What we can know about God from rituals?

Latvia
January 12, 2012 5:19am CST
Rituals are performance how person or group can express his honor, plea or gratitude to God. How we know from Old Testament there are lot of different kinds how to make rituals, what sacrifice is better and in what time it need to be performed. But what we can know about God from these rituals? In what manner the God appear when people make sacrifices to Him? What are the views of contributor about God?
1 person likes this
8 responses
@arjunm (439)
• India
13 Jan 12
God is the shadow of light. God is a source of power. so when you believe him in a right way from the deep of your heart you will feel his real extinction. because power is not seen by anything it only can be feel.as a man you should obey, respect & love him or superiors you will automatically feel his presence. when you wake up in the morning and pre sleep time at night you need to be performed.
1 person likes this
• Indonesia
12 Jan 12
God gave us humans Laws, that He never changed since the first human, until the end of the world! As God never changed! So the Judaism Laws like fasting, prayers, sacrafice, etc! Is gave to us, so we can be closer to God, building our relationship to God, and worshipping and glorifying God!
• Latvia
12 Jan 12
I can agree that rituals and sacrifices build relationships with God, but here I wanted to hear what rituals can say about God Himself? According Old Testament laws about rituals and order, how they need to be performed, we could say that God showed the need for honor and veneration, that He set Himself in great high from man. If we look closer, in that places in Bible where some sacrifices God didn't accept, we could say that He is rigorous and not pitiful. It would be against the christian point of view. What is your opinion about that?
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
12 Jan 12
Hi bubulizzz, I feel that rituals and sacrifices have no place in today's world. Old Testament times were so different from today when people see things in a completely different light. The world is changing fast but religion seems to stay behind, yet the fact is, they must change or they will be replaced with something else. People will not continue to believe in fables or in a God who wants us to follow certain rituals. More and more people are beginning to see and understand that all life is one and that God is not a separate identity. Blessings.
• Latvia
12 Jan 12
I agree that such kind of rituals which we can find in the Old Testament has lost their meaning and usage, but I can't agree that people have no rituals in their daily life at all. The character of rituals have changed and they occurs in nowadays in different form. One theory about ritual sacrifices offer Rene Girard. He sees some kind of ritual sacrifice that has been actual from ancient times till now - he calls it "scapegoat principle". For example, if your friend get a new car and all the time adoring it, you will start to desire such a car too. But as you are friends you need to find the third "element" who will liberate you from this competitive conflict situation. So you put your anger, which is full of envy for friends car (which he has, but you not) on your wife or husband. He is Innocent scapegoat who becomes mediator between you and your friend.
• India
2 Jun 12
Nothing.
@thanks1961 (7035)
• India
12 Jan 12
Unfortunately, I cannot agree with any of these things. Whatever is here in the universe is the creation of nature and whatever is not here, our thoughts and thinks are the creation by the human beings. As long as these all are just our imaginations, I don't think there is any meaning for this. There was a time people believed natural things are God. I don't think God has appeared in any form and asked for any kind of rituals are needed for him. Think little broad and if can come out of such imaginations, we will be free from all and if possible try to be loved and try to love others. Whatever we do will end up in the short span of 50-60 years of time, and once we die, the regime is over for ever. There is no further to it and whatever we do is just like opening our eyes and closing the same. If we say more on this, it will take days to complete. A life, the way we like and live the way how we like in line with the nature and our society. That is all.
• Latvia
12 Jan 12
I asked it more in religious science context. Researcher of religions and theologians (and perhaps philosophers too) have lot of arguments about this issue. My interest is tended to conceive this issue in the context of rituals which presented in the Old Testament.
• India
12 Jan 12
actually rituals are pool between God and we.
• Latvia
12 Jan 12
You mean that rituals make intimacy between God and man?
@iuliuxd (4453)
• Romania
12 Jan 12
Depending on the church you belong these rituals are better or worse explained.Some even reject the rituals .If you are lucky enough to belong to an old church then you will discover everything that happens in the church has a meaning. Look here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwyLCbZMXRA&feature=related Listen that small song.It is a song called only on Christmas.You can hear how powerful that song is even if you don`t understand what they say. These are the words : " Your Nativity, O Christ our God, Has shone to the world the Light of wisdom! For by it, those who worshiped the stars, Were taught by a Star to adore You, The Sun of Righteousness, And to know You, the Orient from on High. O Lord, glory to You! "
13 Jan 12
i used to be a active in our church before. but as time goes by i realized that i cant find the meaning/s of the rituals (& the symbols also) that our church does during ceremonies. i think, we just do it because that is what our ancestors teach us to do.