Sacred

In the world of the ancient Maya there were many sacred days, most often associated with celestial events. But none perhaps more widely celebrated than the Spring and Fall Equinox at the ancient site of Chichén Itza in central Yucatan.Each year thousands of pilgrims and curiosity seekers flock to the nearly six square miles of national park ruins to watch a phenomena that was carefully mapped by ancient architects and astronomers. On the day of both the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox…

Various religions approach the aspect of sacred rituals in unique and purposeful manners. According to Livingston, “a religious ritual is an agreed-on and formalized pattern of ceremonial movements and verbal expressions carried out in a sacred context” (75). Though most people link sacred rituals to animal sacrifices, it is far more than that. “Rituals range from simple gestures, such as bowing or shaking hands, to elaborate ceremonial dramas, such as the Eastern Orthodox Liturgy” (Livingston…

There are many problems with today’s preaching and Pasquarello in his book Sacred Rhetoric: Preaching as a Theological and Pastoral Practice of the Church examines how this can be fixed (vii). Preachers need to go back to the foundations of good preaching exemplified in those preachers of the past who practiced “doctrine, biblical exegesis, worship, spirituality and the moral life, and so forth” (vii). This book review will examine selected preachers that Pasquarello presents, with an emphasis…

In Hinduism there are two different types of sacred texts; the Smrti texts and the Sruti texts. Smrti. The Sruti are the stories heard and passed along verbally, usually by sages. The Smrti are the stories who have a specific author, whether it is a god or an actual person; they’re the physical retellings of a story. The Manas is a compilations of epics that express the morals and cultural values of people in Hinduism. It is sacred to the people of Northern India and is interpreted in as both a…

A sacred tree is all it takes to introduce sin to the pure. “the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’” Why would god and the other believers allow these people to commit these forbidden sins? However, who could resist the temptation of knowledge and the desire for something you can’t have. Women play an immense role in both stories, for…

learning about my top four Sacred Pathways, I have learned a lot about myself individually such as, my pathways are caregiver, contemplative, enthusiast, and naturalist. I could have told myself these things; if anyone knows me then they already know that I am all these things every single day. There is no doubt in my mind that I am not already a caregiver and a naturalist and an enthusiast, however, I had never noticed how big of a contemplative I was until I read Sacred Pathways by Gary…

Revelation, people have searched for God's truth, counsel, and words of comfort and strength. Each of the biblical books contained in Sacred Scripture speak to us in various ways. In particular, the prophetic books in the Old Testament echo God's word in a uniquely powerful and vivid manner. Among them, the book of the prophet Isaiah holds a preeminent position in Sacred Scripture, and in the hearts of many biblical scholars and lovers of Scripture. The book of Isaiah the prophet begins with a…

Not everyone has the same sacred place because if everyone had the same sacred place then that sacred place wouldn't really sever it purpose now would it. But it OK for people to have a common sacred place it might be exactly the same but they share some of the same aspects. For example a person sacred place might be the middle of the forest where it's quite and your surrounded by trees, plants, animals and maby even a little creek or stream, now someone else sacred place might be corn field.…

ceremony. In Hinduism, this ceremony is the Sacred Thread Ceremony (Upanayana). Although this ritual shares some fundamental values with Australian adulthood, it only somewhat prepares someone for the transition into contemporary Australian adult life. The disregard for gender and caste rights strongly opposes the Australian value of equality, though the ceremony does enforce the Australian value of respect and assists the boy in building his character. The Sacred Thread ceremony (Upanayana) is…

Sign of the Cross and Other Bodily Prayers Before reading about this practice in The Sacred Way by Tony Jones, I had little experience with these prayers. The only bodily prayer I have ever practiced is raising hands in worship, and I did not know that this action was a prayer until I researched bodily prayers. I have gone to a catholic mass before and participated in the kneeling, standing, and sitting liturgy of the service, but I did not know why they did these practices. I have never…