My experience with different places of religious worship: Jewish Temple, Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic several in recent weeks. I learned briefly what it means to be part of a Greek Orthodox Church, a Roman Catholic Church, and a Reform Jewish Temple. Each place of worship offered different feelings of community and each had their own unique ways of organizing the service. The Orthodox and Catholic churches were very common in many of their aspects, but the language barrier in the Greek Orthodox Church made some prayers seem different. The Temple however was very different, but the building was so simple, that other worldly ideas seemed not to be present during the service. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, at 30 Race Street, is a spiritual home for the vast majority of Orthodox Christians in the Charleston area. I attended a Sunday church service on January 18, 2015 at 10:00 am. Most Greek Orthodox churches are built with the concept that the altar always faces east, in the direction of Constantinople, and that when looking at the church from a bird's eye perspective, the structure resembles the shape of a cross .*St. St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral located on Long Island takes the shape of a cross, with its head facing east. ARCHITECTURE includes icons, tile floors, benches and columns. According to Father Demetrios Serfes of Boise, Idaho, “the Bible is the book of the Church. Let us therefore read the Holy Scripture not as isolated individuals, but as members of the Church” (Father). THE SACRED TEXTS include the New and Old Testaments and the Gospels on which the Orthodox Church is founded. According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, “the Church does not prevent the individual from exploring the deeper meaning of the Bible to find new expressions of it. But this must always be authorized by the Church as a whole, where infallibility resides. It is important to know how freedom and authority work hand in hand in the teaching and governance of the Church” (“The Base”). The Greek Orthodox also have a sacred tradition, which is the unwritten teachings that have not changed since the beginning of the religion because the teachings are preserved. There are many RITUALS that are practiced constantly through daily services and some actions that take place during daily services. all your life. Also known as Orthodox mysteries, the sacraments are celebrated as if God's daily presence were intensified (“The Sacraments”). The purpose of the sacraments is to draw closer to God. The most important sacrament is participation in the Holy Eucharist, or communion which commemorates the death of Christ. During the service, those who have adequately prepared themselves to accept the body and blood of Christ through specific fasting receive Communion. Communion consists of a spoonful of wine from a challis to represent the blood of Christ and a piece of bread to represent the body of Christ. This process represents the ultimate super as the priest sings: “take, eat this is my Body which is broken for you for the remission of sins. . . drink it all; this is my Blood of the new Covenant, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins” (“The Divine”). The other few sacraments are baptism, confirmation, confession, marriage, holy orders and the anointing of the sick. There are also daily rituals that take place during the weekly services. The signof the cross is the most widespread ritual because the action can be performed to bless food, after a prayer, while blessing the entire congregation or whenever a person feels the need to make the sign of the cross. To make the sign, bring your thumb, index finger, and middle finger together to represent the father, son, and holy spirit, then touch your head, navel, and both shoulders starting from the right side in that order. At the entrance to the church, the faithful should light a candle with which to say a prayer, and then each person should venerate the icons located in the narthex, or in the entrance area of the church. To venerate an icon you make the sign of the cross and kiss it; this is done out of respect. At the end of a service, a sermon is delivered to enlighten the congregation on relevant issues, or perhaps teach a lesson that dealt with that day's Gospel reading. These rituals have been in place for thousands of years, since the dawn of the Eastern Orthodox Church, because very few changes have taken place in the service since the beginning. When I first entered the church, it was very evident that ETHICS includes a person's attitude. clothing, subdued tones, but there are other ethics that play out in everyday life. According to some women who were in the same stall, women should try wearing a skirt or dress that falls below the knee. If the material sits above the knee it is considered acceptable, but it should not be too short. The entire congregation was dressed in their Sunday best, with men in sport coats and women in modest clothing. During a service, the congregation should remain silent unless singing or praying aloud. People remain respectful of the people around them. When a parishioner greets the priest, he should kiss his hand as a sign of respect. Other personal ethics come into play when you are not in church. The Orthodox teach respect and that one should honor one's mother and father. Ethical behaviors based on the Ten Commandments, such as not killing or not committing adultery, are teachings that people try to focus on. One of the sacraments was confession, which is the process of cleansing one's sins and being forgiven by God. Although the process is indeed intended to free someone from sin, the Church believes that sin disconnects a person from God, therefore one should keep one's actions under control to prevent as many sins as possible. The MATERIAL CULTURE of the Greek Orthodox Church is very traditional and should remain consistent in any Orthodox church in America. The priest wears special clothes during a service and the color depends on the calendar and the part of the year he is in. During a service, the priest reads the Gospel, which is bound in gold, and contains the first four books of the New Testament which tell the story of Jesus' life. The word Gospel comes from Greek and means "good news". Other materials include a cross behind the altar which had the body of Jesus Christ located on the altar table, the censor which holds the incense used during the service, a communion chalice and candlesticks which are located on the solea, which is in front of the altar. The presence of altar boys is expected to assist the priest during the function. During the processions around the church, each boy holds liturgical fans, crosses or candles followed by the priest who holds the challis for communion. A less common, but extremely important object is the baptismal font that is used during the baptism of a child, which is also another sacrament (Baptism). Lighting of the Gospel candle of the community chaliceDOCTRINE on which the Orthodox base their beliefs has a lot to do with the dogma of the Church, or the rules created by various priests throughout ecumenical times. According to Greek Orthodox dogma, «the teachings of the Lord, proclaimed by the Apostles, be they the Twelve or the larger group of the Apostles [the Seventy, for example], or the missionary Apostles such as Saint Paul, were transmitted to the apostolic Church community . Written for the needs of the community, «in good and bad periods of the history of the Church, its law, constantly adapting to the needs and circumstances of the time, up to the present day» (“The Dogmatic”). This faith, once handed down to the Saints, continued to live in the Christian communities that followed in apostolic times” (“The Dogmatic”). The Creed is also considered a symbol of faith that is read during each liturgy. The Orthodox also have a set of canons, or laws, by which they should live their lives. Some laws concern when and how to fast, prayer, helping the poor, and charitable works. Canon laws should not be seen as a punishment, but as a way to gain a closer relationship with God. There are many RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES one can experience while attending a service, some say it depends on the person. The best overall experience one could potentially have is to be able to live a life according to Christ by following in his footsteps. Many people look not only to the life of Jesus for guidance, but also to the lives of the saints who preached and lived saints. These holy people may be talked about in the Bible, but people can still be sanctified today. While in Church, he should be able to leave behind all worldly thoughts, including all those not associated with God and prayer. Connection with God is extremely important. When attending an Orthodox church as an outsider, the parishioners should make you feel welcome and at home. One should feel a sense of belonging while sitting among others. Along with the connection with God, THE SACRED includes the holy trinity, the Theotokos, or Virgin Mary, and they also believe in the existence of saints. The holy trinity includes the father, the son and the Holy Spirit as one unit, and the Theotokos is revered and respected in an extremely high sense. THE INSTITUTION revolves around orders that come from the hierarchy of people living in places from America to Greece. The Ecumenical Patriarch, currently Bartholomew of Constantinople, is the main head of the Orthodox Church. After him follows the bishop who is supervisor of a particular community. The bishop delegates tasks to deacons or priests, who are responsible for smaller districts in the bishop's community. Some of the groups run under the jurisdiction of the local priest include: the Parish Council which runs the church, the Philoptochos, which is made up of only women, the AHEPA, which is made up of only men, and the GOYA youth group, which is open to students of middle and high schools. These organizations are present nationwide in most Greek Orthodox churches. For the financial aspects of the church, a weekly offering tray is distributed to the clergy and several fundraisers are held throughout the year to help with finances. Greek Orthodox churches are known to host an annual festival which is usually run by the parish council. The second church I visited was St. John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral on Saturday, January 24 at 5:30 pm. The interior of the church is very gothic, beautiful and consists of white and gold colors. Numerous columns flank the sides of the church which meet with an arch in the center. The architecture is very detailed in the work, but the cold white walls have meleft the feeling that the structure was not welcoming. The windows are covered with beautiful stained glass and the altar is located at the front of the church. This service was very similar to the Orthodox one in many respects. SACRED texts include the New and Old Testaments of the Bible. Along with sacred texts, there are sacred prayers such as the Nicene Creed and the Lord's Prayer. Each is read during mass and affirms many of the beliefs of the Church. Inside St. John the Baptist During the service several RITUALS take place and, like the Orthodox Church, Catholicism also has 7 sacraments that connect them to God. With some slight differentiations, the seven in the Catholic Church are Baptism, Reconciliation or confession, participation in the Eucharist, Confirmation, holy matrimony, holy orders and anointing of the sick. The meaning of taking part in Holy Communion has to do with many people who believe that when they eat the Bread and drink its blood, it is a metaphor or a symbol. Yet Catholics truly believe it is the Body and Blood or Christ. This is called transubstantiation and occurs in the part of the mass called the Eucharistic Liturgy. During mass the sign of peace was my favorite. This is the part of the service where everyone around shakes hands and makes each person feel welcome in the church. The Catholic Church also makes the sign of the cross, but is not as particular in the positioning of the fingers as the Orthodox one was. You touch your head, navel and shoulders, but first go to your left shoulder. The entire congregation does this at the same time, during certain prayers, or if the individual feels the action is necessary at a specific time. St. John's is very movement oriented, where we sat, kneeled, and stood at various times during the service. Every Sunday Communion is offered by a Eucharistic minister in the form of a host, called a wafer, where you can have the host put in your mouth directly by the minister, or receive it in the palm of your hands to share in your free time. . To partake of Communion, a person should fast or refrain from eating at least one hour before the start of mass. Also, as in the Orthodox service, the Catholic priest gives a sermon at the end of the mass to reflect on some worldly problems or topics that need to be addressed spiritually. Baptism Communion Confessional Chambers The ETHICS that should be upheld by the congregation is based on respect for you himself and for the saint. One must follow the Ten Commandments and go to confession to relieve one's soul from the sins committed. It is recommended that confession occurs at least once a year, or as soon as possible if you commit a mortal sin. In the Catholic Church there are two different types of sins, mortal and venial. The term fatal occurs when something serious such as murder or adultery occurs. Examples of venial sins include less serious sins that are forgivable such as stealing a friend's toy. God forgives sins if only the person believes that he is truly sorry, then by confessing sins to the priest, he will absolve people from sin. Along with confession, a Catholic is expected to pray to God daily for help and guidance. While in church, the dress you wear should be modest and not skimpy, but it should also appear presentable. One parishioner told me that she grew up learning that hands and nails should be clean before taking Holy Communion. From my observations, the congregation was well dressed, but not too elegant. While attending mass, people should be silent and reverent towards those around them, showing respect for the prayers of others and for God. Further teachingsethics are taught in the Catechism of the Church. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a great written book, the DOCTRINE of faith is enunciated through the teachings of the Church. The beginning of the Catechism already explains what faith consists of." . . response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing abundant light to man in the search for the ultimate meaning of his life" (Catechism). The teachings help the Catholic to approach the correct ways of speaking about God, learn about the knowledge of God, different interpretations of faith and even understand the sacred scriptures. A woman in her mid-twenties informed me that she grew up attending a Catholic school and that following the Ten Commandments was something she was taught at an early age. These were the list of ten laws that God gave to Moses that his people should abide by, and were practiced in the Catholic Church as a way to stay close to God. Many different MATERIAL OBJECTS are used during mass in the Catholic Church . In St. John's Cathedral, a patient, or gold plate, is used to hold the guest during communion, but other Catholic churches use other objects. Patenting is an ancient tradition that is now starting to be brought back into the Catholic Church here in Charleston. On the altar there is a cross together with a bouquet of flowers. In front of the church there is a place where loved ones can light a candle for the deceased, it is a sign of love. The Stations of the Cross are arranged along the walls to show the different events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Each image is surrounded by a triangular frame and are aligned in the same order as the story of Christ. Every Sunday the Eucharist is given to the faithful, if the already blessed communion has not finished, it is placed in a tabernacle to be used for the following Sunday. The tabernacle is located behind the altar and is usually made of gold. Other material objects include the pews and the altar. Many people go to church for certain RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES, and in the Catholic Church you should feel closer to God through prayer. The overall goal is to achieve salvation once you die. By attending mass and following the laws of the Church, one should be granted the ability to live in salvation in heaven, free from pain and suffering. Attending mass should be a way for a community to come together and pray to God as one. Not only can you experience this while attending a service, Catholics also offer confession. This is where you tell your sins to a priest to be forgiven by God. The purpose of this act is to feel a burden lifted from you and be cleansed of your sins. Attending mass and living a holy life can contribute to being a saint once you die. The theme of the saints introduces the next theme of the SACRED people in the Catholic Church. Saints are people who have died and gone to heaven and are recognized for their good works on Earth. The Church is confident that these individuals will make it to heaven because they are extremely holy people with high virtues. Catholics do not venerate saints, but keep statues and necklaces to remember their good works. They ask these people to pray for their salvation. Like the Orthodox Church, Catholics believe in the holy trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, where each entity acts as one. The purpose of life is to have the eternal desire to get to heaven when we die. According to the Catholic religion, the only way to get to heaven is to be a good person while on earth. The final aspect of St. John's is the INSTITUTION by which the church is organized. The Pope is the supervisor of the entire Catholic Church. UnderIts jurisdiction includes cardinals, bishops and priests. The cardinals meet for councils and elect new Popes, the Bishops supervise the diocese, also understood as many parishes in an area, and the Priests control those parishes. The priest runs the church with the help of other organizations which include the women's club, the men's club, the men's religious study group, the women's faith club, the women's Bible study, the St. Vincent de Paul society and the council of the Knights of Columbus (Charleston). The composition of the Catholic Church consists of a large majority of decent European citizens, but not limited to that region of the world. The church's money comes from a weekly offering basket and the suggested amount of 10% of one's salary each year. Many Catholic churches host a large celebration each year to help offset the cost of the building and other needs. The third religious site was a Jewish temple, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. This building is the second oldest synagogue in America and has a very simple structure. The benches are arranged so that only two or three people can sit together at the same time, and the ARCHITECTURAL setup reminded me of a courthouse due to the appearance of the alar. Similar to the previous two sites, the synagogue had stained glass windows with beautiful artwork. The simplicity of the building was a nice way to not get distracted by a wide variety of objects around. The function I attended was on January 31st at 8pm. The Jewish religion reads SACRED TEXTS which include the Torah, and the Tanakh, which includes the Torah together with the Holy Scriptures. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim With many RITUALS in the Jewish synagogue, the call to worship, or Barekhu, is said by the gallop “Praise Adonai, who is to be praised” with the response of a group of ten males called minyan, “Praised is Adonai, who is to be praised." praised forever and ever." The Shema prayer is also said regularly during a service to remain true to faith in God. The Tallit is a prayer shawl normally worn during the morning service and worn by the person who is reading the Torah. The Amidah prayer is an important part of the service and is also recited during the morning, afternoon and night services. When the Rabbi first enters, the people are expected to stand and greet him with respect. After each service there is a food and dessert feast called Oheg, and this is where the community gathers after the service. There are many traditional MORALS that should be practiced in a Jewish synagogue, and many of them concern certain clothing. For women, it is a sign of disrespect to enter the temple with bare shoulders, while men should wear a kippah on their heads which is usually white, blue or black. Each kippah has a different look, some have the Star of David and others have embroidered gold edges and are worn behind the male's head. While attending a service, you should turn off your phone or keep it in silent mode to avoid the temptation to use the device. During a service called shema, it is considered respectful to cover one's eyes to be one with God, as comes from the Jewish code of law which says there should be no distractions while reciting this important prayer. Other actions seen as disrespectful would be if the Rabbi told people to pray, or stand up and one did not do so because they should show honesty, integrity and loyalty while in the Temple. The different MATERIALS used during a liturgy begin with the mishkan'filah, which is a festival prayer book that each member can follow during a service, and there are many other books that are used on special days during.

Topic > My experience with different places of religious worship: Jewish Temple, Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic several in recent weeks. I learned briefly what it means to be part of a Greek Orthodox Church, a Roman Catholic Church, and a Reform Jewish Temple. Each place of worship offered different feelings of community and each had their own unique ways of organizing the service. The Orthodox and Catholic churches were very common in many of their aspects, but the language barrier in the Greek Orthodox Church made some prayers seem different. The Temple however was very different, but the building was so simple, that other worldly ideas seemed not to be present during the service. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, at 30 Race Street, is a spiritual home for the vast majority of Orthodox Christians in the Charleston area. I attended a Sunday church service on January 18, 2015 at 10:00 am. Most Greek Orthodox churches are built with the concept that the altar always faces east, in the direction of Constantinople, and that when looking at the church from a bird's eye perspective, the structure resembles the shape of a cross .*St. St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral located on Long Island takes the shape of a cross, with its head facing east. ARCHITECTURE includes icons, tile floors, benches and columns. According to Father Demetrios Serfes of Boise, Idaho, “the Bible is the book of the Church. Let us therefore read the Holy Scripture not as isolated individuals, but as members of the Church” (Father). THE SACRED TEXTS include the New and Old Testaments and the Gospels on which the Orthodox Church is founded. According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, “the Church does not prevent the individual from exploring the deeper meaning of the Bible to find new expressions of it. But this must always be authorized by the Church as a whole, where infallibility resides. It is important to know how freedom and authority work hand in hand in the teaching and governance of the Church” (“The Base”). The Greek Orthodox also have a sacred tradition, which is the unwritten teachings that have not changed since the beginning of the religion because the teachings are preserved. There are many RITUALS that are practiced constantly through daily services and some actions that take place during daily services. all your life. Also known as Orthodox mysteries, the sacraments are celebrated as if God's daily presence were intensified (“The Sacraments”). The purpose of the sacraments is to draw closer to God. The most important sacrament is participation in the Holy Eucharist, or communion which commemorates the death of Christ. During the service, those who have adequately prepared themselves to accept the body and blood of Christ through specific fasting receive Communion. Communion consists of a spoonful of wine from a challis to represent the blood of Christ and a piece of bread to represent the body of Christ. This process represents the ultimate super as the priest sings: “take, eat this is my Body which is broken for you for the remission of sins. . . drink it all; this is my Blood of the new Covenant, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins” (“The Divine”). The other few sacraments are baptism, confirmation, confession, marriage, holy orders and the anointing of the sick. There are also daily rituals that take place during the weekly services. The signof the cross is the most widespread ritual because the action can be performed to bless food, after a prayer, while blessing the entire congregation or whenever a person feels the need to make the sign of the cross. To make the sign, bring your thumb, index finger, and middle finger together to represent the father, son, and holy spirit, then touch your head, navel, and both shoulders starting from the right side in that order. At the entrance to the church, the faithful should light a candle with which to say a prayer, and then each person should venerate the icons located in the narthex, or in the entrance area of the church. To venerate an icon you make the sign of the cross and kiss it; this is done out of respect. At the end of a service, a sermon is delivered to enlighten the congregation on relevant issues, or perhaps teach a lesson that dealt with that day's Gospel reading. These rituals have been in place for thousands of years, since the dawn of the Eastern Orthodox Church, because very few changes have taken place in the service since the beginning. When I first entered the church, it was very evident that ETHICS includes a person's attitude. clothing, subdued tones, but there are other ethics that play out in everyday life. According to some women who were in the same stall, women should try wearing a skirt or dress that falls below the knee. If the material sits above the knee it is considered acceptable, but it should not be too short. The entire congregation was dressed in their Sunday best, with men in sport coats and women in modest clothing. During a service, the congregation should remain silent unless singing or praying aloud. People remain respectful of the people around them. When a parishioner greets the priest, he should kiss his hand as a sign of respect. Other personal ethics come into play when you are not in church. The Orthodox teach respect and that one should honor one's mother and father. Ethical behaviors based on the Ten Commandments, such as not killing or not committing adultery, are teachings that people try to focus on. One of the sacraments was confession, which is the process of cleansing one's sins and being forgiven by God. Although the process is indeed intended to free someone from sin, the Church believes that sin disconnects a person from God, therefore one should keep one's actions under control to prevent as many sins as possible. The MATERIAL CULTURE of the Greek Orthodox Church is very traditional and should remain consistent in any Orthodox church in America. The priest wears special clothes during a service and the color depends on the calendar and the part of the year he is in. During a service, the priest reads the Gospel, which is bound in gold, and contains the first four books of the New Testament which tell the story of Jesus' life. The word Gospel comes from Greek and means "good news". Other materials include a cross behind the altar which had the body of Jesus Christ located on the altar table, the censor which holds the incense used during the service, a communion chalice and candlesticks which are located on the solea, which is in front of the altar. The presence of altar boys is expected to assist the priest during the function. During the processions around the church, each boy holds liturgical fans, crosses or candles followed by the priest who holds the challis for communion. A less common, but extremely important object is the baptismal font that is used during the baptism of a child, which is also another sacrament (Baptism). Lighting of the Gospel candle of the community chaliceDOCTRINE on which the Orthodox base their beliefs has a lot to do with the dogma of the Church, or the rules created by various priests throughout ecumenical times. According to Greek Orthodox dogma, «the teachings of the Lord, proclaimed by the Apostles, be they the Twelve or the larger group of the Apostles [the Seventy, for example], or the missionary Apostles such as Saint Paul, were transmitted to the apostolic Church community . Written for the needs of the community, «in good and bad periods of the history of the Church, its law, constantly adapting to the needs and circumstances of the time, up to the present day» (“The Dogmatic”). This faith, once handed down to the Saints, continued to live in the Christian communities that followed in apostolic times” (“The Dogmatic”). The Creed is also considered a symbol of faith that is read during each liturgy. The Orthodox also have a set of canons, or laws, by which they should live their lives. Some laws concern when and how to fast, prayer, helping the poor, and charitable works. Canon laws should not be seen as a punishment, but as a way to gain a closer relationship with God. There are many RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES one can experience while attending a service, some say it depends on the person. The best overall experience one could potentially have is to be able to live a life according to Christ by following in his footsteps. Many people look not only to the life of Jesus for guidance, but also to the lives of the saints who preached and lived saints. These holy people may be talked about in the Bible, but people can still be sanctified today. While in Church, he should be able to leave behind all worldly thoughts, including all those not associated with God and prayer. Connection with God is extremely important. When attending an Orthodox church as an outsider, the parishioners should make you feel welcome and at home. One should feel a sense of belonging while sitting among others. Along with the connection with God, THE SACRED includes the holy trinity, the Theotokos, or Virgin Mary, and they also believe in the existence of saints. The holy trinity includes the father, the son and the Holy Spirit as one unit, and the Theotokos is revered and respected in an extremely high sense. THE INSTITUTION revolves around orders that come from the hierarchy of people living in places from America to Greece. The Ecumenical Patriarch, currently Bartholomew of Constantinople, is the main head of the Orthodox Church. After him follows the bishop who is supervisor of a particular community. The bishop delegates tasks to deacons or priests, who are responsible for smaller districts in the bishop's community. Some of the groups run under the jurisdiction of the local priest include: the Parish Council which runs the church, the Philoptochos, which is made up of only women, the AHEPA, which is made up of only men, and the GOYA youth group, which is open to students of middle and high schools. These organizations are present nationwide in most Greek Orthodox churches. For the financial aspects of the church, a weekly offering tray is distributed to the clergy and several fundraisers are held throughout the year to help with finances. Greek Orthodox churches are known to host an annual festival which is usually run by the parish council. The second church I visited was St. John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral on Saturday, January 24 at 5:30 pm. The interior of the church is very gothic, beautiful and consists of white and gold colors. Numerous columns flank the sides of the church which meet with an arch in the center. The architecture is very detailed in the work, but the cold white walls have meleft the feeling that the structure was not welcoming. The windows are covered with beautiful stained glass and the altar is located at the front of the church. This service was very similar to the Orthodox one in many respects. SACRED texts include the New and Old Testaments of the Bible. Along with sacred texts, there are sacred prayers such as the Nicene Creed and the Lord's Prayer. Each is read during mass and affirms many of the beliefs of the Church. Inside St. John the Baptist During the service several RITUALS take place and, like the Orthodox Church, Catholicism also has 7 sacraments that connect them to God. With some slight differentiations, the seven in the Catholic Church are Baptism, Reconciliation or confession, participation in the Eucharist, Confirmation, holy matrimony, holy orders and anointing of the sick. The meaning of taking part in Holy Communion has to do with many people who believe that when they eat the Bread and drink its blood, it is a metaphor or a symbol. Yet Catholics truly believe it is the Body and Blood or Christ. This is called transubstantiation and occurs in the part of the mass called the Eucharistic Liturgy. During mass the sign of peace was my favorite. This is the part of the service where everyone around shakes hands and makes each person feel welcome in the church. The Catholic Church also makes the sign of the cross, but is not as particular in the positioning of the fingers as the Orthodox one was. You touch your head, navel and shoulders, but first go to your left shoulder. The entire congregation does this at the same time, during certain prayers, or if the individual feels the action is necessary at a specific time. St. John's is very movement oriented, where we sat, kneeled, and stood at various times during the service. Every Sunday Communion is offered by a Eucharistic minister in the form of a host, called a wafer, where you can have the host put in your mouth directly by the minister, or receive it in the palm of your hands to share in your free time. . To partake of Communion, a person should fast or refrain from eating at least one hour before the start of mass. Also, as in the Orthodox service, the Catholic priest gives a sermon at the end of the mass to reflect on some worldly problems or topics that need to be addressed spiritually. Baptism Communion Confessional Chambers The ETHICS that should be upheld by the congregation is based on respect for you himself and for the saint. One must follow the Ten Commandments and go to confession to relieve one's soul from the sins committed. It is recommended that confession occurs at least once a year, or as soon as possible if you commit a mortal sin. In the Catholic Church there are two different types of sins, mortal and venial. The term fatal occurs when something serious such as murder or adultery occurs. Examples of venial sins include less serious sins that are forgivable such as stealing a friend's toy. God forgives sins if only the person believes that he is truly sorry, then by confessing sins to the priest, he will absolve people from sin. Along with confession, a Catholic is expected to pray to God daily for help and guidance. While in church, the dress you wear should be modest and not skimpy, but it should also appear presentable. One parishioner told me that she grew up learning that hands and nails should be clean before taking Holy Communion. From my observations, the congregation was well dressed, but not too elegant. While attending mass, people should be silent and reverent towards those around them, showing respect for the prayers of others and for God. Further teachingsethics are taught in the Catechism of the Church. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a great written book, the DOCTRINE of faith is enunciated through the teachings of the Church. The beginning of the Catechism already explains what faith consists of." . . response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing abundant light to man in the search for the ultimate meaning of his life" (Catechism). The teachings help the Catholic to approach the correct ways of speaking about God, learn about the knowledge of God, different interpretations of faith and even understand the sacred scriptures. A woman in her mid-twenties informed me that she grew up attending a Catholic school and that following the Ten Commandments was something she was taught at an early age. These were the list of ten laws that God gave to Moses that his people should abide by, and were practiced in the Catholic Church as a way to stay close to God. Many different MATERIAL OBJECTS are used during mass in the Catholic Church . In St. John's Cathedral, a patient, or gold plate, is used to hold the guest during communion, but other Catholic churches use other objects. Patenting is an ancient tradition that is now starting to be brought back into the Catholic Church here in Charleston. On the altar there is a cross together with a bouquet of flowers. In front of the church there is a place where loved ones can light a candle for the deceased, it is a sign of love. The Stations of the Cross are arranged along the walls to show the different events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Each image is surrounded by a triangular frame and are aligned in the same order as the story of Christ. Every Sunday the Eucharist is given to the faithful, if the already blessed communion has not finished, it is placed in a tabernacle to be used for the following Sunday. The tabernacle is located behind the altar and is usually made of gold. Other material objects include the pews and the altar. Many people go to church for certain RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES, and in the Catholic Church you should feel closer to God through prayer. The overall goal is to achieve salvation once you die. By attending mass and following the laws of the Church, one should be granted the ability to live in salvation in heaven, free from pain and suffering. Attending mass should be a way for a community to come together and pray to God as one. Not only can you experience this while attending a service, Catholics also offer confession. This is where you tell your sins to a priest to be forgiven by God. The purpose of this act is to feel a burden lifted from you and be cleansed of your sins. Attending mass and living a holy life can contribute to being a saint once you die. The theme of the saints introduces the next theme of the SACRED people in the Catholic Church. Saints are people who have died and gone to heaven and are recognized for their good works on Earth. The Church is confident that these individuals will make it to heaven because they are extremely holy people with high virtues. Catholics do not venerate saints, but keep statues and necklaces to remember their good works. They ask these people to pray for their salvation. Like the Orthodox Church, Catholics believe in the holy trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, where each entity acts as one. The purpose of life is to have the eternal desire to get to heaven when we die. According to the Catholic religion, the only way to get to heaven is to be a good person while on earth. The final aspect of St. John's is the INSTITUTION by which the church is organized. The Pope is the supervisor of the entire Catholic Church. UnderIts jurisdiction includes cardinals, bishops and priests. The cardinals meet for councils and elect new Popes, the Bishops supervise the diocese, also understood as many parishes in an area, and the Priests control those parishes. The priest runs the church with the help of other organizations which include the women's club, the men's club, the men's religious study group, the women's faith club, the women's Bible study, the St. Vincent de Paul society and the council of the Knights of Columbus (Charleston). The composition of the Catholic Church consists of a large majority of decent European citizens, but not limited to that region of the world. The church's money comes from a weekly offering basket and the suggested amount of 10% of one's salary each year. Many Catholic churches host a large celebration each year to help offset the cost of the building and other needs. The third religious site was a Jewish temple, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. This building is the second oldest synagogue in America and has a very simple structure. The benches are arranged so that only two or three people can sit together at the same time, and the ARCHITECTURAL setup reminded me of a courthouse due to the appearance of the alar. Similar to the previous two sites, the synagogue had stained glass windows with beautiful artwork. The simplicity of the building was a nice way to not get distracted by a wide variety of objects around. The function I attended was on January 31st at 8pm. The Jewish religion reads SACRED TEXTS which include the Torah, and the Tanakh, which includes the Torah together with the Holy Scriptures. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim With many RITUALS in the Jewish synagogue, the call to worship, or Barekhu, is said by the gallop “Praise Adonai, who is to be praised” with the response of a group of ten males called minyan, “Praised is Adonai, who is to be praised." praised forever and ever." The Shema prayer is also said regularly during a service to remain true to faith in God. The Tallit is a prayer shawl normally worn during the morning service and worn by the person who is reading the Torah. The Amidah prayer is an important part of the service and is also recited during the morning, afternoon and night services. When the Rabbi first enters, the people are expected to stand and greet him with respect. After each service there is a food and dessert feast called Oheg, and this is where the community gathers after the service. There are many traditional MORALS that should be practiced in a Jewish synagogue, and many of them concern certain clothing. For women, it is a sign of disrespect to enter the temple with bare shoulders, while men should wear a kippah on their heads which is usually white, blue or black. Each kippah has a different look, some have the Star of David and others have embroidered gold edges and are worn behind the male's head. While attending a service, you should turn off your phone or keep it in silent mode to avoid the temptation to use the device. During a service called shema, it is considered respectful to cover one's eyes to be one with God, as comes from the Jewish code of law which says there should be no distractions while reciting this important prayer. Other actions seen as disrespectful would be if the Rabbi told people to pray, or stand up and one did not do so because they should show honesty, integrity and loyalty while in the Temple. The different MATERIALS used during a liturgy begin with the mishkan'filah, which is a festival prayer book that each member can follow during a service, and there are many other books that are used on special days during.