Monotheistic Religion Research Paper

Other preparations of marriage include the bride immersing in a mikvah (ritual bath) to cleanse herself for her new life with her husband. Also both bride and groom fast on the day of their wedding. Both these practices highlight the significance of marriage as they are both practices used to mark an important holy event in Judaism, for example, Jewish people fast on “Yom Kippur” the most holy day of the Jewish year. Preparing in this way allows the man and woman to mentally prepare them

Most common cultures have rituals, celebrations, or traditional ceremonies to acknowledge the coming of age of boys and/or girls. The Hispanic culture have a traditional “Quinceañera” for young teenage girls turning age 15 to recognize her coming of age as a woman. Jews have “Bar Mitzvah” for men or “Bat Mitzvah” for women to celebrate coming of age. Although in some cultures, celebrating coming age is nothing less than actually celebrating; but in other cultures, such as Aborigine culture, rather than having a huge celebration, young teenage boys, age thirteen, are enduring an essential evaluation. In this stage of their life, their elders test them to see if they are “man” enough to survive by themselves.

The three different Monotheistic religions Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have gradually developed into exceedingly divergent faiths. They vary in many concepts and differ from each other in a multitude of ways, such as all having different characteristics/customs, different beliefs, and different origins.

Across several different cultures, there are different ways in which people of a community recognize the emergence of a young girl into womanhood. In the United States the most common is the famous Sweet Sixteen which as in the name states: relates to being sixteen years old, getting a car, and having some sort of celebration to commemorate the birthday. Among others include the Quinceanera which is usually equated with Mexico and Bat Mitzvahs which is a Jewish girl’s rite of passage. Another rite of passage, called Kinaalda, is a puberty ceremony that holds the same importance and significance among the Navajo tribe as their creation story. Unlike American society, during the people’s lifetime there is not a time between child and adult. In the Navajo culture it seems that it is more plausible to say that the time between being a child and adult or as stated by Leighton and Kluckhohn (1947), “physical maturity and social maturity are more nearly coincidental.” Meaning unlike the American culture where the gap between childhood and adulthood is filled with an adolescence, and in the Navajo tribe this gap is not prolonged and instead this transition is commemorated by a four-night ceremony. This process begins at the Navajo girl’s first menstruation and is a way to announce to the whole community that she has become a woman. In earlier marriage customs, a year or so after the ceremony the girl would be considered ready for marriage; as a result, some felt that “a girl’s

The main tradition is to put altars in some homes including the cross, picture or sculpture of Virgin Mary, and photos of the deceased person(s). Members of family gather around the altar and they pray. In some newer traditions children put masks, wear costumes and go from house to house while people give them some candies or money. Some of the

Originated in eastern Mediterranean throughout the life of Jesus Christ, in addition to it becoming the major religion of the Roman Empire by the end of the 4th century

All three religions contain sacred texts that all contain “laws” or teachings. The Hebrew Bible (known as the Old Testament to Christians) is the foundation of Judaism. The first five books are called the Torah. The Torah means “the law” and the religious law, Halakhah, is taught in a separate book. However, the Torah, contains the teachings god has provided about himself, his purposes, and how people should obey him in every aspect of their life. The Bible is the sacred text of Christianity. It consists of the Old and New Testament.

Every society is based on different religion. Different people follow different types of religion according to their birth or by choice. The major religions of the world are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Each religion is similar and different from one another in terms of festivals, practices and beliefs. Apart from Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are the two most widely practiced religions in the world today. They have their own traditions, beliefs and practices. These two religions are similar to some extent and differ in terms of the God they worship, religious text and the place where they offer their prayers.

A ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone's life, especially birth, puberty, marriage, and death.

Although it is argued that rabbis began work on compiling the oral histories prior to the fall of the Second Temple, there was a definite resurgence in documentation of the important history and moral laws of Judaism after the fall. The most important of these written documents in the Jewish faith is the Hebrew Bible. This bible is comprised of the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim, these three components combine to make up the Tanakh. The Torah is the core of the Hebrew Bible and contains the story of creation, as well as directions on daily conduct and religious rituals. The Nevi’im contains the stories of prophets. The prophets were people that spoke on behalf of God to the Jewish people. Lastly, the Ketuvim is comprised of mostly imaginative literature such as psalms, proverbs and poetry (Molloy, 294). Shifting the focus from priests and temple to a written work that is accessible to all regardless of location was the main adaptation of Judaism and certainly saved the faith. Although the historical accuracy of the Hebrew Bible is debatable, as some stories may have morphed from their origination to when they were assembled in writing, the bible still remains at the core of Judaism today.

Another ritual can found at the Bat Mitzvah party when the candle lighting takes place. This is when the girls would have family member who come and light a candle on the cake and she would give a short speech on the family member she called up. The first candle is dedicated to the dead family members. During the Hora (being hoisted up in a chair) all of the guest will get up and starts dancing around the girl (What Happens At a Bar Mitzvah Party?). The music that will be played during the Hora is Hava Nagila. The purpose of this dances is to honor the Bat Mitzvah (Kaplan).

After the circumcision Kosher wine is presented by the Mohel (the circumciser) to the boy that has born, this is done to reduce the pain of the boy. The Jewish child drinks his mother's milk and wine at his birth. As soon as this happens many pick up the goblet of wine and drink it all the way to the last drops. This is done to celebrate their success and it was the beginning of the Jewish wine festival.

In various cultures, heavy importance is placed on the transition from child to adult. A young person’s coming of age and the ceremonies which may follow can embody a highly important, enlightening, and maybe even confusing period of time for the person undertaking these rites of passage. This type of coming of age ceremony holds a very high importance to the followers of Judaism as it signifies the transition of a young boy into a young man, or a young girl into a young woman, it is known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, which means “son of commandment” or “daughter of commandment”, and thus the person undergoing the ceremony is known as the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. As is hebrew custom, the age of

Torah technically refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These five books are called Chumash and are divided into 54 portions called a parashah. At least one portion is read in the synagogues each week. The readings give to each member of the synagogue the basis for their life practices of the week.

The annual December ceremony, when the “birthdays” of all children are celebrated. This is a ritual full of rites of passage. As the kids grow older, these rights allow them more responsibility. At eight for example they are given pockets and they take away their stuffed animals.