Help me study for my Psychology class. I’m stuck and don’t understand.
Religious rituals and belief systems have an intimate, mutually reinforcing relationship. The rites and rituals of religious traditions are based on the beliefs of the people who practice them, and yet they also support those belief systems through actions and performances that speak to the lived power of belief in the supernatural.
Some rituals may celebrate key elements of the history and story of the religious tradition (the Hajj to Mecca, the Jewish Passover). Rituals may represent acts of purification or atonement based on the community’s ethical valuations of good and bad behavior (Roman Catholic confession of sins). Some rituals are designed to protect the community from the supernatural (Hungry Ghost Festival in Taoism, Gaelic All Hallow’s Eve). Oaths to gods and dedications of sacred places also speak to the use of ritual to bind our actions to the will of the supernatural.
Rites of passage (movement from one role within a religious community to another; the Vision Quest of some Native American traditions), show up in many religious traditions as well. Funeral rites represent perhaps the most important rites of passage, as believers take the bodies of the dead and engage in practices to help them transition successfully to the afterlife (Ancient Greece; coins on the eyes for the boatman).
Your task is to choose ONE ritual from within Buddhism, Confucianism, or Taoism and examine it closely in a paper of 2-3 pages. You should first speak to the ritual itself. What is done? Why is it done? Who is the ritual for? What are some specific elements of this ritual? Reflect on both the historical background of the ritual and its continued relevance for the community that practices it. Finally, share your opinion about the ritual. Why did you choose to examine this ritual? You may include images or other media in support of your analysis as long as the written portion meets the demands of the assignment.
Ritual Analysis
Papers:
All papers should be typed; use double
–
spacing, 12
–
point
Times New Roman font, and 1
–
inch margins all the way around.
Papers must use
proper grammar and syntax, i.e., they must observe the logical and formal rules
