Holy Rites of the Abrahamic Religions

I. JUDAISM

Jewish life is marked by numerous occasions in which individuals and families take time out of their everyday lives to focus on God and his mitzvot (commandments), including daily prayer, Sabbath services and holidays. This section explores the special ceremonies and celebrations that mark important stages in a Jewish person's life as he or she journeys from birth to death.

* Birth and Naming Ceremonies On the first Sabbath after a Jewish child is born, the infant's father is called forward at the synagogue to recite the aliyah and ask blessings for the health of mother and child. If the child is a girl, she is named at this time. Boys will be named on the eighth day after birth, as part of the rite of circumcision.

* Brit Milah: Circumcision The rite of circumcision (brit milah) is performed on the eighth day of a boy's life. (There is no parallel practice for girls) It usually takes place in the morning at the family's home.

* Redemption of the Firstborn The ritual of Pidyon Ha-Ben ("Redemption of the Son") is grounded in the Jewish concept that first and best things belong to God. In Numbers 8:17, God declares: "Every firstborn among the Israelites, man as well as beast, is mine."

* Coming of Age: Bar and Bat Mitzvah Under Jewish law, children are not required to observe the commandments, though they are certainly encouraged and taught to do so. But upon turning 13, a boy is considered an adult under the law and is expected to obey all the commandments from then on. He has become a Bar Mitzvah, or "Son of the Commandments." Similarly, a girl becomes a Bat Mitzvah, "daughter of the commandment," upon turning 12.

* Jewish Marriage Traditions Marriage is highly revered and strongly encouraged in Judaism. The celibate life has never been considered more holy than the married life, and one must be married in order to become a rabbi. Judaism's high view of marriage is a direct result of its view of the home and family as the center of religious life.

* Divorce in Judaism In Judaism, divorce is viewed as a great tragedy, but a sometimes necessary one. In the Torah, the prophet Malachi declared, "I hate divorce, says Adonai, the God of Israel." According to the Talmud, "When a man puts aside the wife of his youth, even the very altar weeps." Yet allowances for divorce have always been a part of Jewish law.

* Death Rituals and the Chevra Kaddisha While the preservation of life in Judaism is of paramount importance, taking precedence over nearly all other priorities and observances, death is not therefore abhorred or devalued. Instead, death is seen as a part of life and a part of God's plan. The extensive mourning rituals in Judaism do not indicate a rejection or protest of death, but demonstrate the great value Judaism places on life in general and the life of each individual person.

* Mourning Mourning in Judaism is extensive, and has several purposes: it shows respect for the dead, comforts those left behind, discourages excessive mourning, and helps the bereaved to return to normal life. Mourning is observed for 30 days after burial, very intensely so in the first seven days. Regular remembrances are performed in the years following the death.

II. CHRISTIANITY

The following are the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, listed in the traditional order:

* Baptism (Christening)The usual form of baptism among the earliest Christians was for the candidate to be immersed totally (submersion) or partially (standing or kneeling in water while water was poured on him) To put it most simply, the power, effect, benefit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is to save. No one is baptized in order to become a prince, but as the words say, to "be saved". To be saved, we know, is nothing else than to be delivered from sin, death, and the devil and to enter into the kingdom of Christ and live with him forever. – Luther's Large Catechism, 1529

* Confirmation (Chrismation)Confirmation is a rite of initiation in Christian churches, normally carried out through the laying on of hands and prayer, and possibly also anointing, for the purpose of bestowing the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Within Christianity, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant made in Holy Baptism.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church in its paragraphs 1302–1303 states: It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

o it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15);o it unites us more firmly to Christ;o it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;o it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;o it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true

witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.

* Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion, The Lord's Supper, or the Blessed Sacrament)he Eucharist is a sacrament or ordinance that Christians celebrate in accordance with the instruction that, according to the New Testament, Jesus gave at his Last Supper to do in his memory what he did when he gave his disciples bread, saying, "This is my body", and wine, saying, "This is my blood".The Catholic Church teaches that when the bread and wine are consecrated in the Eucharist, they cease to be bread and wine, and become, respectively, the body and blood of Christ, each of which is accompanied by the other and by Christ's soul and divinity.

* Penance (Confession)Penance is repentance of sins. In this Sacrament, the penitent (repentant sinner, known as confessant) accuses himself of his sins to an ordained priest (known as confessor). The priest may then offer advice and imposes a particular penance to be performed. The penitent then prays an Act of Contrition, the priest administers absolution, thus formally forgiving the penitent of his sins, and finally sends him out with words of dismissal. Often, penitential acts consist simply of prayers, fasting, charitable work or giving, or a combination thereof.

* Anointing of the Sick (known prior to the Second Vatican Council as Extreme Unction)The chief Biblical text concerning the rite is James 5:14-15: "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven." Matthew 10:8, Luke 10:8-9 and Mark 6:13 are also quoted in this regard.

The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:o the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;o the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;o the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of penance;o the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;o the preparation for passing over to eternal life."

* Holy OrdersThe term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry.The sequence in which holy orders are received are: minor orders, deacon, priest, bishop.Different churches and denominations specify more or less rigorous requirements for entering into office, and the process of ordination is likewise given more or less ceremonial pomp depending on the group.

* Matrimony (Marriage)Christian views on marriage typically regard it as instituted and ordained by God for the lifelong relationship between one man as husband and one woman as wife, and is to be "held in honour among all...."While marriage is honored among Christians and throughout the Bible, it is not seen as necessary for everyone. Single people who either have chosen to remain unmarried or who have lost their spouse for some reason are neither incomplete in Christ nor personal failures. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is generally seen from a Christian perspective as less than the ideal, with specific opinions ranging from it being universally wrong to the notion that it sometimes is inevitable.The New Testament holds that sex is reserved for marriage. Ideas about roles and responsibilities of the husband and wife is the long-held male-dominant/female-submission view.A small but growing number of Christian denominations conduct weddings between same sex couples where it is civilly legal.

III. ISLAM

The religious rituals of Islam are relatively few in number, but great in importance. The Five Pillars of Islam are five practices regarded by all sects as essential to the Muslim faith. Other notable Islamic practices include the mystical rituals of Sufism and various distinctive Shi'ite practices.

1) FAITH (Shahada)There is no god worthy of worship except Allah and His messenger, Muhammad."I profess that there is no other god but Allah and Muhammad is the last messenger of God."When a person wishes to convert religions they should recite this affirmation and believe in it.Also when dying one should recite this declaration of faith.

2) PRAYER (Salat)Salat is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct link

between the worshipper and God.Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall.All of these prayers are recited while facing the Ka'bah in Mecca.

3) ALM-GIVING (Zakat)One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is

therefore held by human beings in trust.Zakat is the practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on accumulated wealth, and is obligatory for

all who are able to do so. However, Zakat also has a wider meaning. The Prophet said 'even meeting your brother with a cheerful

face is charity.'

4) RITUAL FASTING (Sawm)Every year in the month of Ramadan (the 9th month of the Muslim year), all Muslims fast from first

light until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, sexual relations and other sins. The fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek nearness to God, to express their gratitude to and dependence

on him, atone for their past sins, and to remind them of the needy.

5) PILGRIMAGE (Hajj)Every able-bodied Muslim is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if

he or she can afford it.The main rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone,

traveling seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah. Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment.