Comparative Religions Essay

Religion

Comparing the Catholic and the Wicca Religion

There are many different religions across the world; some are well established having existed for many centuries, others have emerged more recently although their foundations may have historical links. When comparing different religions it becomes apparent that there are some key commonalities, even if the specific details and the proportional importance of those elements differs. For example, discussing aspects of belief, community, myths, rituals and ethics with followers of two different religions, one Catholic and one Wiccan, shows there are some interesting commonalities in terms of type of content and experience for each follower.

Interviewing a Catholic individual has a strong heartfelt approach towards the monotheistic belief system based in the concept of a Holy Trinity; God the father, God the son and God the Holy Ghost; three aspects of the same deity. The religion is deemed to be a core element in the life, and while not always held up for public scrutiny, as a significant impact on individual. The belief is that there is only one God, and that the only way to God is through Jesus. The foundations of the Catholic Church are based on the Gospels and the teachings of St. Peter and St. Paul with the Pope being Gods representative on earth.

The sense of community is important, supported with the regular attendance of church services once a week, if not more, with children attending a Sunday school. The aspect a community supported by a well established church hierarchy, with the church itself part of a much larger formal church structure. Within the church there are a number of different communities or societies in which individuals participate, depending upon their interests or needs. Community is an inherent aspect of the communal worship, and social interaction that surrounds the religion.

The concept of central myths is dismissed, as the individual interviewed does not believe that the Catholic religion is based on this. Instead, the stories in the Bible, which is the central religious text for the Catholic Church, is based on a literal record of events which have occurred in the past, although they may be flawed due to man's interpretation and recording of those events.Otherwise, some of the stories in the Bible may be parables or messages which teach stories.

Rituals are extremely important element within the Catholic Church. There are different rituals accompanying different life-cycle stages, from christening which welcomes a child into the church, confirmation which celebrates the movement from childhood to adulthood, marriage and death. More regular rituals also performed as part of worship, including the Holy Communion, in which bread and wine is transmuted into the body and blood of Christ, in a ritual that is performed to remind followers of sacrifice Christ made to save mankind. Another important ritual is regular confession of sins to a priest.

The ethical system within the church is based on the Bible. The ethics of the church are based primarily on the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament which represented the New Covenant. The ethics include money that would be expected within a modern society, with the New Testament emphasising aspect such as forgiveness and charity.

The concept of religion creates an emotional experience in the way that it impacts on an entire life, and an individual's values, resulting not only in a religious commitment, but an emotional commitment and experience. Individuals within the church, although not the individual interviewed, may also have individual religious experiences in which they may fill the presence of God. There are a number of potential material expressions of the region, these include the presence of a crucifix and statue of the Virgin Mary within the respondents home, the use of rosary beads to aid with prayer and jewellery in the….....