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Sacred Action

Sacred Action. Rites and Rituals. Purpose of Rites and Rituals. Religion = to re-connect Sacred actions create and express a spiritual connection to the sacred Sacred actions create and express a connection to community (social dimension of religion) Connections across space and time

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Sacred Action

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  1. Sacred Action Rites and Rituals

  2. Purpose of Rites and Rituals Religion = to re-connect • Sacred actions create and express a spiritual connection to the sacred • Sacred actions create and express a connection to community (social dimension of religion) • Connections across space and time Bringing people together to remember the past and celebrate the present Marking these occasions as special, imbuing them with the presence of the sacred

  3. Characteristics of Rites and Rituals As actions, sacred rites and rituals are: • Performative (something we do) • Formulaic (follow a script, a formula) • Repetitive: • on a daily, weekly, annual time frame (“periodic” or calendrical – holy days) • from generation to generation (life cycle events) • Re-enactments and/or commemorations of historical events • Marking the cycles of time, seasonal changes

  4. Kinds of Sacred Actions • Rites of passage/life cycle events • Periodic/calendrical events (“Holy Days”) • Daily and personal ritual practices

  5. Rites of Passage Marking our passage through life: • Birth rituals (e.g. baptism) • Coming of age rituals (e.g. Bar Mitzvah) • Marriage • Status elevation (e.g. ordination or initiation) • Rites & rituals surrounding death and mourning Mark important transitions in our lives Can happen at any time but just once for each person Centered around one person

  6. Holy Days • Weekly communal worship (e.g. Sabbath) • Annual holidays: • Marking historical events (e.g. birth or death of important people in the history of the religion) • Seasonal celebrations, marking the passage of the annual cycles of natural time (e.g. spring equinox as the “new year” or winter solstice) Happen repeatedly for all within a given religion All followers do these things at the same time, as a community of the faithful

  7. Daily & Personal Sacred Actions • Daily prayer or meditation (the “magic words”): • Reconciliation (“I’m sorry”) (sacrifice, confession) • Petition (“please”) • Thanksgiving (“thank you”) • Adoration/praise (“I love you”) • Purification rites – as needed (often using water) • Healing rituals – as needed • Pilgrimage to sacred sites • Dietary regulations • Ritual dress

  8. Some things to think aboutas you watch the videos • When is it done? • Who does it? To or for whom? • Where is it done? • How is it done? What is the symbolism of the actions? • What “props” are used? How are they symbolic? • Why is it done? What does it mean, what occasion does it mark? • How do these actions change or affect the people involved?

  9. Common features of Sacred Actions Symbolic use of: • Words • Gestures • Objects • Activity • Dress • Roles • Food • Colors… Watch for these things, and more, as you watch the videos! Can you identify the kinds of sacred actions shown in the videos?

  10. Videosthese video clips are online, they use RealPlayer; click links to watch Everyday and personal practices: • Prayer in all cultures • Hindu worship I; Puja: Hindu devotion; A household puja(click links on page) • Praying the Rosary (Catholic) • Walking the Stations of the Cross (Catholic) • The Mikvah (Jewish purification ritual) • Voodoo ritual • Shinto rituals (QuickTime, click links on page) More on next slide…

  11. More Videos Food and Faith: • Ramadan I, Ramadan II (fasting in Islam) • Fasting in Orthodox Chistianity • Kosher food (Jewish) • Passover symbolism of food (Jewish) Rites of Passage: • First Communion (Catholic) • Becoming a novice monk (Buddhism) • Jewish Burial Practices More on next slide…

  12. More Videos Sacred Time – Holy Days: • Origins of Christmas traditions • Holy Week • Jewish High Holidays I; Jewish High Holidays II • Celebrating Hanukkah • Tibetan New Year More on next slide…

  13. More Videos Sacred Art: • The Buddhist Mandala (slide show with narration) • Iconography (Orthodox Christianity) • Illuminated Bible (Christianity) • Islamic Art • Spirituality of Native American art Sacred space: • Native American respect for Mother Earth • Roadside Memorials (Christian)

  14. Deep Thinking Questions • What would be an example of…? • What are some of the most important elements of the ______ ritual? Of any sacred ritual? • What parts of the _____ ritual in the _____ religion would be similar to/different than the _____ ritual in the ______ religion? • What do you see as the aesthetic or emotional value of these rituals? • What does the _____ ritual say about what is important to the people of the ______ religion? • How would people of another religion react to the rituals in your religion?

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