The Meaning and the Essence of Religious Rituals and Symbols: Part One: Symbols

It is said by one of the authors of Wikipedia, that: "A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature. Symbolism creates quality aspects that make literature like poetry and novels more meaningful."

In religion, symbolism is used to denote sacred ideas. Every religion has a series of symbolic representations, of various forms. There's: the lotus in Buddhism and the eight-spoke wheel of life, the "om" symbol in Hinduism, the essential cross of Christianity, and then there is the importance of the Jewish Star of David, and a vast range of others. But why? What is the point of a religious symbol to represent certain things? Why do we do this, instead of expressing ideas not in a symbolic fashion, and using simply the words themselves and just text?

The answer is: because these items carry deep meaning. It goes beyond the image itself, but is a means of communication. The idea that a symbol is communicating, is therein where the depth of meaning lies and what carries the power of the image. The author James C. Livingston describes it as "...a necessary bridge erected between the finite and "the Something More."

The finite, meaning "the having of bounds." This is the main reason why we should not disregard these symbols as "silly" in any way, or assume that they will ever lose their true meanings. They will not, as the ideas that they correspond to are very deeply rooted values. They can also be, at times, a representational symbol of an event which occurred in the history of a religion to establish its way of life and its foundational philosophy. They are here to stay for an eternity, as the ideas they connect to are not fleeting in any way.

Each religious symbol is worthy of a great deal of respect. Tradition goes beyond and far exceeds a simple "popularity," especially in the case of religious value. Religious symbolism can be found as a bumper sticker on someone's truck, or as a tattoo on someone's ankle, but these are symbolic representations that have been founded and developed over time based on a true belief in something, and these images are capable of communicating things that might otherwise be difficult to state in ordinary words.

What religions attempt to approach may be considered beyond human utterance. Believers build statues and buildings through which to worship the divine, but these forms are not the divine itself. Because people are addressing the invisible, it can be suggested only through metaphor. Deepest consciousness cannot speak the language of everyday life; what it knows can be suggested only in symbols- images borrowed from the material world that are similar to ineffable spiritual experiences. (Fisher)

Sarah

Works Cited

Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. Upper Saddle River: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.

Livingston, James C. Anatomy of The Sacred: An Introduction to Religion. Upper Saddle River: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.

"Symbolism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 06 Feb. 2013.