The Characteristics of a
Religion
There are four major characteristics of any Religious
Tradition.
RITUAL AND CEREMONY
STORIES AND SACRED TEXTS
TIME / SPACE / PEOPLE
EXPERIENCE
RITUAL AND CEREMONY
• Structure
Mass?
Communion Service / Liturgy of the Word?
Ritual outside of the Mass?
“Other” Rite?
• Symbol
What symbols are involved in each of the
ceremonies?
What is the purpose of symbol?
What function does it fulfill?
RITUAL AND CEREMONY
Type of Ritual
Rites of Passage (baptism, marriage etc)
Rites of Communion
Rites of Demarcation (setting apart)
Rites of Memorial (Easter rituals)
Rites of cleansing (Penitential)
RITUAL AND CEREMONY
Ceremony is situated within the context of a Ritual as
laid down by some rule book?
Formal / Informal?
Rituals used by the College?
STORIES AND SACRED TEXTS
All religions have at their centre oral and / or written
texts and writings and stories that are both peculiar to and
particular to their Religious tradition.
Islam: Qur’an (Holy Book) + Sunnah / Sharia
Christianity: Bible; Code of Canon Law etc
Judaism: Torah (Hebrew Testament) + Halahkah
(book of Jewish law)
Across religious traditions, there are patterns of similarity in
the way people put their lives together in story. For example,
Origin and Creation ‘myths’ abound in religions. Similarly, the
‘founder’ or ‘hero’ of a religion is often accorded a
‘miraculous’ birth; a remarkable youth; wisdom or heroism,
quite beyond the normal etc.
The real beliefs of religious followers often lie behind these
stories. Beliefs fall into three areas:
• Beliefs about Gods & Spirits;
• Beliefs about the world;
• Beliefs about life and/or afterlife.
TIME, SPACE and PEOPLE
Concepts of time and space are as integral to religions as
they are to general life.
The example is Anzac Day:
Sacred Time of the Past: 25 April 1915 (Gallipoli)
Sacred Time of the Present: 25 April each year.
Sacred Space of the Past: Anzac Cove – Gallipoli
Sacred Space of the present: Cenotaph
A Church example of this might well be Christmas:
Sacred Time of the Past: 25 December ?Year 0 ?? (4 BCE)
Sacred Time of the Present: 25 /12 each year
Sacred Space of the Past: Bethlehem
Sacred Space of the present: Church (Nativity Scene)
Sacred persons are also integral to religions, Again, there is
a past and present dimension to this.
Sacred persons of the past are those legendary heroes,
founders and saints who are instrumental to the religion’s
history and traditions. People such as Buddha; Jesus;
Muhammad and Moses are examples of this.
Sacred persons of the present are those held in high regard
and authority in their religious tradition: Chief Rabbis
(Judaism); Imams (Islam); Priests; Bishops, Pope
(Christianity, especially within the Catholic denomination
etc).
EXPERIENCE
All of the elements work together to make involvement in the
religion a meaningful experience.
That is, when a person
engages in a ritual, knowing the underlying story, adhering to
the underpinning beliefs, being conscious of the sacred time,
space and persons involved, this person is likely to be open to
what is generally called a religious experience.
The degree to which one involves him/herself in a religious
ritual determines the intensity of the religious experience.
EXPERIENCE
- Christian
• Low Level Experience – participant at Mass (for
example)
• High Level Experience – baptism where you are
the father; God Father / Marriage, where you are
part of the Bridal party etc.
- Judaism
•Low level Experience - Observer in a Brit
Milah ceremony
•High Level Experience – Sandek, mohel,
etc.
There are four major characteristics of any Religious
Tradition.
RITUAL AND CEREMONY
STORIES AND SACRED TEXTS
TIME / SPACE / PEOPLE
EXPERIENCE