Professor: Kristin Sheldon Date: 06/10/2012 Audience Paragraph The audience for this essay: “Some aspects of myths, rituals, and religious beliefs of Orthodox and Baptist communities” is addressed to the people who are educated, and often meet to discuss approaches in regards to similar, yet different things. Most of these people, men and women of differing ages, have at least finished high school, while a great majority went to college. They are from all social classes, and through education, they have achieved good knowledge and understanding of the topic. Their beliefs and religious practices show that they share the same ideas, however, some differences can be found among them. Some aspects of myths, rituals, and religious beliefs of Orthodox and Baptist communities It is said that mythology is different from religion, because mythology has prepared the appearance of religion or other forms of culture and, unlike religion, mythology remains an anonymous work. From the begging, the church spread quickly its influence throughout most of the Roman Empire, despite much of the opposition. The Orthodox churches revert back to what was seen as original forms of worship, while the Baptist church, on the other hand, had a much slower path of evolution. It is important to make a distinction between three short words: mythology, religion, and Christianity....
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...experience of life and the perceptions of religious practitioners? Religion has shaped the experience of life and the perceptions of religious practitioners in many ways. Christianity and Islam are two religions that truly affect the daily life of their practitioners. In this section of the paper I will explain the daily, weekly, and monthly rituals of the Christians and the Muslims and how it shapes them as people. Starting off with Christianity, Christians focus on Christ. Christian use daily gospel reading and prayer to learn and to communicate with Christ. Christians do prayer alone and also in groups. Most Christians pray when they wake, before meals, and at bedtime. The prayer revolves around thanking God, asking for something, or praying for the ill. The Gospel of Matthew contains one prayer called “The Lord’s Prayer”. The prayer tells Christians how to pray and what to pray for. It is known as the most influential prayer in Christianity. The Christians most sacred book is the Holy Bible which is composed of an old and New Testament. Also, Christians used to follow a strict practice of going to mass every day, but this has phased out a bit in recent times due to modern society. Christians also go to mass on Sunday which is the Sabbath. On a yearly basis there are many sacred holidays or holy days that require Christians to do or refrain from certain acts. An example of one of the holidays is Christmas and Easter. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ...
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...Introduction: Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony. People from any religion feel free to celebrate their religious festivals with a befitting manner and due honor and fervency. | There are as many festivals in Bangladesh as there are days in the year. Fairs and festivals play an important role in the social life of ordinary Bangladeshis. The biggest Muslim religious festivals are the Eid-Ul-Fitr (end of the fasting month of Ramadhan). Eid-ul-Azha, Muharram and Miladunnabi (birth day of the Prophet), Widely celebrated festivals for other religious communities are the Durga Puja for the Hindus, Christmas for Christians etc. Religious Festivals of Bangladesh: There are different religious festivals observe in Bangladesh. They are: Eid ul-Fitr As the most important religious festival for the majority of Muslims, the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr has become a part of the culture of Bangladesh. The festival takes place on the day following the Ramadan or the month of fasting. The government of Bangladesh declares the holiday for three days on Eid-ul Fitr. All outgoing public transport from the major cities have become highly crowded and in many cases the fares tend to rise in spite of government restrictions. On Eid day, the Eid prayer are held all over the country, in open areas like fields or inside mosques. After the Eid prayers, people return home, visit each other's home and eat sweet dishes called shirni. Throughout the day gentlemen embrace each other....
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...burned to make room for the view of Christian theology outlined in the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But when two peasants discovered the Nag Hammadi texts, a 13-volume library of Coptic texts hidden beneath a large boulder near the town of Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt, the world was reintroduced to this long-forgotten and much-maligned branch of early Christian thought, Gnostic Christianity, from the Greek word gnosis, “knowledge.” The Nag Hammadi codices are 13 leather-bound volumes dated to the mid-fourth century that contain an unprecedented collection of more than 50 texts, including some that had been composed as early as the second century. Learn about the history of Christmas and the date of Jesus’ birth in the free eBook The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus’ Birth in History and Tradition. The Nag Hammadi codices, detail Photo: Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont, CA. Once the Nag Hammadi codices had been...
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...o Describes these basic components of religious traditions and their relationship to the sacred: • What a religious tradition says—its teachings, texts, doctrine, stories, myths, and others • What a religious tradition does—worship, prayer, pilgrimage, ritual, and so forth • How a religious tradition organizes—leadership, relationships among members, and so forth o Identifies key critical issues in the study of religion. o Includes specific examples from the various religious traditions described in the Week One readings that honor the sacred—such as rituals of the Igbo to mark life events, the vision quest as a common ritual in many Native American societies, or the influence of the shaman as a leader. You may also include examples from your own religious tradition or another religious tradition with which you are familiar. 1. There are a couple of critical issues when it comes to the study of what a religious tradition says. The first is to make a distinction between the oral tradition and the written tradition. Many well-developed, world religions have an established canon of sacred texts, as well as an oral tradition. In some cases, this also has come to be written down. For instance, in Judaism, there is the tradition of the Oral Torah and the written Torah. The written Torah has become the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible as we know it. The Oral Torah has also been written down in established commentaries in the Talmud. However, many indigenous...
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...In this paper I will analyze and describe the consumption behaviors and sources of influence associated with such widely recognized cultural occurrence as Christmas. “Christmas is a mixture of celebrations, personal behaviors and attitudes, rituals and myths, the selling and buying of gifts, and public and private get-togethers. They all are brought together from ancient pagan festivals, various ethnic traditions, the biblical stories of Jesus’ birth, historic religious traditions, practices and beliefs, and material business strategies that are all focused around December 25th” (Sherbondy). How much do we actually know about the history of Christmas? Some might be completely surprised that December 25 is an approximate date of the birth of Jesus Christ. The exact date of his birth was unknown, so early Christians chose that date “to correspond with the day exactly nine months after they believed he was conceived” (Crock). The current culturally accepted forms of consumption behavior became established over time. “For centuries it was common to give Christmas gifts to friends and relatives at Christmas. However hanging out stockings to be filled with presents was first recorded in parts of England in the early 19th century. It became common in the late 19th century” (Lambert). “The sending of cards at Christmas time evolved from the practice of giving small, inexpensive favors to wish distant family, friends, and acquaintances well over the holidays. Over time, this...
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...Religious Traditions Rebecca Scales World Religions II Marilyn Flege May 9, 2013 Religion is the foundation of morality. Without religion, we would be living in a lawless society with no consequences. Organized religion has helped shape the society we live in today. Religion gives people something to believe in. The definition of religion is re·li·gion [ri-lij-uhn] noun 1.a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. 2. A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion. 3. The body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions. 4. The life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion. 5. The practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith. Religion is practicing your own set of beliefs and traditions. Having a belief in something gives people hope and faith that there will be better days in the future; that everything happens for a reason. Religion is something that you may very much practice, and it may be something that one doesn't even care for. Every religion has their own set of traditions that they practice. When it comes to Christianity, traditions that they...
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...Mormons What is Mormonism? Who is a Mormon? And what place does Mormonism have in the religious tradition of the United States today? This paper will attempt to give readers a better understanding of the Mormon religion by detailing the history of the religion from its beginnings to today. It will also describe what a typical church or “temple” (as Mormons call their place of worship) service is like. It will also describe any holidays the Mormon people celebrate that correspond with the Christian holidays of other Christian sects. It will not attempt to judge the Mormon religion, as either good or bad, as has been so frequently done in the popular media. Rather than judging it, this paper will attempt to achieve a greater understanding of the religion in its context in the Christian religious tradition and the American religious tradition. In 1820, according to the Mormon faith, Joseph Smith (1806-1844) prayed to God to ask him for a sign that would tell him what church he ought to join. Instead, Jesus Christ and God appeared to the young man and told him he ought to found what the Mormon Church is today. Smith was fourteen at the time, a farmer from the region of western New York known as the "burned-over district" because of its unrelenting religious enthusiasm. (All About Mormons Website) Mormons believe that this revelation to Smith was similar to that of God to Saul. They refer to Smith as “The Prophet” because his revelation was transmitted to...
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...from the older members in their cultures place importance on folk medicine. When a member of the family is ill, they apply their faith and pray for that person. They value their religious belief in curing an illness with modern medicine. The food preferences varied somewhat from the different cultures however, pastries were common at cultural celebrations (Heritage Assessment Tool, 2015). It is evident that is important to be culturally competent before assessing a patient. It removes biases about a culture and the health care professional is culturally sensitive to give effective quality care and education. Polish Culture A large percentage of Poland’s population practices the Roman Catholicism religion. There is an order of priests, monks and nuns in the Roman Catholic Church. Rituals are part of the Catholic Church’s religious services. They encourage the continuation of folk culture like roadside shrines that are built and maintained by the community. There are yearly pilgrimages to these shrines such as Lankorona. On February 2 of each year, the Catholic priests bless a candle that is called grominica. The lighting of the candle is supposed to prevent sickness and misfortune. The rural communities perform religious practices during the crop-growing season for abundant crops. During the Christmas holiday, a corner of the house in left upswept due to the belief that there is leftover happiness in the corner. This culture is...
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...with the intention of introducing the worship of Greek God Zeus to the site. He deliberately placed on the altar a dish of pork; a forbidden meat. He also forbade circumcision; a religious practice. His acts caused so much hatred among the Jews that they rebelled. Led by the Jewish family of five brothers, the Maccabees; the Jews took back the rule of their country, and the temple was rededicated to the worship of Israel’s one God. This winter festival widely kept today is a joyous memorial that recalls the rededication of the “Second Temple”, which is observed for eight days and eight nights starting on the 25th day of Kislev (according to the Hebrew calendar), which may occur any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a Shamash and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest of the candles. The purpose of the Shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden. Hanukkah is often equated to Christmas because the holidays happen at the same time of year. In addition to the storyline, Judea was part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt until 200 BCE when King Antiochus III the...
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...Hanukkah Kristina Bell 134 May 8, 2013 EDWIN ZACKERISON Hanukkah My belief about Hanukkah was that it was Christmas for Jews. It is not Christmas, but their tradition has some things in common with Christmas such as traditional foods, family coming together, and gift-giving. It falls around the same time, but does not have the same meaning. Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights, while Christmas is celebrated for one day out the year. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees or Israelites over the Greek Syrian ruler, Antiochus about 2200 years and Christmas represents the birth of Jesus. The name Hanukkah reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian Greeks. When the temple was re-dedicated, God miraculously made the one day’s worth of oil brightly for eight days. Hanukkah was not such a popular holiday until the late 19th century. It became popular and today it is one of the most celebrated holidays for Jews. Since Hanukkah falls four days before the new moon and close to the winter solstice it made since for light to be a key element of this holiday. The only essential ritual of Hanukkah is the lighting of the candles. Each night of Hanukkah an additional candle is placed in the menorah from right to left and then lit from left to right. On the last night, all the candles are lit. During or after the candles are lit the Jews have certain blessing...
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...religion as being Catholic. Hispanic Catholics believe that health is a gift given by god and should not be taken for granted. The prevention of illness and injury is an accepted practice that is accomplished through prayer, the wearing of religious medals or amulets and keeping religious relics in the home. The visiting of shrines, offering prayers and the lighting of candles is a frequently observed practice. Many homes have shrines setup with statues and pictures of saints and candles are lit here and prayers are recited. Other notable minority religions of the Hispanic world also include: 1) Protestant 2) Judaism 3) Islam. Catholicism When the Spanish conquered the new world they were determined to spread the Catholic faith with no regard to the indigenous religions already present at the time they arrived. This introduction of the Catholic religion to the indigenous peoples brought about what is called religious transculturation when the Catholic religious practices mixed with the indigenous religious practices. Transculturation created an incredible variety of celebrations, rituals and physical representations of the elements of the Catholic religion such as Jesus, the cross, the saints, the novenas and the rituals in general. Celebrations Many of the celebrations of the Catholic Hispanic world are mainly based around the life of Jesus Christ. Hispanic culture also celebrates the lives of different saints that vary among Hispanic countries; one notable...
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...Jerusalem in the Second century B.C. Legend says Jews rose up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors during the Maccabean Revolt (History.com, 2011). The meaning of Hanukkah in Hebrew is dedication, and is an eight day festival, known as the festival of lights which begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev; usually in the months of November or December. Hanukkah for those who do not practice Judaism is probably the best known holiday celebrated in the Jewish faith. The reason for this knowledge is because of its proximity to the Christmas holiday celebrated by Christians. Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas that many non-Jews come to believe (Jewish Virtual Library, 2011). The Hanukkah celebration praises a miracle which is said to have occurred during the Maccabean Revolt. It is said that God made the one day's worth of oil burn for eight days, thus giving us the term Festival of Lights. There is only one essential ritual of Hanukkah and it is the lighting of candles. The Hanukkah candles are held a candelabrum which holds nine candles. This is special form of menorah (Molloy, 2010). The menorah in the Jewish faith is believed to portray the burning bush which Moses saw as depicted in the Hebrew Bible or Torah (WiseGeek.com, 2011). The order of lighting the candles is done by lighting one candle on the first night of Hanukkah, then two are lit on the second, and this process is continued until all eight are lit on the eighth night. The candles are added from...
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...Elements of Religious Traditions Paper Juanj Wu REL134 June 27, 2011 Michele Brewster Elements of Religious Traditions Paper When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to tell me how she survived from Japanese air raids by praying to the Buddhist mercy Goddess-Guang Yin. Then I went to school, I studied sciences, and was told that no supernatural power such as God or Goddess existed. I believe sciences, but whenever I feel vulnerable, Guang Yin appears in my mind. For years, I have the image of Guang Yin hanging in my car to keep me safe and sound. This is how religions, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and many other religions, affect me spiritually and people throughout the world. Religion is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a super human agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs According to Molloy (2010), there are eight elements involved in religions: 1. The belief system or the worldview, which explain the universe and the human beings, 2. Community, the group of people who share the belief system, 3.Central myths, which are the stories that interpret the beliefs. 4. Ritual, the ceremonies express the beliefs. 5. Ethics, rules of human behavior. 6. Characteristic emotional experiences, the emotions related to religion. 7. Material expression, such as statues...
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...Elements of Religious Traditions Edward Mendoza Rel/134 Jan 28, 2011 Joseph Swoboda Elements of Religious Traditions o In the following I will be discussing about how religious traditions describe beliefs and encourage practices in the relationships with the divine, sacred time, sacred space or natural world, and with each other. I also will explain about the issues that are critical and then I will give important examples of many religious traditions. The relationship with the divine is power of being or the realm of understanding different religious person’s to be present and to have revolution impact on their lives. Earlier in days man believed that divinity is to help converse away natural occurrences, such as, hurricanes, earthquakes, lunar eclipses, solar and, volcanic eruptions. But however the modern man continues to utilize divinity to push away supernatural phenomena, at which one usually refers to as miracles. I will give an example: a sudden and total recovery from a disaster, life threatening conditions, and surviving a deadly occurrence. In those conditions as a belief of the divine intervention was mainly responsible in taking place and reflection of the truth of the person’s religion. The Relationship with the sacred time defines as life goes on as time goes on. When it comes to sacred time the greater power and divinity breaks through. The eternity is the sacred time that many religions live by. Time has no sacredness of its own, but...
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