Religious Service Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religious Service - Term Paper Example A case of observation is the name. For Christians, the place of worship is called a church, for Islam a mosque, while for the Buddhist, a temple. It is also evident that the religions have unique symbolic cultures that differentiate them from one another as I observed with Islam when I once attended a religious service. This paper will describe the material and non- material culture of the mosque, a place of a warship by Muslims. Mosque A mosque is a place of worship for the Muslim faithful. It is evident from my observation of Muslim congregation and the mosque building that the design and building materials used in the construction of the place of worship mostly depends on heritage, culture and the resources in the community that hosts the mosque. However, it is noticeable that there are certain architectural features common to all mosques. For instance, the mosque’s parts are practical and show a sense of tradition and continuity among all the Muslims across the globe (Penn ey 10). Common architectural features include a minaret which is a slender tower rising at the top of a mosque (Penney 12). The minaret usually varies in height, number, and style. It may be square, octagonal, or round in shape and are in most cases covered with a pointed roof as noted by Penney (12). In the case of the mosque I attended, I was able to observe that it had a tall, slender and round-shaped minaret (Penney 14). On the minaret, there is a loudspeaker used to sermon people to prayers commonly called adhan (Hephaestus Books 14). The mosque is divided into two sections in which, men and women attend the service in different rooms. However, the services are conducted with the leadership of an Imam who is stationed on men’s side. The dress code is usually a veil gown mostly white in color for men and black for women. Every member of the congregation is required to remove the shoes before entering the mosque and put on the shoe shelf. This is mainly to preserve the cle anliness of the mosque and a sign of humility to God. The shelf is placed near the door to prevent pilling of shoes at the door.

Reading Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts Assignment

Reading Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts - Assignment Example The late Ming texts have played an important role in preserving the erotic-music notations of the Ming cultural society, owing to the fact the Ming music has long vanished and the only way through which it is preserved is through the textual notations. The factors that account for the vanishing of the Ming music is the secrecy with which the late Ming society would treat erotic emotions, impulses, and practices. In this respect, the erotic impulses, emotions, and impulses in the late Ming society were treated as private matters, only reserved for specific reasons and targeted for specific audiences, thus making their understanding highly complex. The carnal longings and desires of the Ming society were expressed through music, where music and sex were intertwined through dynamic and creative negotiations, allowing music to express and characterize the erotic desire of the time. The sexual desires were expressed through Ming music in a series of manipulated musical aspects such as pro cesses, objects, and sites, where the musical components such as instruments, sounds, and sonic components strategically aired the erotic agenda of the musical performers. The specific times and places where such manipulated music would be played then created the musical sites, while the projection of the sonic and the non-sonic sounds at the specific times and places constituted the music negotiations and processes, which would, in turn, work together towards the formation of erotic musical expressions. The discursive negotiations, processes and musical objects applications allowed the music performers to assert their erotic and sexual desires, thus serving not only as a means of expression but also as a catalyst for interactive bargaining the desires with the audience.