Sharing Elements of Religion

Religious people globally observe many seasonal days of celebration during the month of December. People have varied opinions and tolerance of other religions, and thus treat the celebrations of other faiths differently. Some people value the range of celebrations in December. They respect both their own religious traditions and those of other faiths for their ability to inspire people to lead more ethical lives. Religious diversity is to them a positive influence. Other people have no tolerance at all, and reject the importance of all celebrations other than the holy day recognized by their own religion. The most well known sacred texts governing holy days in December are the Hebrew Scriptures Latin Vulgate), and the Islamic Qur'an., the Christian Bible, the Catholic Bible (

The Tanakh (Hebrew: תַּנַ"ךְ‎) also Tenakh or Tenak) is the Bible used in Judaism. The name Tanakh is a Hebrewacronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Tanakh's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah (Teaching, also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings) - hence TaNaKh. The elements of the Tanakh are incorporated in various forms in Christian Bibles, commonly known as the Old Testament.

In the spring of 1907 the public press announced that the Catholic Pope Pius X had determined to begin preparations for a critical revision of the Latin Bible (Latin Vulgate). The object is clearly set forth in the charge given by the pope to the commission. It is to determine as accurately as possible the text of St. Jerome's Latin translation, made in the fourth century. The Latin text of the Sacred Scriptures had existed from the earliest times of Christianity.

The King James Version Holy Bible, used by Protestants, contains the Old and New Testaments, also known as KJV. In 1604 James VI, King of Scotland from his youth, became King James I of England, the first ruler of Britain and Ireland. Because of the growing animosity of James toward the Puritans, a leading Puritan spokesman, Dr. John Reynolds, proposed that a new English Bible be issued in honor of the new King. King James saw an opportunity to bring about a unity with the church service in Presbyterian Scotland and Episcopal England according to bible-history.com/.

King James appointed 54 learned scholars in the making of this new translation from the original Greek and Hebrew into English. They used the ben Asher text for the Old Testament. They used the Greek text of Erasmus and a Greek and Latin text of the 6th Century found by Theodore Beza for the New Testament. The 1762 revision is what we presently know as the King James Version.

The Qur'an (Arabic: القرآن ‎ al-qur'ān), literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Qur'ān, Koran, Alcoran or Al-Qur'ān) is the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur'an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind, and consider the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God.

Muslims regard the Qur'an as the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with those revealed to Adam, regarded in Islam as the first prophet. The messages continued with the Suhuf Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham),the Taw rat (Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injeel (Gospel). The prior books are not explicitly included in the Qur'an, but are recognized therein. The Qur'an also refers to many events from Jewish and Christian Scriptures, some of which are retold in comparatively distinctive ways from the Bible and the Torah, while obliquely referring to other events described explicitly in those texts according to http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran/.

Holidays:

Bodhi Day (Enlightment)/Buddhist December 8^th

Bodhi Day, the day of enlightenment, can be celebrated in many ways. To the Buddhist, it is a day of remembrance and meditation, much like the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus on December 25th.

Eid al-Adha (Day of Sacrifice)/ Muslim December 8^th

Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. It concludes the Pilgrimage to Mecca. Eid al-Adha lasts for three days and commemorates Ibraham's (Abraham) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son. Muslims believe the son to be Ishmael rather than Isaac as told in the Old Testament. Ishmael is considered the forefather of the Arabs.

Immaculate Conception/Catholic December 8^th

The Earliest Gospel (Proto-evangelium), which put enmity between the serpent and the woman: "and I will put enmity between thee and the woman and her seed; she (he) shall crush thy head and thou shalt lie in wait for her (his) heel" (Genesis 3:15).

Chanukah/Jewish December 21^st-29^th

Hanukkah (Hebrew word for dedication) begins on the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. It lasts for eight days beginning at sunset the previous day and is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Winter Solstice December 22^nd-March 22^nd

The Winter Solstice is the day when the distance between the Tropic of Capricorn and the sun is the shortest. Because of the earth's tilt, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning farther away from the sun than at any other time during the year. This makes the Winter Solstice the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere where it marks the beginning of winter.

Many of us know that Stonehenge is a perfect marker of both solstices. But not so many people are familiar with Newgrange, a beautiful megalithic site in Ireland. This huge circular stone structure is estimated to be 5,000 years old, older by centuries than Stonehenge, older than the Egyptian pyramids! It was built to receive a shaft of sunlight deep into its central chamber at dawn on winter solstice.

The Sun in the Church reveals that many medieval Catholic churches were also built as solar observatories. The church, once again reinforcing the close ties between religious celebration and seasonal passages, needed astronomy to predict the date of Easter. And so observatories were built into cathedrals and churches throughout Europe. Typically, a small hole in the roof admitted a beam of sunlight, which would trace a path along the floor. The path, called the meridian line, was often marked by inlays and zodiacal motifs. The position at noon throughout the year, including the extremes of the solstices, was also carefully marked.

Native Americans had winter solstice rites. In Iran, there is the observance of Yalda, in which families kept vigil through the night and fires burned brightly to help the sun (and Goodness) battle darkness (thought evil). Winter solstice celebrations are also part of the cultural heritage of Pakistan and Tibet.

Christmas (Birth of Jesus)/Christian December 25^th

Christmas (from Old English Cristes maesse or "Mass of Christ") is observed annually on December 25 although the exact date of Christ's birth is not known. The birth of Jesus Christ, described in the Gospel of Saint Luke in the New Testament, has been celebrated by Christians for more than 1600 years.

Christmas Season/Christian December 25^th-January 5^th

The Christmas season begins on the First Sunday of Advent and ends on Epiphany.

Muharram (Islamic New Year) December 29^th-January 10^th

Muharram is the month with which the Muslims begin their lunar Hijrah Calendar. It is one of the four sanctified months. Muharram festival commemorates the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). This festival starts at the 1st day of Muharram and lasts for 10 days until 10th of Muharram. Muharram is the first month of Islamic calendar.

Abou El Fadl, Khaled. (2001) Speaking in God's Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women, Oxford: Oneworld Publications.

Armstrong, Karen. (1993) Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, New York: HarperOne.

Asad, Muhammad. (2000) The Road to Mecca, New York: Fons Vitea.

Fenlon, J.F. (1910). Hebrew Bible. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 23, 2008 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07175a.htm

Gasquet, F.A. (1912). Revision of Vulgate. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 23, 2008 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15515b.htm