The ritual dimension termed by Ninian Smart is a lens through which we can dissect religious traditions. Smart uses this dimension to bring about why rituals are performed, how they are performed, and their significance in the faith. Smart separates religious sacrifices into the Rites of Sacrifice and Rites of Passage. This helps to determine the mindset of the believer and what they believe to be getting out of these holy rituals. There are physical and spiritual elements to rituals that help us understand their impactful significance to the religion.
Rituals are one of the most important aspects to faith in that they provide a person with a tangible, visible, and audible religious experience with the deity. Leviticus 16 shares a story of …show more content…
A ritual is an act that commemorates the past that holds significant to one’s religion. A ritual appeals to your senses and may transition the person or persons from one stage of life to another. Leviticus 16 can be looked at through the ritualistic dimension because after God gives Moses the instructions for the ritual he says, “That law will continue forever. Once every year you will purify the Israelites from all their sins” (Lev 16:34). In this statement God is forming Yom Kippur as a ritual because He says that this act is to be repeated, annually. Yom Kippur exemplifies the ritual dimension because it transforms the Israelites from a community of sin to a pure and cleansed nation without sin. God commands Moses to realize the significance of this ritual and to make this the center of the Jewish faith. The purpose of a ritual is to sanctify and purify. During Yom Kippur the Temple, more specifically, the Holy of Holies is sanctified, or consecrated. When God gives the instructions for this ritual the Holy of Holies is set apart and made holy, again, showing that His presence is within that sacred space. The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is for obvious reasons, a Rite of sacrifice. When performing the ritual the priest makes many animal sacrifices. Before any sacrifices are made both parties have to be clean. First, God gave the instructions to Moses for Aaron to make himself pure by “washing his whole body with water” (Lev 16:4). A clean animal in the Jewish faith is one that is of a distinct species, is whole or complete, and has a distinct category of creation. The animals usually used in sacrifices include goats, bulls, and rams. The Day of Atonement is a ritual also because it makes the people, the altar and the Temple (the dwelling place of God) holy and pure. The entire purpose of the
Rituals are one of the most important aspects to faith in that they provide a person with a tangible, visible, and audible religious experience with the deity. Leviticus 16 shares a story of …show more content…
A ritual is an act that commemorates the past that holds significant to one’s religion. A ritual appeals to your senses and may transition the person or persons from one stage of life to another. Leviticus 16 can be looked at through the ritualistic dimension because after God gives Moses the instructions for the ritual he says, “That law will continue forever. Once every year you will purify the Israelites from all their sins” (Lev 16:34). In this statement God is forming Yom Kippur as a ritual because He says that this act is to be repeated, annually. Yom Kippur exemplifies the ritual dimension because it transforms the Israelites from a community of sin to a pure and cleansed nation without sin. God commands Moses to realize the significance of this ritual and to make this the center of the Jewish faith. The purpose of a ritual is to sanctify and purify. During Yom Kippur the Temple, more specifically, the Holy of Holies is sanctified, or consecrated. When God gives the instructions for this ritual the Holy of Holies is set apart and made holy, again, showing that His presence is within that sacred space. The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is for obvious reasons, a Rite of sacrifice. When performing the ritual the priest makes many animal sacrifices. Before any sacrifices are made both parties have to be clean. First, God gave the instructions to Moses for Aaron to make himself pure by “washing his whole body with water” (Lev 16:4). A clean animal in the Jewish faith is one that is of a distinct species, is whole or complete, and has a distinct category of creation. The animals usually used in sacrifices include goats, bulls, and rams. The Day of Atonement is a ritual also because it makes the people, the altar and the Temple (the dwelling place of God) holy and pure. The entire purpose of the