RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS

Elements of Religious Traditions

Elements of Religious Traditions

Introduction

Religious tradition and the relationship with each other can be described in one word “Respect,” that is respect for the religion that a person chose to follow, respect for other religions that believe or accustom to doing things different, and respect for all people. Religion is a good guideline for people to follow through their life to help with decisions and everyday events that may occur, but what happen when a person's religion or faith is question or tested? How strong is your faith? The question is asked because, in the event that disaster occurs, will you ask why me lord, or will a person understand and see the real reason why the disaster occurred.

Relationship with the Divine

Different religions refer to the sacred and originating holiness by various names. Some of these names are Great Mother, Divine Parent, Great Spirit, the Holy, or the Divine. Perhaps, the most familiar term used is God. According to Malloy (2010), the term God carries the notion of a Cosmic Person, a divine being with will and intelligence. Although some religions believe only in one God and others believe in more than one, all religions still believe in having a relationship with the Divine. A relationship with the Divine means spending time with the Divine.

Relationship with Sacred Time

Sacred time is “the time of eternity” (Malloy, 2010, p. 43). The events a person encounter on a daily basis depends on how effective and useful it is. Each religion has its own sacred time for prayer, worship, celebrations, meditations, and rituals. For example, Roman Catholics see Sunday as the rest day. Christian (2003) states that the Sabbath day should be kept holy. For Roman Catholics, Sabbath is Sunday. This is the day they spend time at church to pray and gather with other fellow believers. This is also a time they use to ask for forgiveness for all the mistakes they have done, and at the same time give thanks for all the blessings they have received. Sacred time is all about how effective and useful the time spent.

Relationship with Sacred Space or the Natural World

Just like sacred time, sacred space or the natural world exist. According to Malloy (2010), sacred space is the doorway through the other world. This is where the ancestors can be contacted and talked to. Malloy (2010) also states that ...