RELIGION AND RITUALS (RELIGION LESSON 2)

Beliefs

Give religion its mind.

Rituals

Give religion its shape.

Ethics

Give religion its heart.

Rituals

Provide a tangible way for believers to experience their faith.

Beliefs

are the province of your mind

rituals

get the rest of your body into the act.

Rituals

Through this, religions take physical form. These practices give texture and taste, form and function to a religion.

Religious Rituals

Establish the sacred calendar and its holy days.

Religious Rituals

Set the ways followers celebrate the passages in life.

Religious Rituals

Focus the mind in a spiritually disciplined way.

Lighting Candles on Friday Night

When Judaism instructs Jews to ________ on Friday night, it is a ritual meant especially for Jews.

Holy Communion (Lord’s Supper/Eucharist)

When some Christian groups, such as Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox, offer ________, only their members participate.

Hajj (Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca)

The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the ________, is only for Muslims.

Prayer

Communication to God.

Old and New Testament

Many believe prayers are answered, and evidence of it is primarily reported in the Old and New Testament.

Later Miracles and Graces

Reported by the Church and by common people.

• Prayer

It is done by those who trust the power of word and thought.

• To express thankfulness for life’s blessings, to repent for sins, and to grant forgiveness to other people

• To clear and focus their minds

• To achieve calmness and wisdom

• To express awe and wonder at the mystery of life and at the beauty of the world around them

• To find release from suffering

People Pray

• While kneeling, while standing, with eyes downcast or lifted heavenward

• Alone or as a community

• At prescribed times and in prescribed ways, or they pray whenever the mood hits them

how and when do they pray?

Catholic Mass

A prayer service that includes the most important Christian ritual, the Eucharist, and defines the community that prays together.

Eucharist

The Catholic Mass is a prayer service that includes the most important Christian ritual, ________, and defines the community that prays together.

Lord’s Prayer

Jesus taught people to say the

Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

ACTS Method of Christian Prayer

Adoration

Tell God how wonderful He is; worship Him.

Confession

Admit your sins, cry out your brokenness, and ask for forgiveness.

Thanksgiving

Say “thank you” for all God has done in your life.

Supplication

Make your requests to God—for yourself and for others.

Buddhist and Hindu

Pray for many hours at a time.

Solace and Release from Stress

They find ________ and ________ by looking inside themselves in order to experience the great void or emptiness

Emptiness

Quiets them and frees them from the constraints of their own lives.

Praise, Gratitude, and Supplication

The content of their prayer includes: (Muslims)

To keep life—and their place in it (submissive to God)—in perspective

In Muslims, the prayer’s purpose is to ________.

Regular Jewish Prayer

Must be said three times a day (although afternoon and evening prayers are often combined), with special prayers added for the Sabbath and holidays.

Minyan

A formal Jewish prayer service requires a minyan, which is a group of ten Jewish male adults. For more liberal Jews, a minyan consists of ten Jewish adults of any gender.

Three Times a Day

Regular Jewish prayer must be said how many times?

With Special Prayers Added for the Sabbath and Holidays

Regular Jewish prayer may include special prayers for these occasions.

formal Jewish prayer

service requires a minyan, which is a group of ten Jewish male adults.

Liberal Jews

For more ________, a Minyan consists of ten Jewish adults of any gender.