WR-Sierra


 * Sierra's World Religions Page **

Throughout this world religions class, I have had the pleasure, and sometimes the discomfort, of researching and learning about the different worship rituals of many diverse religions. Of course, “The Big Five,” Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, were covered, along with a few smaller religions. Greek Paganism and Wicca, to name a few. As we progressed in our studies, the class found that there are certain threads that connect all these various religions, despite how diverse they are. They all have some type of central deity in which they believe. And, because of this deity’s presence, they all have specific worship rituals (such as prayer, music, etc.) with which to honor, appease, please, contact or build a relationship with (etc. some of their motivations get very strange form our Western point of view…) their deity. At first we covered “The Big Five,” one of which is Judaism. Jewish people believe in one deity, God. Though it differs slightly between sects, the main way Jewish people honor and please their deity is to recite prayers, either from the Siddur, the prayer book, or personalized, made-up ones from their own brains. Praying can be done alone or with a minyan (a group of men and women), and it can be done in Hebrew or one’s native language. Also, men can pray wearing a kippa (the small, round hat) to show respect. Traditionally, a Jewish individual would pray three times a day, beginning with the Shacharit in the morning, then the Mincha in the afternoon, and finally the Ma’ariv in the evening. These strenuous praying traditions have been relaxed over time, however, and now a Jewish person can get his or her praying done on Sunday mornings at a synagogue during Barechu, or the formal, public call to prayer. There are also Shabbats (services) on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, in case the individual can’t fit enough praying into one morning. Since Christianity was born from Judaism, it’s only right that we covered it next. In Christianity, God is also a central Holy figure. However, there is also the Holy Trinity, which includes God, the Holy Ghost, and Jesus. Christians differ from the Jewish people because they believe Jesus is a deity, while Jewish people only see him as a prophet. Because their deities are similar, it’s no surprise that their worship practices are, as well. Christians also worship their deities using prayer and through meetings on Sundays, the “day of rest.” These Sunday meetings, which are teachings in the form of sermons, are conducted at a church and often include forms of musical worship, either congregational or choral. These also often contain readings from the Bible (the Christian Holy Text) and a collection offering. One Sunday out of the year, Christians worship with the Eucharist, or the Holy Communion, in which they remember Jesus’ words from the Last Supper. During this service, the Christians eat bread (this is symbolic of Jesus’ body) and drink wine (this is symbolic of Jesus’ blood). Islam is also one of “the Big five.” In fact, it is the largest of them. As compared to Christianity and Judaism, Islam worship practices and rituals seem very different, but there are definitely certain similraties that tie them together. Islamic people refer to worship as “ibadah,” which is defined as when a Muslim’s actions are performed to please their deity, Allah. Ibadah entails ultimate obedience, love and devotion. In order to perform ibadah correctly, a Muslim must include the Five Pillars of Islam. These are five basic devotional-ritual duties that form a potent inner structure for the Umma (the closed Muslim community) and then work to defend it. First is the Shahada, which is to become a Muslim. Then comes the Salat, or worship through ritual prayer, followed by the Zakat, or obligatory almsgiving. After the Zakat is the Sawm, which is fasting, and then the Hajj, or the making of the Holy pilgrimage (more often than not, Muslims choose Mecca as their pilgrimage destination). There is arguably a sixth pillar, the jihad, or, “exertion” in the way of God. This may mean fighting against Islam’s enemies or trying to spread the religion by force as a way of pleasing, and therefore worshipping, Allah. However, the vast majority of Muslims do not agree with this idea. Hinduism is also one of “the Big Five.” Unlike in the three previously mentioned religions, Hinduism has many diverse deities. Therefore, Hinduism worship practices are very diverse as well in order to appease the specific deities. Thankfully, there are some main trends in Hinduism worship that work to tie their worship practices together. Hindus generally choose their own favorite deity to worship, and then work to achieve Puja, or communion, with them, though chanting prayers or mantras and making offerings (this is a religious rite called Nitya). In response to these chants, the deity’s spirit enters a statue of itself. The statue is then placed on a throne-like shrine and treated like an honored guest. Worship like this can be characterized as Bhajan, or worship including love, like adoration, with singing, Seva, worshipping with the mindset of servitude, or Yajna, worship involving sacrifice. This worship is normally done at home individually with one’s own personalized shrine, but Temple worship is also an option. This public worship also happens outside of the Temple during Naimittikas, or rituals performed during celebrations (an example is Thanksgiving). Besides these basic and required worship rituals, there is also Kamya, which are the optional, but very desired, worship practices like making a pilgrimage. The last of “the Big Five” is Buddhism. In Buddhism, the holy figure is a man, Siddhartha, who became enlightened and by doing so became the Buddha. Buddhists worship in order to follow in Siddhartha’s path and become enlightened. In Buddhism, to reach enlightenment is to reach Nirvana, or the end of suffering. This is a big deal and the ultimate goal because, according to Buddhism, “life is suffering.” In order to reach Nirvana, Buddhists use worship techniques such as meditation. They also follow the teachings of Buddha throughout their journey to enlightenment, such as the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path and the Middle Way. To summarize these (or to try to, at least), the basic idea behind Buddha’s teachings is to do everything in moderation. If you live in excess, you will always crave the next material item, and this craving will eventually be unable to be met. Therefore, if you live in moderation and crave nothing material, you will not suffer. Thus, the combination of giving up the material and meditating and living according to the Noble Eightfold Path and the Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths will lead to your enlightenment and attainment of Nirvana. The smaller religions also share this thread of worshipping to appease or build a relationship with a deity. The Hare Krishnas worship and praise Vishnu through musical chants of Vishnu’s name in Sanskrit, “Hare Krishna.” Daoists worship the Tao (which is not a personified god, but rather the holiness found in everything) through Tai Chi and meditation. Wiccans use magic during rituals to worship their God and their Goddess, along with the earth and nature. Greek Pagans worship their many deities through prayer, sacrifice, and festivals in their deity’s honor. Even the members of the Temple of the Vampire worship their deity (whoever that is…possibly the self-proclaimed Emperor?) through creating dark artwork and haunting music. Though religions vary greatly and are hugely diverse, certain threads run through all of them that establish a connection. One of these threads is worship, which is used in all religions to appease, please, establish a connection with, or honor the religion’s deity.

[|Christianity]