Why are rites of passage important in religion

Van Gennep called these ceremonies rites of passage. In North America today, typical rites of passage are baptisms, bar mitzvahs and confirmations, school graduation ceremonies, weddings, retirement parties, and funerals. These intentionally ritualized ceremonies help the individuals making the transition, as well their relatives and friends, pass through an emotionally charged, tense time.

Most rites of passage are religious ceremonies. They not only mark the transition between an individual's life stages but they reinforce the dominant religious views and values of a culture. In other words, they reinforce the world-view. Marriage is an important rite of passage in all cultures. Note the military symbolism and ritual acts of this formal religious wedding in Canada.

Rites of passage in many cultures are used to mark the socially recognized transition to sexual maturity. Among some of the indigenous societies of Africa and Australia, intentionally painful genital surgery has been an integral part of such rites of passage. Circumcision is removing all or part of the foreskin of the penis, usually with a knife. Subincision is cutting into the side of the penis or making a hole entirely through it.

Clitoridectomy is cutting off all or part of the clitoris and sometimes all or part of the labia. Ceremonies that function as rites of passage connect us with our own past selves, but also with the past of our forebears. These ceremonies tend to be highly ritualized and are passed from one generation to the next, in a flow that evokes the continuity of life, and reminds us of our place in the great scheme of things. When we take part in a rite of passage we find ourselves in a sacred space.

There are rules and rituals regarding dress, place and time that must be respected. This represents an exception in our lives, since sacred spaces are scarce in our secular world.

The Our Father is then said and a blessing is said by the priest. This final prayer shows the relationship with God through prayer and shows that Jesus too communicated with God through prayer as he taught us the Our….

Discipleship is the key but many of our churches are not disciplining new converts past a few weeks. It is vitally important that churches are committed to teaching new converts and developing a close relationships with them. Hebrews says. We must remember that it takes patience and time to disciple a new convert and to see them established in the faith of Christ.

Dailey p. God created us to fulfill our destiny and spread the good news through evangelization. Evangelization involves many ceremonies and gestures such as the sign of cross or bowing to Jesus as well. The oil of the Catechumen is applied to the chest of the one being baptized while making the sign of the cross to give strength to the baptismal candidate.

The sacred Chrism Oil is placed on the forehead while also making the sign of the cross. Therefore it would be wise for the pastor to plan his preaching. What is the synonym of unbiased? What does it mean to be non judgmental? What is the opposite of a judge? Previous Article What emotions does the color pink evoke? Next Article What are the innovation of Leonardo da Vinci demonstrated in the painting? Back To Top.