Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

            A few weeks ago, I went to a religious service at Freedom Tabernacle Church and it was significantly different than any other religious service that I have ever been to or attended.  I went to this church with a few friends because they invited me to go. While growing up, I always attended a Southern Baptist church every Sunday, and I still attend that church regularly.  I agreed to go to Freedom Tabernacle because it is a nondenominational church and I have been to a few nondenominational churches before and enjoyed them.  I also agreed to go to this church because I had never been before and I thought it might satisfy the requirements for this assignment.  Since it is a nondenominational church, I did not think that it would be significantly different from the other services that I have been to.  I also did not think I would be able to use this experience as the religious service that I would write about in my blog post.  But, this was an incorrect assumption.  Although the people who attend Freedom Tabernacle Church worship Jesus Christ just as I do, they worship through extremely different practices and patterns than I do at my church. 

            The Preacher and the members within the congregation were loud and energetic throughout the entire service.  Members in the congregation demonstrated high energy by dancing, shouting, waving their arms in the air, and shouting “Amen” repeatedly.  While some of these actions also occur at my home church, they were done differently at Freedom Tabernacle than how I am accustomed to them.  The whole service seemed to be like an interactive conversation between the Preacher and random comments and shouts made by people within the congregation.  People also dressed in certain attire and completed skits and dance performances as a way of asking for forgiveness of their sins.  Others walked across a stage in the front of the church while holding up signs that described sins that they had committed.  I interpreted this as a public apology for the sin and as a way of seeking forgiveness.  The church as a whole was very open and very public about their feelings, sins, and emotions. 

At my church, things are usually addressed privately between one person and God through prayer.  Family members and friends often pray together, and it can be done out loud or silently.  Sometimes one person will pray out load while the others pray silently, and other times everyone prays silently alone.  The way I was raised, one prays to God to ask for forgiveness of sins.  I have never witnessed a ceremony where people displayed their sins on a poster or danced to a song as a way of asking for forgiveness.  It surprised me that the church as a whole was so open and publicly announced their sins to the entire church.  Some of the things that were written on the signs and posters were very vulgar and were topics that I have never heard discussed at my church.  It made me wonder if the people that attend this church believe that they have to publicly announce their sins and ask for forgiveness in front of others in order to be granted forgiveness. 

 Towards the end of the service and after the Preacher finished preaching, people within the congregation were given a chance to go up to the altar and pray.  People quickly flooded to the front of the church and formed groups and began praying.  Some of the groups all prayed out loud and other groups began to speak in tongues.  I had never heard or witnessed anyone speak in tongue before this service. The Pastor and other significant men within the church came by each group and laid a white sheet over anyone who was kneeled and praying.  I assumed that this might be a symbol of pureness, but this is just an assumption that I made.  At my church, we also have an altar call or an invitation to come pray, but the congregation responds differently.  We do not speak in tongues or use the white sheets at my church. 

Overall, I felt very scared throughout the whole service because I did not know what was going to happen next.  I felt extremely uncomfortable and like an outsider because I was not participating in the practices that many people were engaging in during the service.  One of the other girls that went with us had also never been to this church and we experienced similar feelings.  We clung to eat other during the service.  The two friends that invited me to come to this church with them were very comfortable because this was the type of service that they are use to and comfortable in.  I tried to keep an open mind during the service and I tried not to form judgmental thoughts because I feel that everyone should be able to practice their religion and worship in any way that they see fit or desire.  The people at this church worship the same God that I worship, and therefore, it was easier for me to be accepting and understanding even in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable atmosphere. 

I feel that it is important to be exposed to different types of religions and religious practices because it helps me to become more aware of the world around me and the customs of others.  Although I did not necessarily enjoy this service and I will not choose to go back, it opened my eyes and it allowed me to be more appreciative of my religious practices and the comfort that I feel when I walk into the doors of my home church.  As a future educator, I understand that it is crucial for me to have an open mind concerning all religious practices and differing types of religions.  There will be students in my classroom who come from varying religious backgrounds and who engage in religious practices that differ from mine.  It is imperative that I am understanding of this and that I treat all of my students equally.  In the future, I will be thankful that I was able to have this experience and witness a religious ceremony that is different from my own.