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Religous Rites - essay (1 Viewer)

bessie

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Hey, this is an essay response to the 2005 HSC I prepared for my trial. I was just unsure what i should change to knock it up a few marks. Am I missing anything crucial? Or do i just generally need to make my response more sophisticated. For this question I dont think I answer the "evaluate its significance for individuals and for groups." part enough? agree? If you can be bothered reading it any advice would be greatly arrpreciated.

Cheers.

Question 13 — Religious Rites (20 marks)
For TWO religious traditions, outline the nature of ONE religious rite, and evaluate its
significance for individuals and for groups.

Note: The rite chosen must be the same for each tradition.


A Religious Rite is defined as any established ceremony prescribed by a religion. It is a process by which a person is enabled to conduct a religious ceremony and is able to celebrate, symbolise or make present his or her own central beliefs. Religious rites can be divided into three different categories. That is, rites of passage, Rites of personal devotion and rites of Public worship. I have chosen to focus on the rite of passage of marriage. Within the lives of all Christian and Jewish believers marriage is a rite of passage considered to hold utmost significance and importance. It holds a substantial place in both spiritual and everyday lives of almost all Jews and Christians. Marriage, for these people is a way to unite two people in love and to form a family unit by which a husband and wife become responsible for both each other and their children.

In a Christian marriage a couple decides to fulfill God’s desire for their life. The Bible states that marriage is the reflection of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. Marriage is seen to be a life-long relationship in which the couples are to be completely committed to each other. In the eyes of the church marriage has three ‘causes’; they are the procreation of children, a remedy against sin and for help and comfort through times of adversity and prosperity. According to Roman Catholic and orthodox churches, marriage is a sacrament.

Traditionally Christian wedding ceremonies take place in a church, before the eyes of God. The ceremony takes place before a priest, God’s representative. The couple make vows to each other forever pledging their love and faithfulness for one another, a pledge made before god. Traditionally a wife is to wear white, symbolic of a woman’s purity. At the service a witness is required, usually this comes in the form of the ‘best man’ and bridesmaids. A traditional marriage ceremony usually contains many rituals such as; an opening song, giving the bride away, readings from the bible, a rite of consent to marriage, an exchange of rings, a special blessing for the couple, a kiss, prayers for marital love and faithfulness, a closing song and walking back up the aisle as a united couple.

A Jewish marriage shares many similarities with a Christian marriage. In Judaism marriage provides physical fulfillment, characterised through the Hebrew word Kiddushin meaning sanctification. Judaism gives similar reasons for marriage. That is the procreation of children, physical fulfillment, sexual pleasure and to express and deepen love for one another.

The Jewish Talmud states that without a wife a man is incomplete, marriage is seen as a commandment from god, thus there is more pressure to marry in a Jewish society than a Christian one. A Jewish marriage is a cause for great celebration. Most weddings take place in a Synagogue, but it is not compulsory. In this ceremony the proceedings are made in front of a Rabbi rather than a priest, acting as God’s representative. Preceding the wedding ceremony a Ketubah is prepared, this is a marriage contract that elucidates the rights and responsibilities of the husband and wife. The marriage ceremony always takes place under a Chuppah, a canopy that is symbolic of the home the couple will live in, or of a Jewish temple. In a Jewish marriage the husband is the Chassan and the wife is called the Kallah. Traditionally the couple share a glass of wine, the groom gives the bride a ring, the Ketubah is read, seven blessings are pronounced over the couple, another glass of wine is drunk and the glass is smashed at the feet of the bride and groom’s feet symbolizing the destruction of the temple. At the end of the proceedings the audience shout ‘Mazel tov!’, meaning, good luck, then a time of celebration and feasting begins.

One significant difference between Jewish and Christian marriage is the way in which divorce is dealt with. In a Christian marriage divorce is not spoken of and is not an advent of the church but rather by the courts. Jewish marriage on the other hand has clear rules regarding divorce. Divorce is considered sad and unfortunate but it is not difficult to obtain a divorce. No grounds are needed in order to divorce, under Jewish Law a man can divorce his wife for any reason. If the wife commits a sexual transgression the husband is forced to divorce her even if he chooses to forgive her. A Jewish divorce court exists, called the Bet Din, it involves a scribe and at least three judges. Both partners may approach the Bet Din for divorce. Once divorced the man may marry as soon as they wish but the wife must wait 90 days. Jewish Law frowns upon divorce but it does accept it.

In a Christian marriage the scriptures are central to the marriage ceremony, they focus on marriage as a lifelong, sacred commitment, instituted by God. A Christian marriage makes present the central beliefs of the Christian faith. Scriptures make clear that the parents have an obligation to raise their children in a loving, Christian environment. At the wedding the priest delivers a homily, elaborating on the Scripture readings giving further insight into the meaning of a Christian marriage. Symbols present at the wedding such as marriage vows and the ring also help to emphasise that marriage is a lifelong commitment. The location of the marriage, a church highlights the presence of god at the ceremony. All these aspects help to preserve Christian values and ethics within the marriage.

Likewise a Jewish wedding also presents central Jewish beliefs. Sacred texts provide a basis for ethical teachings about marriage. Sacred texts such as the Torah and Talmund help to reinforce many aspects of the marriage. As well as these sacred texts rituals present at the ceremony help to reinforce the belief that God intended marriage to be for life, but it is better for a couple to divorce if they are unhappy. Symbols such as the Chupah emphasise the centrality of the home and the roles of the wife. The Ketubah and seven blessings praise god and reinforce that marriage is a holy covenant. The smashing of the wine glass at the end of the ceremony is also symbolic and gives links to the history of Israel. These traditions help to preserve Jewish values and morals preserved in marriage.

A Christian marriage has an immense effect on the lives of those involved. Marriage elevates the mundane to the supernatural, it expresses the transcendent nature of the couple. Marriage gives a sense of structure to the couple, it gives them a sense of responsibility no longer just for themselves but for both partners and their children. Marriage gives a sense of identification as a Christian and their ultimate purpose to grow spiritually through the relationship. It acknowledges, supports and encourages the human condition of suffering joy and sorrow.

In the same way a Jewish marriage has a significant if not more significant effect on the lives of the couple. It gives structure and assigns clear roles to the partners. For example the wife is expected to take responsibility of the home, while the husband is responsible to provide and protect the family. Marriage is considered a way of holiness, it increases ones relationship with God. It too gives the couple a sense of identification with the Jewish faith. It also acknowledges the human conditions of suffering, joy and sorrow.

The Rite of passage of marriage is a significant stage of life for both Christian and Jewish believers. It creates a new era in each partner’s life and fulfills the wishes of God in marriage and procreation, providing a stable society in which the community is strengthened and the couple is united not only with each other but also with God.
 

goliwog

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The introduction is excellent better then my standard ! you could however jazz it up with a few quotes instead of just referring to what the bible says.
for example

The Jewish Talmud states that without a wife a man is incomplete, marriage is seen as a commandment from god. The Torah also states “ It is not good that the man should be alone Gen 2:18”.

An early Christian teacher Ignatius of Antioch wrote “ It is proper for those who Marry to be united with the consent of a bishop”. A 3rd Century teacher , Tertellian also said that marriage was “made by the church , confirmed by the offering of the holy sacrifice, sealed by a blessing , proclaimed by the angels and ratified by our father in heaven” .
this isn’t necessary to achieve an A range mark as far as I know but it sure would be impressive and for me it helps me talk about the issues at hand.
As for evaluating its significance for individuals and groups just look at the role of marriage in both. I think you covered most if not all of this though.
In Judaism there are religious obligations concerning marriage
  • To bear children
  • provide a strong foundation in society
  • to establish family life in a loving home.
Remember that Judaism considers the home to be like a little temple.
In Christianity marriage is seen as a sacrament also known as Matrimony.

  • Couple join in love to start a family.
  • Intended to remain married for the rest of their lives as their obligation to each other their family and the Christian community.
Once again you pretty much have all of this , however one thing that could really strengthen the response is looking into marriage differences within Jewish and Christian denominations but only do this a little. For example orthodox Jewish males are only allowed to marry Jewish girls from birth unless they converted at the age of 3 or earlier. Im not doing marriage myself but I can show you a better example with Christian funeral variants.

Although Christians usually bury their bodies today they often cremate. The Catholic church lifted its prohibition on cremation in 1963. Although some reform Jews allow cremation it is very rare in all forms of the religious tradition in contrast to Christianity. Until the middle ages bodies were buried in direct contact with the soil but most Jews now use wooden coffins and Orthodox Jews will loosen the coffin to allow the body to deteriorate and return to the ground faster. In the Christian Presbyterian church however funeral services are conducted on request and by agreement with the family which could entail cremation or burial. Most protestants still bury their dead and some disallow cremation although this is dwindling.

That’s irrelevant to marriage but the whole part were I’m analysing differences within the religious tradition just shows some extra knowledge and understanding of the significance. Im afraid that all this will make your essay to long lol but just mess around with these ideas and keep practicing and it should be fine.
 

bessie

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Wow.. thanks alot goliwog that was really helpful.
Yeah, I havent really been able to get much feedback on it, so thanks alot for taking the time out to read it. I didnt think anyone was going to reply to my sad thread :)
I'll be sure to include some of that stuff in it. Cheers.
I just hope ill be able to remeber it all for the exam. Which could be a little hard with legal studies the day before. :(
Best of luck for your exam.
 

snapperhead

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be careful throwing words like sacrament around as it has different implications for protestant and catholic...especially when it comes to marriage as its seen as a "lesser sacrament" when compared to baptism and eucharist

see here for further clarification with regards to Anglican
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_sacraments


sorry didnt see this thread. I would suggest having a look at the standards packages if you are curious as to how yours stacks up against the "best".
Structure issues will be different and it seems you cover most bases. I wold actually say that most of what you have written is more descriptive than evaluative and you are a little weak on mentioning differences between variants (which will be stated in the rubric at the top of this question in the HSC-noting that use of corect terminology is also another rubric)
See http://community.boredofstudies.org...teria-etc-all-sor-candidates-should-read.html for further clarification
 

bessie

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Thanks Snapperhead.
I agree with you that its more or less just a description rather than an evaluation, thanks for pointing that out. And it needs to be more comparitive.
With regards to the standards packages, the board only has the 2001 and 2002 papers. So there not essays, there just 3 questions, so its a little difficult to compare.
Will the exam question definantely be a single extended response, or could they do that again?
 

snapperhead

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bessie said:
Thanks Snapperhead.
I agree with you that its more or less just a description rather than an evaluation, thanks for pointing that out. And it needs to be more comparitive.
With regards to the standards packages, the board only has the 2001 and 2002 papers. So there not essays, there just 3 questions, so its a little difficult to compare.
Will the exam question definantely be a single extended response, or could they do that again?
the standard was set after 2002 showing in theory how easy the subject is (!!) hence there only being two packages
re the parts, that is what I meant by "structure issues aside" (sorry, should have been clearer). If you use your imagination, you can use parts A and C as a rough guide for comparison. (esp. with regards to length and depth)

No, it will be a single question with two glossary terms
 

musik-nerd

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Hey,
The way i've been taught about essays is to make sure in each essay you include a quote/quotes from the scriptures to back up what you're saying (especially as you're saying they're central to marriage etc.), reference to the different variants (as snapperhead already mentioned), and also Australian examples.
Giving a particular example of a wedding in Australia, in a particular variant, could cover both the variant and Australian example aspect, as long as you state there are difference in other variants (and maybe quickly mention one of these differences).

However here's an example of what you could write as an Australian example, but without the details and with no reference to variants...

eg. when you go on to describe the wedding ceremony "...A traditional marriage ceremony usually contains many rituals such as; an opening song, giving the bride away, readings from the bible, a rite of consent to marriage, an exchange of rings, a special blessing for the couple, a kiss...."
Perhaps you could mention here, for example at a wedding I recently attended at _____ in Australia, they chose to sing the songs/hymns _________, and have reading from the Bible from verses [blah] as these had particular significance to the beliefs of the couple. The way in which services are personalised emphasises the importance of the ceremony to the individuals undertaking them, as it has a great importance for the remainder of their lives.

[You could cover the group thing with your more general examples, just use half a sentence to link each point to the 2nd half of the question!]


Anyway that's a pretty hopeless example but I hope it slightly helped.

Maybe someone else can make some more sense out of what i'm trying to say.
 

snapperhead

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Also (just to add to a point that Musik-nerd bought up

If there are differences, acknowledge that there are differences and talk about 2/3 if applicable.

If there are no differences, you still have to acknowledge that there are no differences. Just dont leave it blank.

The variants stuff is so important as its a part of the rubric that they give you at the top of the extended response section (q 13-18)

See here for further detail
http://community.boredofstudies.org...teria-etc-all-sor-candidates-should-read.html

Dont know about the Australian POV for this section as its not really listed in the syllabus as such (for the extended questions I mean). It could sound a little forced or contrived if you try and work an Aussie POV into it when its not really required (/opinion)
 

bessie

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Thanks for your help guys.

Ill try and fit in improving this between my Ext english, Legal and Biology Study. This last week is very hectic on my timetable.

Ill try and get a few quotes to back it all up.
 

bessie

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I know its probably a little late now, but you dont havee any links where I could get qoutes like the ones above do you? Because I really doont have the time at the moment to read through the bible and the Talmund :O
 

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