Religion Notes

Rites…make evident central beliefs through the use of symbolism.

…have an immense impact on the everyday life of the believer

PUBLIC WORSHIP – is an organised group celebration making present past events

and recreating happenings that are important to the religious tradition.

Within this celebration there are various effects to everyday life of believer;
- Demarcation of the mundane to supernatural
- Making present past events
- Sustaining the relationship with the person has with the particular
tradition and or deity.

They are intrinsic – can been seen in both Christianity and Judaism PW.

Christianity – Communion Service

- All Christian denominations except Quakers and Salvation Army

- Involves the gathering of the Christian Community either weekly or monthly in a

public place, it significantly affects the believer as it structures the week/month by
providing a set day and time for public worship.

LATOUT
- Communion service consists of three rituals, the confessional absolution, (however
this only applies to the Catholic, Orthodox and High Anglican churches), the
Liturgy/reading of the Scriptures and the Eucharist/Holy Communion. The actually
service is very important to the believers as it symbolises for Christians, freedom
from the slavery of sin and promotes eternal salvation

- As upon entering the church or sacred building, the person immediately alters from
the realm of mundane life to the supernatural. The architecture and art forms present
in churches reflect key Christian beliefs. For example the service is centred around
the alter which reminds believers that Jesus sacrificed himself to save others.

COMMUNAL
- This form of public worship is also recognised as a communal gathering and
therefore greatly affects the everyday life of the believer as it enhances their
communal relationship with God and also amongst the community.
- This act of public worship also validates the faith of the believer as the reiterate the
constant faith and love for the God and tradition.
STRUCTURE - detail
- The central beliefs are made present via the readings from the Old Testament, the
Gospels and Epistles which are further interpreted in the homily/sermon by the
priest/minister.
- The rituals of Eucharist/Holy Communion, is the centre point of all communion
service and has an immense impact to the believer as it is a re-enactment of the last
supper.

HOLY COMMUNION / EUCHARIST

- The main difference in the Christian denominations is the meaning behind the
bread/wafer and wine/grape juice. This is because, the more traditional
denominations; Roman Catholics, Orthodox and High Anglicans believe in
transubstantiation where it is believed that bread/wafer and wine/grape juice
actually transform into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

- This differs with the other denominations such as Low Anglicans, Baptist and
Uniting Church as they believe in consubstantiation where the main symbols only
represent Jesus Christs Body and blood.
Trans = Mark 14:22-24
Consub = Luke 22:17-20
Either way sig. impact;
- Symbolic moment as it validates person’s beliefs.
- Acknowledges sacrifices that Christ made for the sanctity of human life and
forgiveness of sins.
- Becomes an expression of love
- adding to the nature and purpose of the faith to the everyday life pf the
believer.

ROLE OF CELEBRANT
- During this rite of Public worship the role of the celebrant also important.
- The minister or priest that presides over the communion service adds a greater
communal aspect to the rite. Through the methods of teaching and prayer the priest
leads the congregation and acts as a forefront to the expression of faith. The
celebrants interpret the readings to derive the teachings out of them, and help the
believers understand to attain holiness.

Judaism – Synagogue worship

- Synagogue worship is central to the practice of Judaism and involves the gathering
of the community, like that of communion services, but in the Synagogue. The Jews
go to the synagogue on the Shabbat but services are also held on other days of the
week.

SYNAGOGUE (SYMBOL)
- The Synagogue in itself is an important symbol to the Jewish faith as it has been a
meeting place for Jews since early times. It reflects the history and tradition of the
religion which is a very important aspect of the Jewish culture
HISTORY
- Initially Synagogue service was a place to learn and study the torah and history of
Judaism, but now it is an important part of the Sabbath observance.
- Primary focus of worship in the synagogue is the reading of the Torah
- The service is a time to celebrate age old traditions and a great deal of reference is
made to ancient times.
- History is recognised as one of the determining factors in the Jewish faith. The
understanding and building of knowledge through the readings of the Torah affects
the lives … by providing a means for ancestral heritage.
- Also acknowledges the persecution and struggles the Jews faced and how they’ve
overcame it.

STRUCTURES WEEK
- Synagogue worship also affects the everyday life of the believer as it sets aside a day
of the week to take time out, reflect and pray, which has a significant impact on the
believer, links them to their history, religion and community. By adding structure it
also provides them with consistent prayer and validates the traditions following.

SYMBOLS
- Service also elevates…through the use of symbols, everything has a symbolic
gesture within Synagogue worship but the main focal ones include; torah, ark and
Abraham.

- The torah - contains the first five books of the bible, and is where the Jewish
tradition is learnt and derived from. Affects … provides a means to practice, makes
present Jewish cultures and beliefs. Also sacred to the peoples identity and can
symbolically identify themselves with it.

- The ark – is undoubtedly linked to the central figure of the Jewish faith, that of
Abraham. Both the ark and this figure notes the inextricable bond shared between
God and Abraham – validating the religious importance of the Jewish faith.
- Abraham is also the central uniting figure of all Jews, giving them a sense of unity
and community.

ROLE OF CELEBRANT
- Rabbi – intends to teach, administer and council the Jewish community about the
Jewish faith. They are not essential for synagogue worship, yet still are an important
figure.
- It is the rabbi who puts forth ideologies and beliefs f the tradition to the community.
- Effects the…gives them identity and possibly teach them to promote the tradition
even further.

- Another significant figure – Chazzan – who leads the congregation in prayer, by

singing and chanting. His melodic nature and meditative tone allows the worshiper
to focus their attention.
- Effects the…adds to the communal feel, advocates the traditional beliefs and
furthermore emphasises the between the mundane and supernatural.

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

PERSONAL DEVOTION – Rites of personal devotion are designed to establish or
improve day to day communication between the believer and their god. It is an
individual action or process which is done by choice to show loyalty and devotion.

Pilgrimage is an enduring rite of personal devotion and humanity, which is a religious

journey to a place considered sacred. A pilgrimage is more that a physical journey but
can have significance on a spiritual and metaphysical level too.

- It can be ventured on for numerous reasons;

Atonement – as an act of penance, renewal and to start fresh
Guidance – to take time out, reflect and determine where life is going.
Make a person feel closer to their god and feel closer to the core of their religion.
Transcendental nature – life changing

Thus it can be seen that rites of PD are significant due to the deeply religious outcome
that are served by them.

Christianity

HISTORY
- Clearly evident in the various pilgrimages that have taken place in Christianity
throughout history.
- Helena (Emperor Constantine’s mother) visited the Holy Land in approx. 326CE,
searching for Christs cross. This has remained a key site for Christians along with
the ‘way of the cross’ which retraces the path that Jesus Christ took to Calvary
- Also sites which mark important parts of Jesus life and work e.g. Bethlehem,
Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.

- Impacts on everyday life … it enriches their understanding and brings new depth or
perspective to their faith.

MODERN TIMES
- Within Christianity there are two main forms of pilgrimage – one in which the
pilgrim follows the same path Jesus took and the other uses the bible as a source
and map to the Holy Land (Palestine) in which Christ lived.

- there are many sites that pilgrims flock to, including sites that are associated with
Mary such as Fatima (Portugal) and Lourdes (France), which are especially popular
with Catholics.
- Similarly, World Youth Day, which ran this year in Germany, has become very
attractive for young Catholic pilgrims. It seems that such journeys are able to re-
ignite and awaken elements of faith that in the normal day to day of life are
overlooked.

- Effects…shared experience, can reinforce the communal aspects of religion and give
the believer a sense of belonging.
SYMBOLS
- Pilgrimages that are based on historic events or stories often have key symbols
attached to them, such as relics or mementos that people take back in their own
lives in order to retain an association with their spiritual venture.
- This is evident in something like the Christian labyrinths of the middle ages, that
represent both a physical and spiritual journey. Some are still in existence such as
the one at Chartres Cathedral built in 1200 CE.

Judaism

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PILGRIMAGES

- There are many different types of pilgrimages in which Jews may venture on

- Particularly young Jews might stay at a kibbutz, which is a cooperative farm run by
volunteers. – Connect with nature; get away from sources of stress and distraction.

- Other pilgrims might go to Yad Vashem (eternal memorial), a place in Judaism

which is a memorial to those who died in the holocaust and the ‘righteous gentiles’
who helped some Jews survive.
- History is an important aspect and learning about their persecution offers a
connection to their forefathers.

- As a result, pilgrimages for Jews can be defining moments that are filled with
emotional and sometimes mourning incitements, and such human experiences
become spiritual high points.

- Many observant Jews feel compelled to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the
Temple to commemorate the foundations and history of their faith and are also
important to mark the importance of their re-established homeland.
- Since 1947 and the establishment of Israel, such spiritual journeys have enjoyed
renewed popularity. The desire to ‘connect’ spiritually and physically to the Jews
remains a focus for followers.

EFFECT ON EVERYDAY LIFE

- Has a pivotal effect – elevates the mundane to the supernatural, draws a Jew closer
to Yaweh and deepens one faith.
- Prominently achieved via a journey to the ‘Holy Land’ or a sacred place. This is
where the events of the Torah took place and thus the immense sense of history and
perspective is unavoidable.

- The search for meaning and being drawn to something sacred, is what drives
individuals to embark on pilgrimages. The journey both actual and symbolically,
takes on great importance as individuals look to achieve different purposes.
- Christians that travel to Lourdes in the hope of healing or Jews to Yad Vashem to
acknowledge their suffering each journey fulfils some sort of spiritual need.
- At a time where it is easy to be caught up in here and now and materialistic attitudes,
a rite of personal devotion such as pilgrimage offers people a human experience of
spiritual growth and inner connection with religious ideals.
- Provide inspiration
- fill a void
- offers chance to elevate themselves out of mundane and become closer to god.