A Synagogue
A synagogue will look like any other building from the outside - the
only sign you might get from the outside is the star of David which is
called magen David in the Hebrew tongue. There may also be a sign
outside stating the name of the synagogue. There are many names for a
synagogue such as; shul - which means school in Hebrew, bet haknesset,
which means house of assembly - this is only used by Sephardim, which
is oriental Jews. A synagogue is primarily a place of worship but also
functions as a community centre for the Jews. The building is so
important that the whole Jewish community that worship there will
revolve around the building. It is used as a teaching school for
Jewish children where they will be taught the Hebrew alphabet, numbers
of Hebrew and about their faith. This school is a Jewish equivalent to
a Christian 'Sunday school.'
If you now go inside you would see that the synagogue is rectangular
and although you will not realise it, but the whole synagogue is built
facing Israel, if possible, Jerusalem. There will be a sink where the
congregation will wash their hands and feet before praying or
worshipping. You will also notice that there are separate seats. This
is because in orthodox synagogues, the men sit on the ground floor and
worship and the women sit in the gallery. There is a good reason for
this - and not because the Jews are sexist - but because in Judaism,
the men take on the role of worshipping and the women are expected to
look after the house and the children so if people were late (the
women). This may be because they had to change the baby or something
like that so instead of disturbi...
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...yed and the hymns and
songs are sung without the aid or backup of music. In a liberal or
reformed synagogue however things would be very different, for
instance, there is quite a large chance that a female rabbi would be
conducting the service, the man and women are more 'equal' they sit
together and worship together as one big mass. The bimah may be at the
front which, in my opinion, gives a sense of preaching and I think
Jews know their religion, they don't need to be educated about it they
just want to worship god. There also may be an organ to accompany
songs and hymns because music is permitted in reformed synagogues.
There would also be slightly less Hebrew spoken. So this synagogue I
have described to you is an orthodox synagogue. Orthodox translates to
"right belief" and is considered to be traditional Judaism.
The Essential Features in an Orthodox Synagogue Recall, select, organize and deploy knowledge of Jewish belief and sources of authority, practice and organisation. The main function of the Jewish synagogue is worship, with the emphasis on prayer and reading. For Jews the synagogue is not just a building the word synagogue also refers to the community or congregation. The main features of all synagogues, especially the symbols, are designed to help people to worship God. The layout of the building is rectangular, with seats arranged on three sides.
There are tons of ideas for the meaning of The Star of David. Some Kabbalists believe that the six points represent God’s power over all six directions: north, south, east, west, up, and down. Some even think the two triangles represent humanity’s dual nature; good and evil.
How do we stay Wesleyan if we don't heed the Notes and Sermons of John Wesley in some way
learn what a symbol is. A symbol cannot be seen as a sign. The two are
Established in 1988, the B’nai Aviv Synagogue is one of South Florida’s most prestigious Conservative Jewish structures of worship. According to the article, “Conservative Judaism – Religious Facts,” these synagogues seek to escape the immoderations of Reform and Orthodox Judaism while preserving traditional elements through practical modernization. For example, “Conservative Judaism holds that the laws of the Torah and Talmud are of divine origin, and thus mandates the following of Halacha (Jewish law). At the same time, the Conservative movement recognizes the human element in the Torah and Talmud, and accepts modern scholarship that shows that Jewish writings also show the influence of other cultures, and in general can be treated as historical documents” (“Conservative Judaism.”). Correspondingly, this association believes that God is existent, as his spirit is exhibited though revelations similar to the experience on Mt. Sinai. Lastly, Conservative Jews are strongly concerned with future generations’ commitment to Judaism (“Conservative Judaism.”). Nevertheless, the Conservative movement has excelled through the establishment of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which incorporates 1.5 million Jews in 760 gatherings, including the B’nai Aviv Synagogue (“Conservative Judaism - ReligionFacts.”).
According to the broadest definition, there are approximately 9 million Jewish adults in America. Of those, 5.3 million are Jewish because they practice the Jewish religion or who have a Jewish parent and consider themselves Jewish. Non-hispanic blacks make up 2% of that population. (A Portrait of Jewish Americans) Blacks constitute such a small percentage of the Jewish population that they are often considered to be obviously “not Jewish”. This was the experience of Rabbi Shlomo ben Levy.In an article entitled, “Who are we? Where did we come from? How many of us are there?”, Rabbi Levy describes his feelings of marginalization triggered by an advertisement for Levy’s Jewish Rye. The advertisement features a black boy eating a sandwich and the caption “You don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy’s”. The idea was to present a child who was clearly not Jewish enjoying Jewish bread but for Rabbi Levy who is both black and Jewish it was yet another message that denied his existence. (Who are we?)
Many studies about Jehovah Witnesses state that they are the strictest religion out there. They have rules that should be followed or the person ends up condemned. They do not believe in other religions whatsoever, in any shape or form. Jehovah Witnesses God’s name to them is Jehovah. The sociological concepts discussed will be social class and norms, a function and a dysfunction of Jehovah Witness religion, a symbolic ritual, and an aspect of this religion that entails conflict.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church also known as the AME Church, represents a long history of people going from struggles to success, from embarrassment to pride, from slaves to free. It is my intention to prove that the name African Methodist Episcopal represents equality and freedom to worship God, no matter what color skin a person was blessed to be born with. The thesis is this: While both Whites and Africans believed in the worship of God, whites believed in the oppression of the Africans’ freedom to serve God in their own way, blacks defended their own right to worship by the development of their own church. According to Andrew White, a well- known author for the AME denomination, “The word African means that our church was organized by people of African descent Heritage, The word “Methodist” means that our church is a member of the family of Methodist Churches, The word “Episcopal refers to the form of government under which our church operates.”
The history of the Jewish people is one fraught with discrimination and persecution. No atrocity the Nazis did to the Jews in the Holocaust was original. In England in 1189, a bloody massacre of the Jews occurred for seemingly no reason. Later, the Fourth Lateran Council under Pope Innocent III required Jews to wear a badge so that all would know their race, and then had them put into walled, locked ghettos, where the Jewish community primarily remained until the middle of the eighteenth century. When the Black Death ravaged Europe in the medieval ages, many Europeans blamed the Jews (Taft 7). Yet, the one thing that could be more appalling than such brutal persecution could only be others’ failure and flat-out refusal to intervene. Such is the case with the non-Axis coutries of World War II; these nations failed miserably in their responsibility to grant basic human rights – even the right of life – to Jewish immigrants prior to World War II.
Their numbers are relatively small. They constitute less than 1% of those who indicate some religious preference. They rank 24th on the list of the 25 largest denominations in the United States. Despite these low numbers, there is no denomination in this country or in the world, which spends more time proselytizing. They are the Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to the Public Affairs Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses, last year their members spent over one billion hours on public missionary work. Jehovah’s Witnesses are the fastest growing denomination in the United States, with a growth rate of 2.25 percent. Fifty years ago, they numbered fewer than 100,000, now they number over one million. The very reason for their existence is to make converts. If they have not been in your neighborhood, or “come a knocking” at your door, it is just a matter of time. If you invite them in, be prepared for a well-orchestrated and rehearsed plan designed to make the convert feel spiritually astute with answers that correspond to the principles, which coincide with their fundamental beliefs.
Roswell Street Baptist Church was once a slave plantation, but now seeks to reach intercultural, and intergenerational body of believers. Martin encourages not to be entrapped by nationalism, but to adopt the view Christ has which is His people, from all nationalities. Marin states, “Indeed, if all nations and all peoples would look to to God and acknowledge God as sovereign, there would be relative international order, harmony, and peace.” (Martin, 212, 2004) Roswell Street Baptist church has the history chains of being a “white supremacist” church that judged anyone: Latino, Muslims, and those with dark skin. Through the years their hearts have changed.
Behind the elaborate fresco paintings and splendid architecture, Eastern Orthodox Church has played a significant role in the preservation of Christian tradition throughout history. Since the transfer of the imperial capitol of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople, the Eastern Orthodox Christianity has evolved into a distinct branch of Christianity (Steeves). As Timothy Ware, the author of The Orthodox Church, suggests, major intellectual, cultural, and social developments that were taking place in a different region of the Roman Empire were not entirely consistent with the evolution of Western Christianity (Ware 8). These traditions and practices of the church of Constantinople were adopted by many and still provide the basic patterns and ethos of contemporary Orthodoxy. The Eastern Orthodox Church has adopted unique organizational features, beliefs, and traditions constituting itself as a unique branch of Christianity.
Between 1000-1500 AD, people began to question the integrity of the traditional Catholic church. Indulgences were widely sold, was basically the practice of priests selling repentance for their sins. In addition to this, many priests were very uneducated and violated their vows a lot. Idols were also commonly worshipped. (About the Anglican Church 1)
in the life of a Jewish person. It is a place of study, discussion and
The church at Sardis was described as being “dead” (3:1). It appeared to be alive – had “a reputation of being alive” – looked spiritually vibrant on the outside – but was spiritually lifeless. The church was Christian in name only. This recalls Christ’s scathing rebuke of the Pharisees who “look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27).