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“Why, then, do you not give thanks?”
WATER... A SACRED SYMBOL IN THE WORLD’S FAITH TRADITIONSAdapted from material written by Paula Abrams, [email protected]
10 SCARBORO MISSIONS/SEPTEMBER 2004
Water has a central place in the practices andbeliefs of many religions for two mainreasons. Firstly, water cleanses. Water
washes away impurities and pollutants; it can makean object look as good as new and wipe away anysigns of previous defilement. Water not only purifiesobjects for ritual use, but can make a person clean,externally or spiritually, ready to come into the pres-ence of worship. Secondly, water is a primary build-ing block of life. Without water there is no life, yetwater has the power to destroy as well as to create.The significance of water manifests itself differentlyin different religions and beliefs, but it is these twoqualities of water that underlie its place in our cul-tures and faiths.
Bahá'í FaithFor the Baha’i Faith, respect for creation in all itsbeauty and diversity is important, and water is a keyelement of creation. The Baha’is place great impor-tance on agriculture and the preservation of the eco-logical balance of the world. Water is a fundamentalresource for agriculture. It is essential to the func-tioning of all ecological communities and plays a keyrole in the life support systems of the planet. Water isessential to life itself, which is why it is so often usedin spiritual symbolism.
ChristianityAlmost all Christian churches or sects have an initia-tion ritual (baptism) involving the use of water.Baptism has its origins in the symbolism of theIsraelites being led by Moses out of slavery in Egyptthrough the Red Sea and from the baptism of Jesusby John the Baptist in the Jordan River. After Jesus’resurrection, he commanded his disciples to baptizein the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit(Matthew 28:19-20). Baptism is a symbol of liberationfrom the oppression of sin that separates us fromGod. It is believed that baptism does not in itselfcleanse one from sin, but is rather a public declara-tion of one’s belief and faith in Christ and a sign ofwelcome into the Church. The Catholic Church,
however, believes that a real change occurs at bap-tism—it is more than just symbolism—it is at bap-tism that Catholics believe that the stain of originalsin is removed from the individual.
HinduismWater in Hinduism has a special place because wateris believed to have spiritually-cleansing powers. ToHindus all water is sacred, especially rivers, andthere are seven sacred rivers: the Ganges, Yamuna,Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri.Although Hinduism encompasses so many differentbeliefs, most Hindus share the importance of strivingto attain purity and avoiding pollution. This relatesto both physical cleanliness and spiritual well-being.
IslamIn Islam, water is important for cleansing and purify-ing. Muslims must be ritually pure before approach-ing God in prayer. Some mosques have a courtyardwith a pool of clear water in the centre, but in mostmosques the ablutions are found outside the walls.Fountains symbolizing purity are also sometimesfound in mosques. In Islam, ritual purity (calledtahara) is required before carrying out religiousduties, especially salat (worship).
JudaismIn Judaism, ritual washing is intended to restore ormaintain a state of ritual purity and its origins can befound in the Torah. These ablutions can be washingof the hands and the feet, or total immersion whichmust be done in “living water”—the sea, a river, aspring or in a mikveh (the ritual bath). The ritualwashing of hands is performed before and aftermeals and on many other occasions. In ancient timesablutions were practiced by priests and converts toJudaism as part of the initiation rites. Priests had towash their hands and feet before taking part in Tem-ple services.
Continued on page 15...
SEPTEMBER 2004/SCARBORO MISSIONS 15
WATER... A SACRED SYMBOL INTHE WORLD’S FAITH TRADITIONSContinued from page 10...
Eric
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AboriginalThe Karajá people who live on the banks of
the Araguaia River in central Brazil tell thefollowing creation story. It has been adaptedby Scarboro missioner Fr. Ron MacDonellfrom the Portuguese version found in theMensageiro (Messenger) magazine (Jan/Feb2004) dedicated to the service of indigenouspeoples.
“In the beginning, the Supreme Being,Kanaciué, created the Karajá people. They lived asaruanã fish in the waters of the river. They did notknow about plants or animals, nor about the sun orthe moon. The Karajá were immortal and livedvery happily.
However, they faced a constant temptation. Atthe bottom of the river was a bright, luminoushole. The Creator had prohibited them from enter-ing the hole, under pain of losing their immortali-ty. The Karajá would swim around it, admiring itsbrilliant light, which shone on their many-colouredscales. Yet however much they tried to lookthrough the hole, the bright light prevented themfrom seeing the other side.
One day a daring Karajá violated the taboo andentered the hole, arriving on the sandy banks ofthe Araguaia River. He was amazed at the beautyof the river and the jungle, the birds and the ani-mals, and the hot sun. He stayed all day and intothe night, enthralled by the light of the moon andthe stars. In the morning, he returned to the waterydepths and told his companions about the beautyof the world he discovered. The Karajá decided toask Kanaciué, the Creator, to be allowed to live inthe other world. He agreed, but warned them thatthey would lose their immortality. The Karajápassed through the hole of light, and ever sincethen, they have lived in the earthly paradise theyfound on the banks of the Araguaia River.”∞
Shinto is Japan’sindigenous reli-gion and is basedon the venerationof the kami(deities believedto inhabit moun-tains, trees, rocks,springs and othernatural phenome-non). Worship ofthe kami alwaysbegins with the actof purificationwith water. Insideall sacred shrinesare troughs for ritual washing.
