Rituals (Pt 2)

Rituals, by its very nature are not a bad idea. If they were, people wouldn't be using them so often, not just in religious ceremonies (as rituals are most often associated with) but even in every day life. Don't you have a morning "ritual"? I know I do. Get up, do the toilet tango, brush my teeth, shower, comb my hair, dress up and dash downstairs as I'm late for work. I'm sure you have one too. Most likely upon waking up, you don't randomly do your various waking up tasks, like putting on clothes, then brushing your teeth, then jump in the shower, then do your business. So, do you see why rituals are important? With a routine, it allows our bodies to do the basic tasks while the brain is focused on more important things (like waking up). Rituals ensure that everything we need to do, will be done, without the brain worrying about every step. It allows our brains to go on auto-pilot. Can you imagine the added stress it would cause us, if we have to consciously remember everything we do? Just the sheer thought would probably motivate you to stay in bed. It's easier :P

Rituals also give us comfort. Most humans feel safe around a controlled environment. It's why everyone feels safest at home, even though there is no mathematical reason why it is so. You are still just as likely to get robbed or cheated while at home then at the office or in your car on the way to work. No, the comfort of home is in the control people have over their environment. Things are where they are expected to be. Rituals in a way allow us to control certain aspects of our life. Driving the same route to work every day is a comforting ritual. You know exactly how far to drive, which exit to get off on, which street to turn into. Imagine what it would be like if your company switched locations every day. You would have to get a new map, get lost, drive slowly looking for the right street while people behind you are honking and throwing fingers at you. Not exactly a good way to start the day, right?

So, the same reasons apply to religious rituals. There are entire denominations that rely on rituals. Catholics are very ritual-centric, but I would say that Greek Orthodox are the most ritualistic. I once went down to a friend's wedding with a Greek Orthodox. The interesting thing was he wasn't born into that faith. He was actually a Baptist. But after he dropped out of military academy, he grew his hair long, sported a beard, and started to attend a Greek Orthodox Church. I was naturally curious about his decision, and he began to tell me why. Now bear in mind, this conversation happened about 4 years ago, and I've been told I mishear things all the time, so this may not be too accurate. However, from what I understand, the essence of worshiping God is not in the preaching, the praise service, or even the prayers. The repetition of the liturgy, vespers, and prayers, allow our minds to commune with God. By taking away all the distractions of our bodies, we are free to focus on the divinity itself. Just like the morning rituals we all do when we wake up, instead of worrying about what songs to sing, what the sermon is going to be about, we can instead focus on loving God, being in His Presence. The prayer books, the sermons have been written hundreds of years ago, by the powerful Christian thinkers of that time. They have been passed down from century to century, every word carefully preserved. And the purpose of them is to be familiar, comforting, to be as stress-free as possible. So that the worshiper can focus just on God.

To be honest, it's hard for me, personally, to give good reasons why it is best to have traditions in Church worship. So, I will end with a paragraph taken from a true and fervent believer in ritual worship, Mr. Lewis.

..Novelty, simply as such, can have only an entertainment value. And they don't go to church to be entertained. They go to use the service, or, if you prefer, to enact it. Every service is a structure of acts and words through which we receive a sacrament, or repent, or supplicate, or adore. And it enables us to these things best - if you like, it "works" best - when through long familiarity, we don't have to think about it. As long as you notice and have to count, the steps, you are not yet dancing but only learning to dance. A good shoe is a shoe you don't notice. Good reading becomes possible when you need not consciously think about eyes, or light, or print, or spelling. The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.
But every novelty prevents this. It fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about worship is a different thing from worshipping...
Thus my whole liturgiological position really boils down to an entreaty for permanence and uniformity. I can make do with almost any kind of service whatever, if only it will stay put. But if each form is snatched away just when I am beginning to feel at home in it, then I can never make any progress in the art of worship." (Letters to Malcom: Chiefly on Prayer, pp 4-5)

If you are interested in other topics about the ritual of Service, check out this paper, by a Reformed Presbyterian Pastor. Peace out.