O level Notes : FRS - Christianity - Rites of passage in Christianity

RITES OF PASSAGE IN CHRISTIANITY

Rites of passage are events that take place at significant times in one's life. In Christianity, they are called 'sacraments'. However, funerals are not considered sacraments as they are not stages of one's life as one would have moved already on to the next life (life after death). When a child is born in the Christian community, they follow rituals or rites of passages. The first ever ritual or ceremony that a Christian will go through is always going to be related to birth. A rite is a fundamental set of rituals performed according to prescribed social rules and customs. Each of these rites are a key component that are a part of the Christians. Therefore, in Christianity, rites of passage are events that take place in the life of a Christian. The following are usually the rites of passage in Christianity:

(i) Birth and naming (ii) Baptism (iii)Eucharist

(iv)Confirmation (v) Ordination (vi) Marriage

(vii) Wedding

(viii) Death and Burial

Naming Ceremony

A child is named to become a unique human being, and a few steps are taken. First, there is welcoming and gathering where the family and relatives of the new-born child will gather in the church to celebrate the baby. During the gathering, prayer is given usually by the priest or pastor. The parent of the child may choose from the Bible verse to be read out loud to their child. The most preferred verses are:

Mark 10: 13-16 the blessing of children by Jesus; Luke 1: 59-66 the naming of John the Baptist;

Luke 2: 21-28 the naming of Jesus and his presentation in the Temple.

After the prayer session comes gifting and socializing. The family will gather with people who have attended the ceremony and receive gifts from them.

Dedication

Dedicating a child acknowledges God's sovereignty not only over the child, but also to the parents. Parents present their child before God and His people asking for  grace  and  wisdom  in  caring  out  their  responsibilities. They  will  make dedications that their child will live under God's will. The child will then become educated in God's ways and God's words. The role of the parents after making their dedication is to educate their child under God's will and teach their child and demonstrate God's ways. The best passage for discussion is Deut 6:4-7. First, it commands parents to love God; if they truly wish for their child to one-day love and follow God, their lives must be an example. The teaching will finish and the responsibility (burden) of the parent's will pass onto the child. Until then, the parents must earnestly pray for their child and lead him or her in the correct way. They will then make their vows and the dedication service will be over. After this ceremony, the child will be God's own.

Baptism

A person being baptised

"No one can enter into the God's kingdom without being begotten of water and spirit." -John 3:5 The baptism tradition began with John the Baptist, the one who knew Christ was coming. Usually, baptism happens to infants but, many people get baptized when they are older meaning they are accepting the Christian faith into their lives. The water used in the ceremony is there to symbolize spiritual purification and cleansing. Many of the children that participate in the baptism ceremony are given saint's names during the baptism. This is called the christening. The reason they are given saint's names is because many people believe that the new born will possess the saints' characteristics. The most important part of this ceremony or ritual is that the child is baptized with holy water. This was started many years ago and now is a symbol of Christ. Then the candle will be passed on, symbolizing that Jesus has lightened this earth. The parents will be asked to learn the importance of baptism and make their vows.

The previous ceremonies- naming ceremony and dedication- are part of the baptism ceremony. The parents make their dedication that the child will grow up learning God's ways. Following that, the child will be sprinkled with holy water and receive his Christian name. The ceremony consists of one or more children willing to be baptized. By having holy water sprinkled over their heads, it symbolizes their sins being washed away. In this particular ceremony, the god- parents will also attend.

They will also make their vows and promise God to lead the child throughout his life. If anything were to happen to the child's parents, the god-parents will have the responsibility to take care of the child. As a matter of fact, there are two types of baptism. There is the infant baptism explained in depth above and adult baptism. Some Protestant churches are against infant baptism and they have what they understand as believer's baptism. A good example is drawn from the Baptist church. Water is used to purify the person and to symbolise the washing away of original sin. They are baptised in the name of the Trinity-the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Confirmation

A conformant confirmed by a priest or pastor

Confirmation happens around a child's early teens. The child was baptized and the baptist stated his promise to follow Jesus on his or her behalf. In confirmation, the child restates the promise that was stated earlier on their behalf to follow Jesus. They prepare by going to classes which explain what it means to live a Christian life. It is similar to a baptism in a way, but in confirmation it is the child himself or herself who commits to follow Jesus. In confirmation, the child restates the promises that were earlier on made by the proxy, godparent on their behalf to follow Jesus.

According to some scholars, this ritual completes the act of baptism by renewing the vows made for a person by others when he or she was baptised. During this ritual the person is confirmed to live a Christian life. It is similar to baptism in a way but in confirmation it is the children who are committing themselves to follow Jesus. It is believed that in the Catholic Church, confirmation takes place from the age of seven when they are taking their first communion. Some other churches wait until the person is older. The person, known as the conformant, receives the Holy Spirit during the ritual and thereafter he or she  is given power to work in the church. However, in the Orthodox Church, confirmation and baptism are a single act.

Marriage and Wedding

Marriage is defined differently by different entities based on cultural, religious and personal factors. A commonly accepted and encompassing definition of marriage is the formal union between a male and a female that unite their lives legally, economically and emotionally. Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially or ritually recognised union between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between those spouses. Of importance, in the Anglican Church, Methodist and Roman Catholic among other churches, banns are read for three consecutive weeks on Sundays before the marriage ritual takes place so that anyone with an objection can put it forward before the day. This safeguards embarrassment if there is one between the participants who is not honesty.

A wedding marks a major transition in human life. In these rites of passage, which effect a transformation from one status to another, an individual is separated from one state of existence, passes through a threshold or liminal space, and is incorporated into the community with a new status. At a wedding, individuals move from being single to being joined in a marriage. This rite of passage concerns not only those making the transition but also the community. The ritual actions enable the individuals as well as the community to navigate momentous events in human life, they acknowledge and bring about a transformation in the community, and they offer an interpretive framework for the transition.

Weddings are not rooted in any single religious tradition. Rather, they are social and cultural events that may also have a religious dimension. Many religious weddings incorporate practices from different cultural contexts, and as social or cultural norms change, ritual practices may evolve to accommodate these norms. In the modern society, wedding practices have changed to reflect modern Western notions of companionate marriage rather than arranged marriage, and, more recently, growing acceptance of same-sex life partnerships has led a few religious bodies to develop rituals to bless these relationships. It is now common to see a pastor or priest officiating a wedding for gays or lesbians, a thing which was traditionally known as abomination. Many Christian denominations now have accepted the issue of people of the same sex marrying each other.

A modern day wedding

The Gospel of John reports that Jesus' first miracle occurred at a wedding at Cana, where he changed water into wine (John 2:1–11), a text later cited in Christian wedding rites as an indication of Jesus's approval of marriage. When two Christians commit themselves in marriage there are certain rituals that happen. 

The ceremony is conducted by a priest or pastor in church, in the sight of God. The bride and the groom exchange vows, binding themselves together. Marriage is affirming that the love between the two is the same love that Christ has for the Church.

The relationship is strengthened by the same quality of self -love that was revealed by God. Since Christianity originated as a movement within Judaism, it is likely that Christian wedding practices were influenced by Jewish customs. The Old Testament offers a few glimpses of rituals surrounding marriage. The wedding of Jacob to Leah and to Rachel (Gen. 29:21–30) and of Samson to an unnamed Philistine woman (Judg. 14:10–20) involve seven days of feasting. Elsewhere we learn that a bride wore special clothes and adorned herself with jewels, while the bridegroom wore a crown (Song 3:11; Isa. 49:18, 61:10; Jer. 2:32).

The distinctive religious component of Jewish wedding practice is a blessing. In Genesis 24, the story of Rebekah becoming the wife of the patriarch Isaac, Rebekah's family blesses her with a prayer for fertility and prosperity as she departs from her parents' home to travel to her new husband's home (Gen. 24:60). The same rituals are also practised by Christians. On the wedding day, people gather in a tent or hall where the celebrations will be taking place presided over by the priest. The bride and groom give their consent to the marriage, the woman's father hands her over to the groom, and the priest blesses a ring, which the groom gave to the bride along with other tokens.

After prayers in the church, the priest led the couple into the church for the nuptial mass, which included additional blessings and the ritual exchange of peace, the priest giving the kiss of peace to the husband, who then passed it to his wife. The bride and the groom wear special gowns and expensive jewellery. This day is marked by jubilations and after the ceremony, the couple goes on a honeymoon before proceeding to their new home where they will start their new life together.

Death

In general, death is the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. It is the permanent end of life of a person. In this view, it is the separation of soul and body. But Christians say it is the beginning of the new life in reference  to  spiritual  life.  Death  is  brought  about  by  ageing,  predation, malnutrition, diseases, suicide, homicide, accidents, and trauma among others. Like  weddings,  funerals  mark  a  human  experience  and  not  a  distinctively Christian practice. Just as Christian wedding practices are influenced by Jewish practices, as well as ancient Roman customs, so Christian funeral practices have their origins in both Jewish and Roman customs. Christians do not fear death. Christians believe in the after life. There is a belief that Jesus assures forgiveness of sins and assurance of heaven.

The way funerals are held nowadays depends with the denomination, that is, there is a difference between Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church. When someone is on their death bed, a minister will come and prepare them for death and to pass into the afterlife and heaven. The Old Testament mentions the burial of patriarchs, judges, and kings in their own land and with their ancestors (Gen. 23:2–20, 49:29–31, 50:4–14, 50:24–26; Judg. 8:32, 12:7, 16:31; 2 Kings

9:28), the story of a devout Jew for whom burying not only relatives and friends but any deceased Jew was a vital practice. Scattered texts in the New Testament attest to washing and anointing the body (John 19:39–40; Acts 9:37), wrapping the body in linen cloths (Matt. 27:59 and parallels; John 11:44), funeral processions (Luke 7:12–15), the gathering of a community to mourn (John 11:17–19), and weeping and lamentation (Acts 8:2, 9:39).

Christians do the same way with Jews although there is a slight difference due to modernity. At a Christian funeral, decorations suggest that the dead Christian had gone to a place of rest, refreshment, light, and peace. The family and relatives of the departed mourn their beloved member and the priest presides over the funeral ceremony. After death, the body is washed, anointed to preserve it before burial, and wrapped in linen. In some instances, incense is used and it indicates that Christians use incense for fumigation and as a form of embalming without attaching any religious significance to the practice. Food will be served after the burial of the body.

There will be celebrations again with the Christian community singing songs which are believed that they pave way for the deceased to be with God and for the spirit to be welcome in Heaven. The expectation of bodily resurrection means that Christians attended with care to the mortal remains of the faithful departed. Modernity has also found its way even on how funerals are conducted. Funerals express different understandings of life after death, and they are adapted to various practices for disposal of the body, for example, cremation or burial of the body. Traditionally, a body was to be buried, but nowadays a Christian can choose to have his or her body cremated.