The Oxford dictionary defines monotheism as “the doctrine or belief that there is only one God.” The central values of family, charity, and respect for others are shared by three monotheistic religions; Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Although each religion has a different perspective on teachings and beliefs, they all have one thing in common; their belief in a single deity. The three monotheistic religions have developed and adapted ritual over the course of time. This has happened in many ways in each religion such as performing circumcision on newborn babies in Judaism, performing baptism on newborn babies in Christianity, and reciting the adhan into the right ear of a newborn baby in Islam. Modernity has also affected these religions in aspects such as ritual and worship. For instance, in Judaism, the concept of family worship would be foreign to Jews 3500 years ago, whereas now, it is extremely normal. In Christianity, modernity differences in liturgical celebration arose gradually between East and West, which played a significant role in creating and perpetuating the schism between Catholic and Orthodox. In Islam, medical and security services would never be provided for pilgrims, but now, these accommodations are vital. The themes of sects are common in the development of ritual in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
To begin, Jews, Christians, and Muslims have developed and adapted rituals over the course of time. This has happened in many different ways such as performing circumcision on newborn babies in Judaism, performing baptism on newborn babies in Christianity, and reciting the adhan into the right ear of a newborn baby in Islam. In Judaism, circumcision is an initiation rite for Jewish newborn babies. This usually takes place in a ceremony called a Brit milah witnessed by family and community members. According to the Torah (Genesis 17: 9-14), Abraham was commanded by God to circumcise himself, all male members of his household, his descendants and slaved in an everlasting covenant. There are no special rules about where the ritual should take place, but most often it is held at the family's home or in a synagogue. The ritual is performed by a mohel (circumciser), on the eighth day after birth. The mohel is required to have studied the religious laws and have the surgical skills essential to the operation. During the circumcision, the child is held on the lap of a person who has been chosen to act as sandek. The grandfather of the child or the family rabbi often takes this role and it is considered an honour to do this. In comparison, Christian children are baptized when they are born. In Christianity, “baptism is seen as washing away the stain of original sin with water. It can be received only once in a lifetime”.After Christianity became a state religion in the fourth century, infant baptism became a norm. Finally, in Islam, “at the birth of a newborn, the father whispers the call to prayer into the ears of the baby, thus setting the course for a life attentive to God’s beckoning. The parent then chews a morsel of a date until soft and then puts it into the infant’s mouth, marking the time when solid food will usher the person along a continuum to responsible adult life. Another ritual that is present in these monotheistic religions is the ritual of fasting”. In Judaism, Jews fast on the holiday of Yom Kippur which translates to “Day of Atonement” and comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The main purpose of of Yom Kippur is because fasting is a vehicle for reflecting and repenting your sins. It is the holiest day of the year in Judaism and it is the day that God wipes away the previous years record of sins. Similarly, prayer and fasting were inseparable for early Christians. “Early Christians seem to have observed ritual fasting on certain days of the week. The significance of this practice could be immense, for the days of fasting could be closely linked to the identity of the community. The teaching of the Twelve Apostles warned “fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, not on Tuesdays and Thursdays, like the hypocrites.”Fasting on Fridays, the day of Christ’s passion, remained an observance among Catholic Christians until the twentieth century”. In comparison, the month of Ramadan in Islam is the holiest and most sacred month of the Islamic calendar. “The rule of Ramadan is that no food or drink can be taken between dawn and dark and that no sexual relations or smoking or other sensual pleasures be experienced. Only healthy persons, adults, and older children who have practiced limited fasting are required to keep the fast. The Ramadan fast is a considerable physical as well as spiritual discipline that enables the believer to enter a state of mind, reflecting on his or her morality while remembering that all people are essentially equal before God, regardless of their temporary worldly circumstances. People feel close to God and to each other as they take this time out of ordinary time to renew themselves and submit in deeper measure to God’s will”. Not only have these monotheistic religions developed and adapted ritual over the course of time, but modernity affected worship and ritual in these traditions as well.
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To continue, throughout the course of time, the way in which believers worshiped God has evolved and changed to a certain extent. In Judaism it changed drastically, whereas in Islam and Christianity, not as much. “In ancient medieval Judaism, worship included more than what happened in the synagogue. Halakhic tradition extended worshipal attitudes and actions well beyond the strict confines of public prayer gatherings”. “Women were welcome to pray in the synagogue, but could not constitute an official representation of the entire israeli community. But by the early medieval times, rabbinic synagogues eventually came to maintain a separate section for women called the “women’s courtyard” and in some congregations is located in a balcony above the area in which men pray”. During this time, women were also not allowed to lead congregation in prayer. Judaism changed a lot by the early nineteenth century. “The desire for change originated among common Jews, not rabbinic leaders”. Only the most Orthodox and traditionalist Jewish communities remain committed to the patterns of the all embracing vodah. “The reform movement declared itself a comprehensive program to transform Judaism into a modern faith. Attempts to make synagogue worship more aesthetically or morally inspiring could prove problematic from a strictly halakhic perspective”. “Reform Jews viewed segregated prayer as an outmoded custom and eventually, family prayer had become a norm in many Christian denominations”. “Family worship created a whole range of opportunities for fathers, mothers, and their children to interact in the intimacy of family worship. It also spelled the gradual disappearance of the complex set of sensibilities that had once shaped men and women in distinctive patterns of piety, both within and beyond the confines of the synagogue”. Finally, it is common today in many non-orthodox synagogues for women to fulfill any ritual role formerly occupied by a man, such as a prayer leader or reader of the Torah. Jewish women can now engage in activities once thought to be exclusive privilege of men. In comparison, worship and ritual in Christianity was also affected by modernity. “From early on, Christians accepted the reenactment of the”Last Supper” as a definitive ritual”.The apostle Paul expresed confidence in some sort of powerful change or hierophany. The confidence in the genuine presence of Christ in the new bread and wine made the meal a communion with Christ. Overtime the change of the bread and wine and its appropriation for communion turned into the ritual focus of Christian life. The ritual celebration known as the 'eucharist' came to be celebrated regularly. Evidence shows that participation at the weekly eucharist was high all through Christendom. The eucharist became known as the “mass” in the latin west and took place in the church. The mass came to be regarded as a reenactment of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and each celebration of the eucharist was believed to be Christ’s continual offering of himself. By 1100, the practice of masses was embraced in the west and it seemed there were masses for all the illnesses in the world. “Modernity differences in liturgical celebration arose gradually between East and West, these played a significant role in creating and perpetuating the schism between Catholic and Orthodox”. The East shield away from the West’s multiplication of votive masses and in the East, the sacrament came to be chanted rather than recited, without the accompaniment of musical instruments. In the West, the altar remained in full view, but the priests commended the sacrament in Latin with their backs turned to the congregation. Unlike Orthodox, the Catholics brought musical instruments to church. In comparison, Islam has five pillars that every muslim must follow. These Pillars can be seen as rituals and include purification, which is essentially believing in the unity of God and the messangerhood of Muhammad. The second pillar is salat which is prayer and it contains a set of prescribed cycles of standing, bowing, kneeling-sitting, and prostrating with forehead touching the carpet or other clean floor or ground surface. The third pillar in Islam is Zakat which means almsgiving and is similar to charity but more of a tax on one’s wealth, through set proportions. Zakat is a form of worship service to God. The fourth pillar in Islam is fasting which takes place during the holy month of Ramadan. It is a time in which Muslims dedicate to refocus on purifying their souls and conduct through self-reflection, self-sacrifice and prayer. The fifth and final pillar is Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Being the fifth pillar of Islam, hajj or the act of making a pilgrimage is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims. Adult Muslims are required to perform hajj at least once in lifetime if they have the physical and financial ability. Modernity has not affected any of the five pillars in Islam except for Hajj. Modern times have seen a major development in accommodations for Pilgrims, including medial and security services. Even so, there can still be risk, as has been seen in recent years when many have died from crowd stampedes, plane crashes, and other causes. When over a million people are gathered in a relatively small place, safety is difficult to guarantee. Not only has modernity affected worship and ritual in these religions, but the themes of sects are common in the development of ritual in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Finally, the theme of sects is common in the development of ritual in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism there are three sects, orthodox jews, conservative jews, and reform jews. Orthodox Jews are the largest and strongest sect and they believe in every word of the five books of Moses in the Hebrew Bible. Men and women sit separately in synagogues and they emphasize living according to the Torah, as interpreted authoritatively by the rabbinic culture. Men also wear a kippah or skull caps as a sign of respect to God. Whereas conservative Jews recognize the authority of Jewish law as devine, but believe that revelation is subject to many interpretations. They are interested in the scientific study of the Bible and stress the unity of all Jews. Men and women may sit together in conservative synagogues and they recognize the role of other faiths. In comparison, reform Jews emphasizes more the prophetic teachings of Judaism and less on the ritual observances. They follow the Sabbath and holiday ceremonies and may observe dietary laws. They believe that each generation has the right to accept, reject or modify the traditions it has received. It also emphasizes full equality of men and women in all religious matters. Similarly, Christianity has multiple sects including Christian, Catholic, and Orthodox. To compare, Islam has two main sects; sunni and shia. Eighty-five percent of Muslims belong to the sunni sect. The sunni sect can be regarded as the orthodox version of Islam. Sunni Muslims believe that Muhammad’s successor should be chosen on a basis of merit and in religious matters, the Quran and sunnah have the highest authority. Whereas shia Muslims share a general allegiance to the right of Ali and his descendents to spiritual and temporal authority in the Muslim community after Muhammad. About fourteen percent of Muslims are shia. Shia Muslims have many different rituals and beliefs such as during Ramadan, sunnis break their daily fast at sunset, when the sun is no longer visible on the horizon, whereas shia wait until the redness of the setting sun has completely disappeared and the sky is totally dark. Another difference is the daily prayers Muslims perform. Shia Muslims pray three times a day and combine Maghrib and Isha salat whereas sunni Muslims pray five times a day. Sunni Muslims touch their heads to the ground, whereas Shia Muslims use a wooden block or tablet of clay to rest their heads during prostration. These examples prove it evident that the theme of secs are visible in the monotheistic religions and rituals developed differently in each sect.
In conclusion, the monotheistic religions adapted many different rituals over time such as fasting yom kippur in Judaism, fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays in Christianity, and fasting the month of Ramadan in Islam. Modernity affected and introduced new concepts to the three religions in terms of worship and ritual. Thousands of years ago, the idea of women rabbis was absolutely forbidden, but is now, very common. Modernity differences in liturgical celebration arose gradually between East and West in Christianity which played a significant role in creating and perpetuating the schism between Catholic and Orthodox. In Islam, medical and security services would never be provided for pilgrims, but now, these accommodations are vital. A theme of change that was common in the development of ritual in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam was the theme of sects. In orthodox Judaism, women and men sit separately in synagogues, whereas in reform Judaism and conservative Judaism, it is permissible for men and women to sit together in synagogues. Christians….. Shia Muslims prayer three times a day and wait for the redness of the horizon to completely disappear before breaking their fast, whereas Sunni Muslims pray five times a day and break their fast at sunset.
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