Hyder,+Elisa

· Can someone be a part of a religion without doing the rituals and prayers? · One cannot be a part of a religion without going through and participating in the religion’s rituals. There is no point in being a part of something if the person just plans on not doing anything to contribute to or respect the religion’s beliefs. It would simply be an empty promise. In the Islamic faith, prayer is so important that it is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam. Through prayer, the person forms a bond with the God and shows respect. By not paying homage or giving thanks to the God, the person is doing the equivalent of refusing the religion and its teachings altogether. For Buddhists, although mediation and prayer do not connect a person with the god(s), they do help a person reach enlightenment and intellectual understanding. Those are two of the main ideals for Buddhists and they come with practice. So, Buddhist must practice rituals many times. The situation for Wiccans is similar to both Muslims and Buddhists. Prayer and rituals help form a bond to the gods and shows that the person respects the gods. Also, Wiccans strengthen their power through practice of the rituals. I show all this through giving quotes from both primary and secondary sources and my interpretations. At the end, I will compare all the ideas and express my final answer to my research question. · ** Quotes: ** o “The significance of this declaration is the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey God, and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of the Last Prophet, Muhammad” - Ishaq Zahid o “Extol, then, God's limitless glory when you enter upon the evening hours, and when you rise at morn; and seeing that unto Him is due all praise in the heavens and earth, glorify Him in the afternoon as well, and when you enter upon the hour of noon.” [Qur'an 30:17-18] o “Salat [Prayer] is a pillar of the religion (Islam). He who establishes it, establishes religion; and he who destroys it, destroys religion." [Tabrani] · ** Interpretation & Analysis: ** o Prayer is one of the most important parts of Islam. The ideal of Islam to show respect and unity with God. Prayer is somewhat similar to a thank-you to God. It shows that the person understands the power of God and is grateful for all He has given. Prayer is also considered to be what holds up the religion. Because people of Islam must find unity with God through prayer, if one was to cease praying he would lose that connection with God. That's exactly what prayer is in the Islamic faith. The ultimate connection. o So, in order for a person to be a Muslim, he must be a part of prayer. If he does not pay homage to God, then it is equal to refusing him as the one of ultimate power: God. One cannot be a Muslim if he does not believe in the Islamic God. It would be like merely taking the title without doing the chores. Also, what would that person achieve spiritually? Without the connection through prayer to God, the person would be completely open up to fault and temptation. It would be incredibly easy for the person to step off off the “paved road” and get lost in the woods of uncertainty. Prayer is like a lifeboat to keep him afloat in his religion if he thrown overboard. Without it, he will drown and be completely alone without his God. · ** Quotes: ** o “ Prayer or Puja in Buddhism is mainly a way of expressing dedication towards God and making offerings to Him. Meditation also forms a part of the rituals & practices in Buddhism. Following of the rituals moves a person forward, on the path to enlightenment” –BuddhistTemples.com o “Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help.” - //Thich Nhat Hanh// o “To develop genuine devotion, you must know the meaning of teachings. The main emphasis in Buddhism is to transform the mind, and this transformation depends upon meditation. in order to meditate correctly, you must have knowledge.” - //from 'Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'// · ** Interpretation & Analysis: ** o In Buddhism, the focus is not to gain a pure soul so that one may reach heaven or paradise. Instead, it intends for its believers to look into oneself and understand his or her life and own mind. The way to do this is through meditation. Meditation allows one to reach inside himself and think without bias. Buddhists aspire to reach intellectual truth. To gain intellectual truth is to be rid of all the delusions and sins such as greed, lust, and vanity. Also, when it is achieved, the person will have a direct and unclouded connection with his faith and his God. There will be nothing to make him stray from the “right path.” The person will reach eternal and undisturbed peace. o However, this comes through practice. It is incredibly improbable for a person to meditate once and get it down perfectly and completely understand both himself and the world. So, it is required for Buddhists to repeat this process over and over again. It is the same as when someone must read a book again and find what they missed. Why call yourself a Buddhist if you do not follow the teachings? There is no spiritual purpose or gain. So, in order for someone to be part of the religion that person must continually participate in the rituals of meditation and prayer. · ** Quotes: ** o "I, (wiccan name), swear ever to cherish and never reveal the secrets which Gods may reveal to me, except it be to a worthy person in the centre of a consecrated circle, such as I am now in. And I will ever remain true to the gods and to the art, and I shall help, true brothers and sisters of the art. This is my solemn vow. So mote it be!" – Exert from Initiation Ritual o “We practice rites to attune ourselves with the rhythms of life that are marked by the phases of the Moon, the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.” – //The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief// o “Worship - Know your rituals and their dates, simply because the God and Goddess are deserving of worship.” – //The 7 Solitary Laws// · ** Interpretation & Analysis: ** o For Wiccans, the rules are pretty straightforward. From the beginning they are immersed in rituals, prayers, and festivals. They take a solemn vow to uphold the traditions of Wicca belief. Also, when they conduct the rituals, the people of Wicca connect themselves with the power of Nature, the Moon, and the Seasons. According to the rules of Wicca, the Gods deserve worship. So, if you go against the rituals then you are going against the gods and the religion itself. So, to be an actual member of Wicca a person must immerse himself in the rituals. One cannot be a part of Wicca without going through the rituals since to even become Wiccan he must go through a long Initiation Ritual. o Just like in any religion, work and worship is incredibly significant in the Wiccan faith. There are two rules that plainly state that one must go through the rituals in order to build a connection with the gods and their power. Nothing would happen if a Wiccan chose to not conduct the rituals. That is exactly what would happen: nothing. However, for a Wiccan, that is the worst thing possible. Since Wiccans grow in their faith through their experience, if they were to do nothing and the result is for them to stay at the same level in understanding and experience, it could be considered a punishment. They would be left alone in their religion. Their gods do not automatically give them love and benefits; the followers must earn it. Therefore, Wiccans must go through rituals to gain the love and trust from the gods. · In all three religions – Islam, Buddhism, and Wicca – ritual is not something that can be ignored. It holds the religion together. Also, without ritual, there is no moving forward in the religion. For Muslims, if they do not pray then they will not be able to connect with their God and learn from him. For Buddhists, without meditation they will not be able to reach enlightenment and intellectual truth. For Wiccans, without festivals and rituals they will not be able to draw strength and trust from their gods. So, in all three cases, without rituals the religion is empty. · I honestly believe that it is an insult to the religion if a person only takes the title and then shirks away from the responsibility of carrying out the rituals of the religion. How can someone be fully immerged in the religion if he misses out on one of the most important parts of the religion? Simple. He cannot. In Islam, Buddhism, and Wicca, rituals play a key role. They are the foundation of the religions. You cannot build a skyscraper without the first floor. It just does not work. So, my final answer to the question if someone can be a religion and still go without the rituals is a complete and utter no.
 * 1. RESEARCH QUESTION **
 * 2. INTRODUCTION **
 * 3. ISLAM **
 * 4. BUDDHISM **
 * 5. WICCA **
 * 6. FINAL THOUGHTS & COMPARISON **

