Essay on Religious Ritual Observation

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The Paper

Include a separate heading for each section below. With the exception of the ritual description, the questions for each section can be answered in a paragraph or two.

I. Ritual Observed

What religious ritual did you observe? Include religion (be specific), ritual, specific location, and the date. Include a picture of you that shows that you did the observation (e.g., in front of the ritual location). Do not take pictures during the ritual without getting permission! If you have problems meeting this requirement, please contact me as soon as possible.

II. Ritual Description

Describe the ritual that you observed. This should be an approximately three to four page description of what you observed, including a description of the setting, participants and religious specialists. Describe step by step what happened during the ritual.

III. Ritual Classification

How would you classify this ritual? Was it prescriptive or situational? Was it periodic or occasional? How would Wallace classify the ritual (e.g., therapy, social rite of intensification, rite of passage, etc.)? Make sure to include all three classifications. Explain why you classified the ritual the way you did.

IV. Symbols

Describe the symbols you observed, making sure to include the meaning of each. Include symbolic elements of time and space if appropriate.

V. Ritual Specialist

How would you classify the ritual specialist (i.e., priest or shaman)? What characteristics led you to that decision?

VI. Altered States of Consciousness

Was there any evidence of altered states of consciousness? If yes, what characterized the altered state? How was the altered state achieved? If there was absolutely no evidence of altered states, contact me for further instructions.

VII. Worldview

What is the worldview of this religion? How was this worldview reflected in the ritual?

VIII. Conclusion

Write a paragraph or two on your own thoughts and responses to what you observed

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Explanation & Answer

Hi, here it is.

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Religious Ritual Observation

Religions differ significantly around the world. They differ in terms of their practices and
ritual performances among other aspects. This paper provides the details and explanation of an
observed religious ritual.

I. Ritual Observed

The religious ritual that I observed is Baptism in the Catholic Church. I observed the
Catholic baptism ritual at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City on
Sunday May 7, 2017. A couple had brought their twin girls for baptism as shown in the picture
below.

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II. Ritual Description

The baptism ritual in Catholic churches is mostly carried out on Sundays. It is initiated
during Mass. However, it can be conducted during the early afternoon hours once the Masses
have been completed. The ritual entails administering of sacrament, which could be done by the
priest or a deacon. The person being baptized is anointed with oil. Blessed water is then poured
over the person three times.

Usually, the person being baptized is required to dress in a white set of clothing or dress.
White color in this case acts as a symbol of purity in his or her faith in Christianity and Jesus
Christ. Whiteness also represents a symbol of the power of the ritual in cleansing the person’s
sins out of his poor soul. In addition, white could be used as a symbol of the white clothing that
Jesus Christ wore as he was placed in the tomb after he died on the cross. The death of Christ is
remembered on the Good Friday Holiday of each year and only Christians celebrate it. Baptism
represents being born again in terms of one’s heart or spirit. Some families value the white
garment that people being baptized may be need to wear so much that they pass it from one
generation to another just like others do to their wedding dresses. Nevertheless, wearing a white
garment is not a mandatory requirement and there is no specific qualification for participating in
the ritual. One only needs to be a Roman Catholic, a follower of Jesus Christ, and a believer to
be baptized.

One of the key features of the ritual is that it is participatory in that many people attend to
celebrate and witness as one goes through the ritual. The attendees are expected to strong
believers and followers of Christ. They are also expected to strongly be rejecting Satan as the
devil and having the ability to profess their religious faith. The parents of the infant being

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baptized and the relatives and guardians of anyone being baptized are expected to be quite much
involved in the ritual.

The ritual is considerably serious in the sense that all people being baptized are required
to have their respective sponsors. Each sponsor is referred to as a godparent although various
languages have different titles of for the same post. Eac...

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