Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Mark’s Gospel.
Mark 5: 1-13
Jesus heals the Gerasene Demoniac
Teaches
Allah is one god
Merciful and all powerful
Controls destiny, and will judge people on last day of the world.
Heaven/hell
Qur’an is linked to the bible – stories from OT, and refers to Jesus and Mary. Justice
Facing opposition from the people of mecca, Muhammad and followers fled to
medina
Community took shape. Formed pillars.
Salat, prayer – muslims pray 5 times every day, sunrise, noon, late afternoon, sunset,
evening.
Face mecca, and watch face and hands. Shoes off.
Symbols
Leaders
Judaism.
Beliefs
One god
Covenant is expressed in the law given to moses on Mt Sinai
Sabbath is central
Sacred text- Torah, kept on scrolls – Hebrew.
Pray in synagogue
Scrolls are kept in a holy place
Men and women sit separately in orthodox syn.
Men cover their heads with a skullcap –
Circumcision, Marriage, Sabbath.
Symbols
Star of David said to be the symbol on the shields of king david’s army
Menorah, 7 pronged candle represents 7 days of creation.
Shabbat
Keeps the 7th day holy.
The house will be prepared.
Lights 2 candles and prays.
Meal
Challot – bread god provided in the desert.
No work done on Shabbat.
39 melachot prohibited.
Aboriginal spirituality.
It is wrong to say primitive, as they are complex, satisfying to the people, and suited
to the local environment.
“Primal” – part of everyday existence, basic features to all religions, connection with
their culture and locality. “first”
The dreamtime is not a specific time, rather it is a continuous, parallel, timeless spirit
world.
Through the dreamings that aboriginals experience the wholeness and holiness of all
aspects of life.
Aboriginal rituals
Turning points in lives.
Song, dance, music
Rites of passage
Spirit celebrations
Increase rituals for maintenance of natural species
Reconciliation
Healing and harming rituals
Harming performed for the good of the community, and punishment of wrongdoers.
Healing is different from use of native medicines.
Use of special powers from a healer.
Smoke cleanses people from their illness. Purifies them
Origin of life
Spirit child who has been waiting in a clan centre enters the mother. This child
announces its presence and its identity by certain signs.
Spiritual identity – totem influences everything in a persons life.
Death is not natural, spiritual beings live forever. At death, spirits return to particular
significant sites they belong to.
Paintings- mythscapes.