RELI 1000 Lecture 9 Ritual Greek word meaning a thing done A set of repeated actions directed towards the sacred The main purpose is to evokes sacred memory Ritual refers to all activities that have been set apart for the sacred purposes Types and Purpose Rituals are performed for Worship enactment of religious story in recognition of the sovereignty of the sacred Petition ask or beg for favors of either spiritual material nature helps to resolve social tension Dedication legitimize the transition process Purification atonement prepare oneself to encounter the sacred E g ritual of ablution among Muslims Hindus blessing in the Catholic church Education helps to dramatize articulate strengthen a community s pattern of belief behavior Thanksgiving giving a gift range from sacrifice to adorning of holy places with flowers Myth Reenactment is a common Ritual Most religious rituals dramatizes acts out religious stories Judaism The Passover is a time of gathering to eat a seder meal to commemorate the meal the Jews had just just before they left Egypt to remember the enslavement of their people Christianity These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute The Holy Communion A meal celebrated to reenact events connected with the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus Ashura Passion Plays in Islam Shi i Muslims ritual Passion plays is celebrated in the month of Muharram to reenact the martyrdom of Husayn at Karbala in 692CE Husayn Ali s son was killed in a battle while defending Islam against corruption is remembered as a martyr Rites of passage Life Cycle rituals Often mark critical events in one life journey Birth Puberty Marriage Death They involve knowledge that helps one to transition difficult stages of life Stage patterns in Rites of Passage Three ritual patterns often displayed are Separation stage Removal of individual from the old status Transition stage the liminal state Preparation to accept new station antistructure often a status with no rules Reincorporation stage Returns to the community in a new status Rites of Passage Vision Quest The Life Cycle Birth T1 Adulthood T2 Marriage T3 Death T4 Life Crisis Rituals Healing rituals Illness is a physical social and spiritual phenomenon Germs virus or evils spirits may cause illness e g miscarriage failure to hunt drought can be caused by supernatural powers Religious specialists Shamans diviners priests sheikhs serve as intermediaries between spiritual sacred and profane secular world They use sacred power to heal exorcise ward off spirits that cause illness witchcraft Healing Exorcism Exorcism is a common practice in various religions Judaism Spirit possession exorcism reported Christianity Jesus exorcised and healed as signs of the coming kingdom Islam Witchcraft and Evil spirit jinns were prominent in early Islam and led to frequent acts of exorcism in the name of Allah Vocational Ritual Rites that prepare one for a religious role Initiation of priest Priestess Santeria initiation of babalorisha Yoruba initiation of babalawo Christianity priest dedication rituals Note In indigenous religions vocational rites also follow the pattern of separation transition and incorporation Calendar Seasonal Ritual Associated with rhythmic changes in nature weather season historical events cycle of the sun or moon Intended for communal good renewal Christmas in Christianity Passover in Judaism Pilgrimage Hajj in Islam Thanksgiving Ritual Sacrifice is a common form of thanksgiving ritual Gifts ranges from food offerings to animals even human sacrifice of blood shedding Used to express evoke human emotion fear guilt adoration homage and gratitude The intention is to obligate the receiver to act in kind by providing protection