Religious Faith Traditions: Mission And Vision Of The Founder

The word mission can be defined as “an important assignment given to a person or group of people, typically involving travel abroad” followed by, vision which could be described as “a mental image of what the future will or could be like”. (Lexico Dictionaries | English, 2019) In context, the founders of Christianity and Judaism, Jesus and Abraham’s mission and vision is terms of worship and rituals most likely entailed the many generations to come still upholding the traditions and ways of worship set by themselves when founding their faiths. In general, Christians of today still follow the core morals and beliefs established centuries ago by Jesus himself; however, in modern times, they struggle to comply with the rituals and ways of worship. Jewish rituals and worship have also been modified to keep up with the times, although, they are still more strictly aligned with those practiced centuries ago by Abraham himself. This report will outline how the rituals completed in Jesus’ and Abraham’s time have evolved or remained the same over the years. Christianity and Judaism’s rituals and ways of worship have both evolved over the times in order to cater for the constantly changing world we live in, however to what degree have they modified these ways, are they still following the mission and vision set by the founders centuries ago in terms of rituals and worship?

Christianity is a religion founded by Jesus Christ, the son of God, in the 1st century AD, after his death, it originally began in Judea, however it spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire, hence becoming a state religion. Christianity is an entity in its self, although Jesus the founder was originally a Jew therefore some of their morals and values were derived from the Jewish ways of life. The faith is based upon the birth, life, death, resurrection, teachings and miracles of Jesus. “Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” Luke 1:78-79. This quote from the gospel quiet clearly states Jesus’ vision and intentions for Christianity in the future to consist of Christian followers to provide salvation for those less fortunate by allowing the faith to pull them out of the ‘darkness’. Now, many years after Jesus himself his faith has remained prominent in the world, this is evident as 2,163,950,000 people currently identify themselves as Christians. (In text reference) However, their rituals and ways of worship have strayed slightly from the original practices of Jesus’ time. As with any religion, rituals are updated with the times of order to keep up with society although after a certain degree it can no longer be classed as necessary modifications.

Throughout time the rituals set by Jesus himself have modified to keep up with society however, some of the modern day rituals are derived from significant events performed by Jesus. In addition, some rituals which have evolved from particular actions in Jesus’ life include the sharing of the Eucharist which was created to commemorate the last supper Jesus and his disciples dined together, hence this would not have been a commonly practiced ritual during his time as it came about based on an event which occurred just before his death. Although over the years the meaning of the bread and wine have remained the same; the body and blood and Christ. Furthermore, the altar in present day churches represents the table in which Jesus shared the last supper at many centuries ago, this is crucial is the churches of today as it is an important way Christians worship their founder and what he did for the world. Another important ritual essential ritual and way of worship both in the beginning of the religion and in the current times is praying. During Jesus’ time he would pray and preach through parables unlike Christians of today who use homilies in order to interpret certain sections of their faith. Furthermore, ‘the handclasp’ was another ritual according to numerous early documents, this ritual consists of the clasping of hands while revealing secrets, however this is somewhat non-existent in todays time. Some more rituals from the time include, passing the angels, prayer circle and secret words, all in which majority of Christians today would be unaware of.

On the other hand, today many Christians are still uphold the Baptism tradition even though the process has changed over time, given that back then they had a separate building just for baptism and they were baptised in a large pool of water unlike today when only a small amount is dripped on the forehead. In addition, weddings have been a cause for celebration for the past centruies dating by to before Jesus’ time, these special occasions also incorpertate various rituals and traditions for example foot washing and the Sermon. Foot washing is a ritual performed during the ceremony as Jesus did this with his disciples as a symbol of his devotion to humble himself as a leader and serve his followers. Moreover, another tradition includes the Sermon, read by the priest during the course of the ceremony in order to worship the creator and what he has provided for us. (Susan Shek Photography – NYC Wedding Photographer, 2019) Hence, it an be said that Christians of today are still struggling to uphold Jesus mission and vision in terms or rituals and worship.

In contrast, Judaism was founded by Abraham after instituting a covenant between himself and God in approximately 1812 BC, in Israel. The Jewish faith dates back more than 3,800 years making it the world’s oldest monotheistic religion. As any religion Judaism was influenced by the founders surroundings hence the Jewish faith stemmed predominantly from already existing religions such as Babylonian and Hebrew which were around at the time.

Some rituals and traditions practiced by the Jewish faith include, Kosher, the Sabbath day, bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah plus many more. Kosher is the adherence to the traditional Jewish dietary laws given by God himself at Mt Sinai in 1275BCE, the Jews keep kosher as they believe it is the will of the creator in addition to assisting them in connecting with God as they will be fulfilling the divine. Kosher laws dictate which meats can and can’t be eaten, how they are to be slaughtered, and what they can be prepared and eaten with. (Chabad.org, 2019) Furthermore, bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah are celebrations of entering adulthood, bar mitzvah, meaning “son of the commandment”, which is celebrated for boys whereas a more recent tradition the bat mitzvah, translating to “daughter of the commandment” is applicable to girls and was first celebrated in 1922. These two celebrations are both held on the first Saturday after their birthday for boys it is their 13th birthday unlike for girls as it is celebrated for their 12th birthday. This coming-of-age ceremony celebrates a child’s acceptance as an adult member of his or her congregation. This means that he or she is now responsible for his or her own actions, and for following the Jewish commandments and rituals as detailed in the Torah. (Huffpost.com, 2019)

In addition, Jewish wedding also entailed a variety or rituals such as, breaking of the glass, aufruf, fasting, bedeken, ketubah, sheva brachot, chuppah and many more. For example, the breaking of the glass, occurs towards the end of the wedding ceremony, the groom uses his right foot to break the glass, to represent the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, sheva brachot is a reciting of the seven blessings completed by the rabbi during the wedding ceromny. As a result, Jews of today are staying true to Abraham’s mission and vision in terms or worship and rituals.

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Overall, it is evident that Christians are struggling to maintain their rituals and ways of worship in the likeness of Jesus compared to that of Jews. This conclusion was gained from many online and written sources stating various rituals from the 1st century and how they have either changed or disappeared entirely. On the other hand, it is evident the Jewish followers are more strictly following the rituals set by Abraham many centuries ago. As a result, it can be concluded that modern expression of the Jewish faith traditions honour the mission and vision of their founder unlike Christians whom still uphold core morals and beliefs however their rituals and ways of worship have been struggling compared to those set by Jesus himself many centuries ago.The word mission can be defined as “an important assignment given to a person or group of people, typically involving travel abroad” followed by, vision which could be described as “a mental image of what the future will or could be like”. (Lexico Dictionaries | English, 2019) In context, the founders of Christianity and Judaism, Jesus and Abraham’s mission and vision is terms of worship and rituals most likely entailed the many generations to come still upholding the traditions and ways of worship set by themselves when founding their faiths. In general, Christians of today still follow the core morals and beliefs established centuries ago by Jesus himself; however, in modern times, they struggle to comply with the rituals and ways of worship. Jewish rituals and worship have also been modified to keep up with the times, although, they are still more strictly aligned with those practiced centuries ago by Abraham himself. This report will outline how the rituals completed in Jesus’ and Abraham’s time have evolved or remained the same over the years. Christianity and Judaism’s rituals and ways of worship have both evolved over the times in order to cater for the constantly changing world we live in, however to what degree have they modified these ways, are they still following the mission and vision set by the founders centuries ago in terms of rituals and worship?

Christianity is a religion founded by Jesus Christ, the son of God, in the 1st century AD, after his death, it originally began in Judea, however it spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire, hence becoming a state religion. Christianity is an entity in its self, although Jesus the founder was originally a Jew therefore some of their morals and values were derived from the Jewish ways of life. The faith is based upon the birth, life, death, resurrection, teachings and miracles of Jesus. “Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” Luke 1:78-79. This quote from the gospel quiet clearly states Jesus’ vision and intentions for Christianity in the future to consist of Christian followers to provide salvation for those less fortunate by allowing the faith to pull them out of the ‘darkness’. Now, many years after Jesus himself his faith has remained prominent in the world, this is evident as 2,163,950,000 people currently identify themselves as Christians. (In text reference) However, their rituals and ways of worship have strayed slightly from the original practices of Jesus’ time. As with any religion, rituals are updated with the times of order to keep up with society although after a certain degree it can no longer be classed as necessary modifications.

Throughout time the rituals set by Jesus himself have modified to keep up with society however, some of the modern day rituals are derived from significant events performed by Jesus. In addition, some rituals which have evolved from particular actions in Jesus’ life include the sharing of the Eucharist which was created to commemorate the last supper Jesus and his disciples dined together, hence this would not have been a commonly practiced ritual during his time as it came about based on an event which occurred just before his death. Although over the years the meaning of the bread and wine have remained the same; the body and blood and Christ. Furthermore, the altar in present day churches represents the table in which Jesus shared the last supper at many centuries ago, this is crucial is the churches of today as it is an important way Christians worship their founder and what he did for the world. Another important ritual essential ritual and way of worship both in the beginning of the religion and in the current times is praying. During Jesus’ time he would pray and preach through parables unlike Christians of today who use homilies in order to interpret certain sections of their faith. Furthermore, ‘the handclasp’ was another ritual according to numerous early documents, this ritual consists of the clasping of hands while revealing secrets, however this is somewhat non-existent in todays time. Some more rituals from the time include, passing the angels, prayer circle and secret words, all in which majority of Christians today would be unaware of.

On the other hand, today many Christians are still uphold the Baptism tradition even though the process has changed over time, given that back then they had a separate building just for baptism and they were baptised in a large pool of water unlike today when only a small amount is dripped on the forehead. In addition, weddings have been a cause for celebration for the past centruies dating by to before Jesus’ time, these special occasions also incorpertate various rituals and traditions for example foot washing and the Sermon. Foot washing is a ritual performed during the ceremony as Jesus did this with his disciples as a symbol of his devotion to humble himself as a leader and serve his followers. Moreover, another tradition includes the Sermon, read by the priest during the course of the ceremony in order to worship the creator and what he has provided for us. (Susan Shek Photography – NYC Wedding Photographer, 2019) Hence, it an be said that Christians of today are still struggling to uphold Jesus mission and vision in terms or rituals and worship.

In contrast, Judaism was founded by Abraham after instituting a covenant between himself and God in approximately 1812 BC, in Israel. The Jewish faith dates back more than 3,800 years making it the world’s oldest monotheistic religion. As any religion Judaism was influenced by the founders surroundings hence the Jewish faith stemmed predominantly from already existing religions such as Babylonian and Hebrew which were around at the time.

Some rituals and traditions practiced by the Jewish faith include, Kosher, the Sabbath day, bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah plus many more. Kosher is the adherence to the traditional Jewish dietary laws given by God himself at Mt Sinai in 1275BCE, the Jews keep kosher as they believe it is the will of the creator in addition to assisting them in connecting with God as they will be fulfilling the divine. Kosher laws dictate which meats can and can’t be eaten, how they are to be slaughtered, and what they can be prepared and eaten with. (Chabad.org, 2019) Furthermore, bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah are celebrations of entering adulthood, bar mitzvah, meaning “son of the commandment”, which is celebrated for boys whereas a more recent tradition the bat mitzvah, translating to “daughter of the commandment” is applicable to girls and was first celebrated in 1922. These two celebrations are both held on the first Saturday after their birthday for boys it is their 13th birthday unlike for girls as it is celebrated for their 12th birthday. This coming-of-age ceremony celebrates a child’s acceptance as an adult member of his or her congregation. This means that he or she is now responsible for his or her own actions, and for following the Jewish commandments and rituals as detailed in the Torah. (Huffpost.com, 2019)

In addition, Jewish wedding also entailed a variety or rituals such as, breaking of the glass, aufruf, fasting, bedeken, ketubah, sheva brachot, chuppah and many more. For example, the breaking of the glass, occurs towards the end of the wedding ceremony, the groom uses his right foot to break the glass, to represent the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, sheva brachot is a reciting of the seven blessings completed by the rabbi during the wedding ceromny. As a result, Jews of today are staying true to Abraham’s mission and vision in terms or worship and rituals.

Overall, it is evident that Christians are struggling to maintain their rituals and ways of worship in the likeness of Jesus compared to that of Jews. This conclusion was gained from many online and written sources stating various rituals from the 1st century and how they have either changed or disappeared entirely. On the other hand, it is evident the Jewish followers are more strictly following the rituals set by Abraham many centuries ago. As a result, it can be concluded that modern expression of the Jewish faith traditions honour the mission and vision of their founder unlike Christians whom still uphold core morals and beliefs however their rituals and ways of worship have been struggling compared to those set by Jesus himself many centuries ago.