Hinton,+Jessica

By: Jessica Hinton **//__ Religious Rituals __//** // **__Research Question__** // Why are rituals important? What meaning do the rituals hold in the religion?

// **__Introduction__** // Every religion is unique and different in their own way. One way that they show the differences would be through their rituals, and traditions. Each religion has a different way of commemorating holidays. So, for this project I chose to look at the widely known rituals and traditions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam religions.

**//Christianity//** For Christianity, I decided to focus on “Holy Week”. “Holy Week” consists of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. I chose to focus on Holy Week, because each one of the days has a different meaning to them. Palm Sunday, the day Jesus went into Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday, the night Jesus had “The Last Supper” with his disciples. Good Friday, the day Jesus was hung on the cross, and died. Easter Sunday, the day Jesus was resurrected.

During each day, Christians have ways of honoring Jesus. On Maundy Thursday, Jesus washed the feet of all of his disciples before they sat down to have “The Last Supper”. Peter, one of his disciples wasn't sure that Jesus should be washing their feet. “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” So, this foot washing ceremony that Jesus did represents him leaving something behind for them, and is also an act of love. Some Christians reenact this ceremony, and wash the feet of the church members. In this picture, you see Jesus sitting at the table with his 12 disciples having “The Last Supper” on Maundy Thursday.

**//Judaism//** For Judaism, I decided to focus on Passover. Passover acknowledges the story of when the Israelites were freed from Egypt as slaves. It takes place during the spring, mainly around March and April, and lasts 7-8 days. During Passover, there are different prayers, and special dishes that are eaten to commemorate the holiday. It is also important that all of the chametz in the house is cleaned up. Chametz is any bread or food that includes yeast.

In the Torah, it says, “Remember this day, in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength the hand of the LORD brought you out from this place”. At the end of Passover, there is a big dinner. During that dinner, in the center of the table, there is a cup for the Prophet Elijah. It is believed that Elijah comes back to declare the arrival of the Messiah. In this picture, you see a family sitting down eating the Passover meal, and there is the cup in the center for the Prophet Elijah.

For Islam, I decided to focus on the Hajj. The Hajj is a Muslim journey to Mecca that takes place every year. As part of the 5 Pillars of Islam, you are required to go on the Hajj every year, if not every year, at least once in their life. During the Hajj, the people are to circle the Kaaba 7 times, and all Muslims are supposed to face the Kaaba when they are praying. The Kaaba is located in the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca, and is believed to be built by Abraham and Ishamael. The Kaaba is supposed to be modeled after a house in heaven. It is also considered the most sacred place in Islam.
 * //Islam//**

This is the 5th pillar of the 5 Pillars of Islam. The 5 Pillars are important, because all Muslims must perform them to show their respect and trust in their God Allah. This represents a way that they feel connected to their God. So they are very committed to their religion. At the end of the Hajj, they have a big festival to celebrate its completion. In the picture, you see the Muslims circling the Kaaba at the mosque during the Hajj. They’re all dressed in white robes to represent equality.

**//__Compare and Contrast__//** In all 3 of the religions examined, they all have different ways of worshipping their God. Whether it’s through reenactments, by praying, or any other way they show their love. In all three of these religions, you notice that they all in some way reenact the actions of their God. In Christianity, they wash each other’s feet, the way Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. In Judaism, they have Passover dinner just like they were instructed to, in the Torah. In Islam, they go on a voyage to Mecca, just like Muhammad did.

**//Christianity & Judaism//** For Christianity and Judaism, they each have a meal that their sacred texts, the Bible and the Torah, speak about. In Judaism you take part in the Passover meal. In Christianity you take part in communion, which consists of bread and wine (or grape juice), the same thing Jesus and his disciples had on Maundy Thursday. So, they take part in the same meals.

**//Christianity & Islam//** For Christianity and Islam, they don’t really have any of the same rituals. The Muslims travel to Mecca, to pray and gain equality throughout the religion. The Christians do pray, but they don’t travel to Jerusalem and reenact what Jesus did there.

//**Islam and Judaism**// For Islam and Judaism, they don’t have any similarities. The Jews do not have any spiritual trips to their holy land, but the Muslims do. The Jews also pray, but not the way the Muslims do, like how they are to circle the Kaaba 7 times during the Hajj.

**//Christianity, Judaism, and Islam//** A similarity between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam would be the prayers they recite during special holidays. They don’t recite the same prayer during their holidays, but during their religions sacred holiday there is a prayer that everyone says.

//**Reflection**// Throughout this project, I’ve learned a lot about the religions I researched. Being raised a Christian, I had prior knowledge on the religion, and it’s rituals. But, I still found out a few new things about Christianity. I knew little about Judaism, and even less than that about Islam. But, ending this project, I may not know everything that there is to know about these two religions, but I know more than what I knew coming into this project. I think now that I’ve learned more about these religions, I have more respect for them, and their traditions, because I have a better understanding. I now know a few more things about the diversities of religions.


 * __//Bibliography//__**

§ “//The Bible//” (New International Version, ©2010) § “The Torah” § Armstrong, Chris. "The Goodness of Good Friday." //Christian History//. N.p., 08 Aug 2008. Web. 2 Dec 2010. < [] > (Armstrong) § Keesee, Bill. "Another Look at Footwashing." //The Real Sabbath//. N.p., Feb 2002. Web. 3 Dec 2010. < [] >. (Keesee) § "Hajj." //Muslim Voices//. Web. 1 Dec 2010. <[]>. ("Hajj") § "Kaaba." //Slider//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2010. <[]>. ("Slider") § "Hajj." //Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2010. <[]>. ("Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia") § "Passover Feast." //Symbolism of Passover//. Web. 2 Dec 2010. <[]>. ("Passover Feast") § "Maundy Thursday." //History of Maundy Thursday//. Web. 2 Dec 2010. <[]>. ("Maundy Thursday") § Petro, Bill. "History of Maundy Thursday." //Bill Petro//. N.p., 9 April 2009. Web. 2 Dec 2010. <[]>. (Petro) § Buller, Laura. //A Faith Like Mine//. 1st American Edition. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2005. Print. (Buller)