A reflective essay on world religions

A reflective essay on world religions

Religions are spiritual traditions in the world. They account for about 83% globally. Christianity and Islam are among the major religions distributed across the globe. There other religions like Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism, among others. Beliefs, customs and purposes differentiate religions; but they exhibit some similarities. As part of my online class, I took a visit to the Jewish Orthodox synagogue and an evangelical church. The experience of being in the two religions was intriguing. This paper provides a reflection of my experiences upon visiting these two places of worship.

The Jewish Orthodox synagogue

Jewish synagogues conduct prayers and Torah teachings. These practices are a replacement of the ancient Jewish sacrificial rituals that signified worship. That’s, a temple is a house of worship, a place where children are taught moral and Islamic culture and a social gathering place for charity and other social events. The Jewish communities celebrate the Sabbath events because it is a representation of God’s gifts to humanity (“Temple Israel – Conservative Synagogue in Springfield, IL,” 1895). Therefore, the Islams converge on Fridays to pray, feast and bless the Sabbath. Besides, the congregants also meet and pray together, study the Torah teachings and discuss more Islamic religion with their Rabbi.

My visit to the Temple of Israel Jewish synagogue was aimed at understanding more about Jewish rituals performed every Friday, their traditions and beliefs in general. I was also curious to know how it feels to pray in a synagogue and the procedures of their worship. Even though I do not practice Islamic religion, I had researched on behaving while at the Temple.  As I entered the synagogue, some of the congregants warmly welcomed me with a cap (yarmulke) that is supposed to be worn on the head to show respect to God. I noticed that all men and women wore something to cover their heads while at the synagogue.

Furthermore, no one was allowed to enter the Temple with shoes; each member left their shoes at the doorstep (“Temple Israel – Conservative Synagogue in Springfield, IL,” 1895). The synagogue had intriguing décor, such as the Ark that had Torah teachings. The Ark had a ner tamid lamp that was burning. I also noticed that the prayers were orderly, and each time a prayer elapsed, the congregants stood up.

The overall experience was insightful and surprising. I visited the Temple for educational purposes; however, I was curious to understand more about Jewish practices. Indeed I learnt a lot about the visit. Synagogues are well organized, and each member or congregant executes their roles diligently. I admired how they listen attentively; respect every aspect of the rituals and the mannerism towards every teaching. It made me feel that God is present in synagogues (“Temple Israel – Conservative Synagogue in Springfield, IL,” 1895). The quietness and the rhythmical responses towards the Islamic hymns were thrilling. I felt the peace of mind and a connecting towards God. Furthermore, I learnt that there is nothing as important as dedicating our minds and souls to God as well as showing love to one another. The warm welcome at the doorstep of synagogues is a show of compassion and love.

The evangelical church

Since the Hope Evangelical Church choir members practiced on Saturdays, I thought it was a great idea to visit on this day because I would get enough time to learn and study more about the church. My goal was to learn and understand the history of the Hope church and its traditions. A church has always been a home for the heart of believers. Understandably, most evangelical churches are named after some event or some reasons behind building the church. According to the history of Hope Evangelical church, an evangelist who used to preach on the streets started a Carpenter street mission. This mission served the poor, and hence, the neighbouring streets and people gave it a nickname of Hope Chapel. Since then, this church has grown in structure and in its mission to save souls and live a Christ centred life (“Hope Evangelical Free Church – What We Believe,” 1984).

I was curious to learn about some of the Christian teachings that my friends talk about. I once debated with Sylvia, my Christian friend, who narrated to me about her pastor’s teachings on Jesus walking on water and feeding five thousand people with only two fish and five loaves of bread. Insightfully, those were our childish days, where the love of God towards humankind was manifested in symbols and forms of miracles. But today, man has progressed in knowledge and understanding of God through Bible teachings and miracles are no longer a necessity. Thus, out of curiosity, I wanted to confirm if such instructions still exist in churches.

As I walked into the church, the church choir was singing a hymn titled, Source and Sovereign, Rock and Cloud. The refrain of the hymn is what perplexed me. It stated that the church that prays should recall that there is no other name but the name of God whom Christians and believers proclaim. This song is a reflection of the Hope Evangelical Church’s believes in God. Through the refrain, it was clear to me that Jesus Christ was as unique as God himself. Therefore, without knowing Him and following Him, one was likely to perish (“Hope Evangelical Free Church – What We Believe,” 1984). That goes in line with the church’s statement on the human condition, which says that human beings are sinners in nature, and the only way to outdo the sin is through Christ Jesus. Thus, those who reject Jesus are lost forever. But according to my understanding, knowing Jesus is one way to getting our sins accorded; however, it is not the only necessity for eternal life, but the purity of the heart and love towards our neighbours is vital.

In conclusion, both visits were essential for my studies and curiosity. I learnt that synagogues and churches have some standard practices during their worship. Prayers were recited and conducted in unison, and both religions lit a candle during their prayers and togetherness was important for both religions. Therefore, despite the differences in our worship, both religions seek spiritual nourishment. Embracing each other’s aspects of prayer and tolerating the differences is paramount in bringing harmony among diverse races.

References

Temple Israel – Conservative Synagogue in Springfield, IL. (1895). Retrieved 26 March 2020, from http://www.templeisraelspringfield.org/

Hope Evangelical Free Church – What We Believe. (1984). Retrieved 26 March 2020, from https://myhope.church/what-we-believe