ESSENTIAL GEAR, GARMENTS, AND OBJECTS

In the acts of worship, the Christian churches use many symbols including words, rites, gestures, prayers, service books, sacred vessels, vestments, music, art, and much more. Major themes of these rituals consist of joy, penance, peace, thanksgiving, and the various virtues.

Symbols of Worship

Symbolism is the pervading speech of any living religion. Because of persecutions, early Christians made use of art and external acts to reflect inner meanings and hid their beliefs from outsiders under _{emblems and figures.} Most church art, architecture, sacred rites, and private devotions have specific _{religious meanings.} In most Christian faith groups, signs and symbols are material things that stand for spiritual things. Christian worship makes use of signs, symbols, vestments, and art to express the things of God.

In the Christian religion, the worship of God can be expressed in the following four significant kinds of symbols:

1. Fact-filled symbols, such as the sacraments.

2. Natural symbols, such as washing, anointing, or laying on of hands, to express a parallel event of

a spiritual nature, such as cleansing, strengthening, or giving grace.

3. Illustration symbols, in which a certain connotation is secured by a certain action or thing.

^4. Monograms or emblems, as a substitute for signs that in some way depict a sacred truth.

Not all Christian churches accept the four types of symbolism, and some churches accept none. Nevertheless, symbolism is purposeful and necessary to most Christian churches. You should, therefore, regard symbolism as a serious element in the Christian faith.

Liturgical Gear and Objects

So numerous are the liturgical gear, garments, and objects of the Christian faith that it would be impractical for us to describe them all within the scope of this chapter. For detailed information on Christian liturgical gear and objects, please see appendix III.

Now that you have read about the Christian faith, let's look at another major religion, Islam. Just as Christianity began with the teachings of Jesus, Islam began with the teachings of the prophet Mohammed. In the following paragraphs, let's examine the world of Islam and its believers, the followers of Mohammed.

ISLAM

Literally, Islam means submission to the will of God. Islam also refers to the religion and to its followers. The people who believe in Islam are followers of Mohammed, a great religious teacher known as the Holy Prophet of Islam. This is why Islam is often called Mohammedanism and the people who follow it are called Mohammedans. Another word you may encounter for the followers of Islam is Moslems or Muslims, which means "believers in Islam."

HISTORY

Of the great religions of the world, Islam is the youngest. Islam began in Arabia about 600 years after the birth of Jesus. Its founder, the prophet Mohammed, was born in A.D. 570 and grew up in Mecca At the age of 25, Mohammed wandered into the desert to contemplate and pray. On Mount Hira, Mohammed received the following revelations: . There is only one God

God has revealed himself in the Bible

. God was calling upon Mohammed to be His prophet, to destroy idolatry, and to bring the Arab peoples together in one faith to worship one God.

At age 40, Mohammed began to preach the new faith of Islam. After Mohammed's death, Arab rulers, or caliphs, led the Moslems to political victories and spread the religion of Islam throughout the Moslem empire.

Today, the most populous Islamic or Moslem areas are found in the Middle East, North Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and parts of the Soviet Union. Within the Islam faith, there are two major groups-Sunni and Shiite.

In the early part of the 20th century, Moslems began to immigrate to the United States. Although most North American Moslems were immigrants from the Middle East, Islam also began to win converts in America. In the 20th century, Islam found a receptive audience among Afro-American ethnic and cultural groups. One Sunni group in America is the American Moslem Mission, a major religious body that grew out of Elijah Mohammed's Nation of Islam. You will encounter followers of Islam among Navy personnel and their dependents. As an RP, you sould be aware of the basic beliefs and teachings and the worship requirements of this important religion.