2007-12-04 17:55:57 · 31 answers · asked by ۞Aum۞ 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
In every religion rituals are very important. They should never be negated / neglected.
However the essense of all these rituals are to elimate the ego and bring in the goodness within you and have the devine devotion towards the almighty.
If this essense or the inner meaning is not adhered, then all conducting all the rituals without its expression meaning is of no use.
2007-12-04 20:44:18 · answer #1 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Rituals bind us to our ancestors - we feel a connection to them when we repeat the same actions they have done for thousands of generations. Religion literally means "things that bind" (from Latin: res ligare) - that is, things that bind us to our ancestors. Religion is impossible without ritual. Having a spirtual connection to a higher consciousness is possible without ritual, but ritual helps reinforce and bind the connection.
Many things could be considered ritual - the factory worker who clocks in every day repeats the same action for eight hours, then clocks out, is participating in a ritual. So is the farmer who must sow and harvest by the seasons, and the hunter who must carry out prescribed steps for a successful hunt - the earliest rituals developed from the need to regularly plant and harvest crops or pursue game. It is when the actions of a ritual become repeated and stylized to the point where they lose their resemblance to the practical tasks from which they arose, and are repeated solely for their connection to the past, that they become religious.
2007-12-05 08:53:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It’s not necessary, but helpful for beginners. The delicate plant of spirituality can be fenced by religion and rituals, which enables the plant to withstand with harsh weather of materialism. Fence (religion/rituals) without plant (spirituality) is meaningless.
Pearls of wisdom have been integrated in the thread of stories and rituals. For a child (beginner in spiritualism) it is always easy to understand and retain the moral (wisdom) through interesting stories and rituals. Each idol represents an ideal i.e. a set of positive qualities and attributes, which gels with one’s internal personality. Main idea is to imbibe those positive qualities in our character. Idols are worshiped with rituals, the way we worship our National flag.
But various Gods and Goddesses in Indian religion are symbolic to one Cosmic Consciousness. It's the way various maps are used to understand the different parts of one World or different books by different authors on the same subject.
2007-12-04 22:08:28 · answer #3 · answered by shanky_andy 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In the Baha'i Faith there are no rituals as in liturgy, and there is no clergy or priests. Baha'is fast from sunrise to sunset for 19 days once a year, but there's nothing ritualistic about that. Each person self-manages it. Maybe some would consider washing hands and face before prayer ritualistic, although for me, it's simply appropriate to be clean when presenting ourselves to the highest being. From the responses above me, I can see that most folks have a different idea from me of what ritual is.
2007-12-04 19:30:01 · answer #4 · answered by jaicee 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Rituals are not necessary for people following the gnana marg.Though there are some scientific facts in them, once you are in the path of bringing transformation within yourself the rituals don't play a very important role.
2007-12-05 12:19:51 · answer #5 · answered by lalachi 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are two types of rituals. One which helps you in keeping ur soul aware about it's nature. Like a tilak to vaishnava, a janoi(sacred thred) for brahmins. The religion is to connect your soul to supreme soul(God). Anything that helps in this are welcome like what I have exemplified above.
The second type of rituals which are derivative of temptation or danger are very bad. In fact, these rituals have spoiled the meaning of religions. You must not shave on Saturday, you must not eat 'prasad' of different god, you must not eat non-veg food etc.. These rituals have nothing to do with religions, soul or heart. They have been created and solidified over a period of time by the so called gurus of the religions.They simply deserve to be irradicated. But there is a tag of temptation or danger on them and hence are not getting removed easily.
2007-12-04 20:35:11 · answer #6 · answered by JJ SHROFF 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, that is what religion is all about. Ritual is the conduit that carries tradition. Religions are institutions that transmit information about spiritual traditions through generations.
Ritual is not necessary for spirituality but it is an integral part of most religion.
2007-12-05 07:21:35 · answer #7 · answered by Tamara S 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rituals are very much necessary for any religion. It is part and parcel of the religion. But we should make it simple. Without rituals the religion is as as good as a meal without salt and masala and one cannot imagine
2007-12-04 22:04:15 · answer #8 · answered by Vasudevan p 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Maybe not for religion, but for humans who find the use of tools and ritual a way to help them connect.
2007-12-05 00:22:04 · answer #9 · answered by Bella Wolffe 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rituals are symbolic acts to remind us many religious actions. Some rituals are even scientific like washing face and hands.
2007-12-04 19:27:34 · answer #10 · answered by J.SWAMY I ఇ జ స్వామి 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋