does the moon have any significance in any religion other than paganism?

Question

I_Like_Pizza, thanks for your answer, could you tell me a little more?

Tuberoot, the avatar is a painting representing the goddess Elen of the Ways

Answer 1

Well, it would be more accurate to think of paganism not as a single religion but as a category of religions -- Wicca, Druidism, Obeah, tribal religions, etc.
The moon is significant in numerous other faiths. Several, such as Islam and Judaism, use a lunar calendar.
The Islamic celebration of the holy month of Ramadan began last week; its start is marked by the rise of a crescent moon.
The dates of Christian Lenten and Easter observances are set according to lunar cycles (that's why the date of Easter Sunday varies so widely from year to year).
Several Buddhist sects also use a lunar calendar, as do many less widely practiced religions, especially surviving tribal faiths.
In the earliest days of human civilization, the moon was one of the great mysteries people sought to explain by assigning it divine characteristics (along with the sun, the seasons, birth and death, and the forces of nature). It is no surprise that the moon continues to have a role in many faiths today.

Answer 2

There are more than one religions that base their calendar on the moon cycles. Judaism is one and they Just had a New Year celebration called Rosh ha Shanah. The moon coincides with this feast or 'set time'. So there is an also traditional 'New Moon Festival."

You can Google these things. They are actually quite interesting.

EDIT: I noticed your avatar. Does that have to do with the Tuatha de Danan?

Answer 3

Judaism has a lunar calendar. The Sabbath/day of rest, starts at Friday at Sunset and ends on Saturday at Sunset. I believe they also have certain new moon festivals during the year, but I don't think they fall on every new moon .

Answer 4

The Moon Crescent symbol was adopted by Turkish Muslims after they conquered the Byzantine Empire.


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Answer 5

Since the moon, being Earth's only celestial satellite, plays a vital role in balancing gravity, controlling wave movements, and transference of energies on Earth, it should be significant to everybody.

Answer 6

Islam:

Moon worship has been practiced in Arabia since 2000 BC. The crescent moon is the most common symbol of this pagan moon worship as far back as 2000 BC.

In Mecca, there was a god named Hubal who was Lord of the Kabah.

This Hubal was a moon god.

One Muslim apologist confessed that the idol of moon god Hubal was placed upon the roof of the Kaba about 400 years before Muhammad. This may in fact be the origin of why the crescent moon is on top of every minaret at the Kaba today and the central symbol of Islam atop of every mosque throughout the world:

About four hundred years before the birth of Muhammad one Amr bin Lahyo ... a descendant of Qahtan and king of Hijaz, had put an idol called Hubal on the roof of the Kaba. This was one of the chief deities of the Quraish before Islam. (Muhammad The Holy Prophet, Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar (Pakistan), p 18-19, Muslim)

The moon god was also referred to as "al-ilah". This is not a proper name of a single specific god, but a generic reference meaning "the god". Each local pagan Arab tribe would refer to their own local tribal pagan god as "al-ilah".

"Al-ilah" was later shortened to Allah before Muhammad began promoting his new religion in 610 AD.

There is evidence that Hubal was referred to as "Allah".

When Muhammad came along, he dropped all references to the name "Hubal" but retained the generic "Allah".

Muhammad retained almost all the pagan rituals of the Arabs at the Kaba and redefined them in monotheistic terms.

Regardless of the specifics of the facts, it is clear that Islam is derived from paganism that once worshiped a moon-god.

Although Islam is today a monotheist religion, its roots are in paganism.

Answer 7

In Christianity, the Church uses it to know when to celebrate Easter: the 1st full moon after the vernal equinox, which was when a group of Roman pagans celebrated their Spring festival.

They used it to encourage those pagans to feel more comfortable about become Christians.

Answer 8

Yes in Christianity where it is used to Calculate the date of Easter and in Islam where it is used to calculate the time for the begining of Ramadan.

Answer 9

Both Judaism and Islam have lunar calendars that determine the observance of certain religious practices.

Answer 10

Judaism