Friday, March 16, 2007

The Difference Between The Roman Catholic Church And The Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church is the Christian church which is headed by the pope in Rome. The Catholic Church claims to be the church established by Jesus Christ and his apostles. “Eastern Orthodoxy is the name we use for the form of Christianity that was spread from Byzantium to various peoples in Eastern Europe.”(Oxtoby, 239). The Eastern Orthodox Church claim to be the one true church which has stemmed down from Jesus Christ and his apostles. Their teachings are based on the bible and the idea that on the apostles’ early missions to East they laid the foundation for the true Christian gospel.
One important distinction between both churches is that there is no pope in the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church. There is no one human authority with the power to lead out the whole entire flock. This is a strict contrast with the Roman Catholics who have a leader who is infallible, divine and a successor to St.Peter one of Christ’s apostles. Also, unlike in Roman Catholic Church all bishops are of the same value, having no man greater than another.

Jewish , Christian and Muslim Calenders

Jewish, Christian and Muslim calendars are all unique in format. The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar which is governed by both solar and lunar cycles. The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar which is governed by lunar cycles. The Christian calendar is a solar calendar which is governed by solar cycles.
“The Islamic year comes to approximately 354 days” (Bell, 103), the Christian calendar 365 days (except for 1 less in day leap years) and the Jewish calendar has no set number of days but repeats in an 235 month cycle over a course of 19 years. The months in a year usually number at 12 but every two to three years one month will be added to make 13.The one month is added every two to three years is to make up for approximately 11 days difference between the solar and lunar cycles that this calendar connects and follows.

What Is The Purpose Of The Matzah Cover And Matzah Plate?

To understand the purpose of the Matzah Cover an Matzah plate, one must first think consider the meaning of Matzah.Matzah is the only type of bread which Jews can eat during Passover and it is made from Flour and water.

On the night that the Pharaoh let the children of Israel go , the children of Isreal had no time to bake their bread. They had to get out of Egypt as fast as they could before the pharaoh changed his mind, so they could not bake their bread.

If you know anything about bread then you know the result of not baking your bread, the yeast in the bread does not get an opportunity to rise. So here you have the Children of Israel fleeing Egypt in the broiling sun with the bread that has not risen

If you know anything about the broiling sun when it makes extended contact with bread then you would know that the bread slowly turned into flat unleavened bread. And as the Children of Israel had no other food they ate this flat unleavened bread.

Now fast forward many generations and all Jews celebrating Passover eat this Matzah. The Jews eat this Matzah in memory of all of those who ate the Matzah on their way out of Egypt thousands of years ago.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

The Muslim Hajj and Christian Visiting Of Lourdes

Visiting of Lourdes began when Bernadette Soubirous saw “Mary” and the appearance of water from a spring at Lourdes which a later began to heal those who would bath in it or drink it. In the Qu’ran it is said that the Hajj was instituted when Abraham and Ishmael are commanded to build the Ka’bah. Later, in the forming of the religion Muhammad adopted this action as one of his central ideas.

The Hajj pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Islam , as it is a Moslem religious rite. All Moslems are required to take this pilgrimage to the Ka’bah at least one time in their lives. The only exceptions are those who are sick or who do not have enough money.

The pilgrimage to Lourdes is neither obligatory nor even recommend; travelers to Lourdes take the journey on their own accord. The Roman Catholic Church does not require its members to visit Lourdes and neither did Mary (when she was viewed by Bernadette) command or urge all Catholics to visit this place.

Most Muslims take the pilgrimage to the Hajj as a statement of their faith. The main reason that they take the journey is because it is one of the five pillars. A Moslem not adhering to any of the five pillars (without reason) is not perceived as a true Muslim; therefore, all five pillars including the Hajj must be kept.

The pilgrimage to Lourdes is usually taken for the purpose of healing. It is rumored that the water from a spring that flows at the grotto has a miraculous power attached to it. This water has supposedly cured up to 1000 people with 67 of those which had no medical explanation for their healing. As a result of the “miracle power” disabled and infirm people travel from all over the world to get the opportunity to be healed. A minority of others take the trip to taste of the atmosphere that was touched by “our lady”.

During the four day Hajj pilgrimage Moslems have a number of significant actions that they undertake .The pilgrims pray many times, reflect and meditate. They collect pebbles and throw them at a brick pillar in the lapidation ritual. The pilgrims sacrifice lamb, goat, cow or camel. Also they trim three strands of their hair or shave it all off completely. At Lourdes, Pilgrims will seek out the blessed from the spring. They have church services, pray and tour the grotto and surrounding areas.

What Are Life Cycle Rituals ?

Life cycle rituals are actions which culturally mark an individual's passing from one stage of social life to another. The most popular life cycle rituals are ; Birth ; marriage and death. Calendrical rituals are acts performed on specific days within a religion’s calendar. These actions are performed on a yearly basis whether these calendars are solar and/or lunar.

The Written and Oral Torah

The written torah is a compilation of the books which make up Hebrew holy scripture. The written Torah includes the five books of Moses, along with thirty other books written by various characters in Hebraic history. These books are split into sections entitled: The law, the prophets and the writings. The Oral torah consists of Hebrew scripture interpretations and also gives direction concerning the correct way to follow Hebrew law. In the oral torah, purportedly passed down from Moses , one may find out exactly how to keep the Jewish laws or how to treat their neighbor and the meanings of various other holy sayings.

Monotheism and Gnosticism

Monotheism is the belief and worship of one God. An example of monotheism is the Hebraic belief in the one true God of Moses. Polytheism is the belief in more than one God. In the Hellenic culture there was worship and belief in many gods, making this culture polytheistic. Gnosticism is the dualistic belief that there are two equal spiritual power that govern the earth; one good and one bad. Gnostics also believed that redemption of fallen man can be achieved if one could renounce physical appetites and be released from the body into a state of spiritual bliss.