The Funeral Ceremony : The Spirit And The Body Separate

He would never be able to see the entire picture of the world as the others in his class and in his life see it. This veil served as a film over his vision and in a way, it acted as a prison which he could never escape. Perhaps the thought of being in the veil prison could continue back into history when his ancestors were slaves in their own prison. This veil not only symbolized his own imprisonment, but also how the general population saw him. They never saw the whole picture, for they only saw the outside and never took the time to lift the veil and understand what lay beneath. In both situations, there are no bars or brick walls to be found, rather a higher power accounted for their solitude.

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

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent is a story of a woman, Agnes Magnusdottir, fighting against society’s opinion of her as she struggles to redeem herself. Agnes is portrayed as a woman who is struggling against the patriarchal system that seems to imprison her. The audience is positioned to feel sympathy for Agnes throughout the novel as she explains her harsh childhood through her conversations with Toti. We are also positioned to feel sympathy for her as Kent describes the way that she is treated by the men in her life, particularly Blondal and Natan. By the end of the novel the audience is positioned to feel angered by how Agnes is forced to struggle through to her final breaths with very little sympathy shown to her by the dominant characters

In the late 1960’s, the FTC was a paper tiger. Ralph Nader, who began the consumer protection movement in this country with the publication of Unsafe At Any Speed, was a sharp critic of the Federal Trade Commission for its lack of consumer protection. Specifically, the FTC was criticized because it relied too heavily on consumer complaints and brought enforcement actions only on a case-by-case basis. The consumer protection movement wanted the FTC to proceed against entire industries rather than individual businesses.

Between the ages of three and nine months, Greek Orthodox infants are baptized. This means that the infant is dipped in water, representing how Christ was also baptized. The ceremony takes place in the cathedral, with family and church members present. The priest conducts the ceremony, and parents and godparents of the child participate

In the Anglican Church baptism starts off by gathering hymns, pslam or anthem depending on the priest. After that is done the priest greets the community as respect. The Collect of the day is prayed and other prayers as well. After this the priest talks about the lesson from the scriptures which most often are from the bible , then they will be a presentation and examination of the candidate then the baptismal covenant is prayed to bless the baby towards the end they also pray prayers of thanksgiving and the priest will bless the baby over the water. When the baby is washed with the water the prayers of consecration over oils is prayed after this the

gentle dab on the forehead with the sacred water. Along with the cleaning is the

* Describe when the ritual takes place. Does it respond to some particular event? It is held at specific time of year? Is it held on a regular basis? Is it performed only when needed?

After that, the engagement ceremony takes place, which is then represented as occurred by the visited female family members washing the hair of the engaged couple in a single basin, after which their hair is said to be interwoven by a process of entwining which signifies their union as being lifelong, they then walk to the edge of the mesa to pray and witness the rising sun(representing of light and new beginnings). After that, both the groom and bride are said to start from his house to the bride’s house, where they remain until the brides wedding garments are completed. The wedding attire of the bride is apparently hand woven by the groom and any men who wish to participate in the village. The wedding garment is said to contain a large belt, two complete white wedding robes, a white wedding robe which contains red stripes at the bottom and also at the top, a white buckskin moccasins and leggings, a specific string to tie her hair and the whole outfit is said to be wrapped in a reed mat. It is interesting to know that the wedding outfit also will serve as a shroud as these garments are necessary after death for the trip through the underworld. After the completion of the wedding outfit and bride's acceptance, the wedding takes place in the traditional Native American Hopi way at the groom's

The elements of this practice equip the individual to perform this ritual in a successful manner and allow adherents to be disciples of the Lord in the Christian community. The use of water signifies the spiritual cleansing of the individual and reflects the discussion of rebirth through water in the Gospel of John - “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water” (3:5). The use of water also unifies the individual with the ministry of Christ as we take part in the same ceremony as him. The bible highlights the eternal connection established with the Christian community as the word stresses the importance of this practice. Furthermore, the white garment symbolises the pure and virtuous nature of this ritual and signifies the releasing from the chains of sin and being reborn into a new life with Christ. Pope Francis’ statement that the “people of God have become missionary disciples” highlights the communal aspect of baptism and its contribution to Christianity as a living tradition as it is the individuals moral duty to baptise non-believers and unite them with the Christian community. The Gospel of John reinforces this obligation and the importance of baptism for the individual and the community as a whole in “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mttw

In conjunction with water being a sign of initiation into the church so are the symbolic acts of the priest during the sacrament. “The symbolic act of laying hands by the priest, parents and godparents during the anointing of the initiate with chrism emphasizes the sacrament’s communal character.” (Mueller 139) As all of the parties involved are members of the church, baptism is the first act of initiation of us into our own Christ filled community known as the church. Involving various active member of the church brings together the church of past, present and future alike. The priest acts as Christ, who through his own

The veil created a barrier between the presence of God and priest and other human beings. The veil represented our separation from God because of our sins. Only the high priest was allowed to pass through the veil into the presents of God. All others were forbidden.

Different cultures, countries, religions, and community with various behaviors and rituals that guides their belief and action when a loved one pass away. Religious and spiritual belief, type of life after death, superstitious beliefs after death and beliefs towards the meaning of life are all based on tradition and death ritual.

Criticisms of American funeral practices have been made publicly aware since the 1920’s, and actually go back to ancient times in the scope of human’s ceremonies for the dead. Since the first published argument against modern funerals various authors joined the movement publishing their disparagements of customs for the deceased; that in essence contend the grandiosity and lavish displays are merely a social and psychological representation of the monetary opportunity of funerals (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 306-307). Even further, regarding the encompassing funeral industry as exploiting grieving loved ones for their financial gains, while disregarding the actual needs of modern society (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 307).

Often held as a rite of passage and entrance into the Christian church, baptism is much more than just symbolic ritual. Baptism was commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission recounted in the book of Matthew. Even though we are simplistically called to be obedient by being baptized the Christian church has long debated the aspects of this ordinance. Denominations are divided on the basic meaning, types and modes of baptism even two thousand years after the founding of the Christian church. Just as the other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, congregations find themselves at odd with tradition, biblical interpretation and even individual understanding. However, the simple message of this awe inspiring act can be explained out of the