Rituals are part of every aspect of life and are practiced in different ways. There are rituals that are distinct to religion, sports and even education. In religion, rituals are common are form part of religious practice. Most religions in society today practice different activities that set them aside and distinguish them from each other. Most of the rituals that are practiced in religion serve different purposes and more importantly they serve and represent the beliefs of the different religion. Some of the world religions that indulge in religious rituals and practices include Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Shinto and Daoism among others. It should be understood from the onset, that religious practices and rituals are the activities of the different religions that its members engage in, that have a deeper meaning and are meant to accomplish some aspect of the religion (Rappaport 54). Rituals are common in all the main world religions as will be seen in this essay, and they are seen through worship and the ways of life of people belonging to all religious groups.
Religious rituals play a very vital role in all religions. First of all, religious rituals are a way of affirming what believers study and learn about their religion. In affirming what a person has learned, religious rituals put what people have learned into action. For instance, every religion practices baptism in various forms. Baptism is supposed to help a believer affirm their beliefs in their religion and to communicate to the rest of their world that they are members of the said religion. Rituals are done by the wider religion and the individual, as a way of assuring oneself that they are still part of the bigger congregation. Rituals, therefore, transform religious teachings into practical knowledge because they are seen through actions. The most important function that rituals play in religion is making religion practical.
Rituals are most important in religion because they function as a way of making one feel closer not only to God but also to their religion. But that does not mean that they have to be religious, they can be a set of activities that believers engage in and that these rituals have a meaning associated with them. For instance, people might go to places of worship not because they are religious and keep up to the teachings of their religion, but because going to these places of worship have a special importance in their lives (Rappaport 91). Not everyone who visits places of worship is a believer or religious. Rituals and practices, are, therefore, just a set of activities that individuals practice, and which make them feel part of the bigger community of the believers of their faith, and the persons do not have to be religious in order to engage in them.
There are several rituals that define the different religions. For instance, in Hinduism, followers perform rituals such as Puja which is done every morning after bathing in order to connect humans to the divine, in Sikhism, there is Anand Karaj done during marriage ceremonies. Shinto is a highly ritualized religion with rituals practiced in several ways. For instance, there are rituals that preceed the building of a house called Jichinsai, Norito are ritual prayers that are directly addressed to the gods and there are many others that are associated with purification, adoration opening the sanctuary and many more aspects of life. In Buddhism, several rituals are practiced and some of them touch on initiation and ordinations, confession and rites of passage. It, therefore means that all religions practice rituals as part of worship and they help them make their religions practical.
Religious rituals are several some of which many people think are not. Literary every religion in the world has a place of worship at least once a week. Christians from around the world go to church on Sunday and Muslims go to the mosque every often almost daily, but consider Friday as their day of worship. As for the Sikh, they worship anywhere, and any day and Judaism keep Saturday as their day of worship (Fisher 1). These rituals and practices define religious beliefs of all religions, and many of them are the making of the religious groups, and they help in their worship. It is normal to find Christians going to church on Sunday just like Muslims go to the mosque on Fridays. All the religious groups set rituals that define them and make them different from other religions.
It is normal to find employees of a certain organization meeting up somewhere as they go about their work routines. Under normal circumstances, sometimes people engage in ritual practices unconsciously because they have formed a daily routine of practices that amount ritualistic practices (Fisher 12). For instance, I have made it a habit to pray for food just before eating. It does not matter where I am, and I always find myself whispering a prayer. It is a family ritual that I carry with me everywhere I go despite the fact that I am not an extremely religious person. Some of the rituals people find themselves engaged in do not necessarily portray them as belonging to any religious groups, but they help in distinguishing them as entities.
Rituals are often used as a way of showing the sacredness of religion and religious practices. Religious sacredness is distinct from what generally goes on in mainstream society. They are used as a way of reinforcing religious teachings, and this makes religion special in a way. They are considered emotional because of the attachment people have to them as a way of self- expression (Tong 109). Rituals help meet the psychological function of religion especially when undergoing a crisis. People from all walks of life pray when they are faced with problems their religious affiliations notwithstanding. Religions help in serving the purpose of dealing with personal or group crises. It is during a time of need when people will seek divine intervention. And it is for this reason that rituals serve as a very important aspect of all known religions because they offer people relief.
Works Cited
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. 9/e. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2013. Print.
Rappaport, Roy, A. Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Print
Tong, Chee Kiong. Rationalizing Religion: Religious Conversion, Revivalism and Competition in Singapoer Society. Leiden: BRILL, 2007. Print
