User:Alexander Guerin/sandbox

= Religious Symbol = A religious symbol is an iconic representation intended to represent a specific religion, a specific concept, or a specific event within a given religion. According to religious scholar Paul Tillich, "religious symbols are distinguished from others by the fact that they are a representation of what is unconditionally beyond the conceptual sphere." Religious symbols are representations of ideas, events, or individuals that go beyond the ability of human understanding, as the topic of religion often does. Religious symbols are typically "multivocal" in that they usually represent more than one thing at a time. For example, a religious symbol may stand for a single event while also representing a much deeper and complex concept within a particular religious tradition. They are created within the historical process of a religion as it develops over time, with some symbols evolving to represent a religion as a whole. These symbols are carried forward typically with a great amount of reverence within religions through incorporation into a religion's myths, doctrines, and rituals.

Christianity
The symbol most synonymous with the Christian faith and the majority of its denominations is the cross. The cross, or crucifix, is the dominant symbol within the Christian faith because it represents a major event within the formation of Christianity, the crucifixion of Jesus. According to Christians, Jesus, the central figure of the Christian faith, suffered and died on the cross in order to absolve humanity of its sins. The cross as a symbol exists to remind Christians of Jesus' ultimate love for humanity, and God's ability to forgive sins. It also has come to symbolizes the Christian belief that there are three parts, the father, the son, and the holy spirit, to one God, signified by the three points towards the top of the cross. It is important to note that there are many symbols under the large umbrella of Christianity that are also seen as very significant to believers. However, the cross has become the dominant symbol of Christianity and even without all Christian denominations subscribing to its significance it has become one of the most recognized symbols in the world today.

Judaism
The Star of David or Shield of David is the symbol most commonly used to represent the Jewish faith. The Star of David, unlike other Jewish symbols such as the Lion of Judah, has not always been an exclusively Jewish symbol. It is said to represent King David's shield, but there is little evidence of this within the early rabbinic literature. It came to represent the Jewish community when it was chosen as the symbol of the first Zionist Congress in 1897. Before that, it was used to label buildings as synagogues similarly to the way the cross was used to signify buildings as churches. It consists of two equilateral triangles that form a hexagram. During WWII the Star of David was used by the Nazis to visibly label Jewish persons as well as their places of rest. Today, it can be seen within synagogues and on the flag of Israel, representing the countries historical connection to the Jewish faith.

Islam
The symbol most commonly used today to signify the Islamic faith is the star and crescent. This is a relatively new symbol within the Islamic faith that arose within the Ottoman Empire.The star and crescent was used by the Ottoman Empire to indicate geographical areas that predominantly consisted of Muslims. Within those areas the symbol was placed on the top of minarets to signify a mosque, and it is still is used for that purpose today. The star and crescent symbol dates back to use in Sumerian society, where it was associated with the sun and moon goddesses within Sumerian culture. However, it is important to note that this symbol is not mentioned anywhere within the Quran, the holy book of the Islamic faith, and many Muslims do not accept this symbol at all. Some Muslims even see the symbol of the star and crescent as un-Islamic and blasphemous. Still, it is the internationally recognized symbol of Islam even though it holds very little connection to the core beliefs of the Islamic faith itself. A symbol that is less recognized, but is frequently more accepted by devout Muslims is the calligraphy for the word Allah, the Arabic word for the god of Abraham. Muslims are restricted from producing an image of their god and so the written word of Allah holds a large amount of significance and is used to symbolize god within the Islamic faith. The calligraphy for the word Allah is more widely accepted than the star and crescent within the Ummah, the Islamic community.

Taoism (Daoism) and Confucianism
The taijitu, more commonly known as the yin yang symbol, is closely associated with Taoism. However, the taijitu is not an exclusive symbol of Taoism. While the majority of Taoist organizations make explicit use of the symbol, it is also seen in association with Confucianism or Neo-Confucianisim. Though the symbol is closely connected to Chinese philosophy as a whole, it is typically seen today as representing Taoism. It represents a defined sense of polarity in the world and a focus towards the importance of balance. Both of these concepts appear frequently within Chinese philosophy. It symbolizes the idea of two different modes of being within Taoist teachings: yin and yang. Yin represents a mode of stillness and calmness while yang represents a mode of activity and intensity. These two contrasting modes of being are represented by the white and black colors within the taijitu.

Hinduism
The symbol Om or Aum is first mentioned in the early Upanishads, one of the scared texts of Hinduism. For Hindus, it is understood to be the concept of a "cosmic sound," "mystical syllable," "affirmation to something divine", or as symbolism for abstract spiritual concepts in the Upanishads. Within the Rig Veda, one of the many sacred Hindu texts, it states that the three phonetic components of the sound Om correspond to the three stages of cosmic creation, and when it is read or spoken it celebrates the creative power of the universe. Om is more often said or chanted rather than written, but the written form is wildly understood today to symbolize Hinduism. Om came to be used as a standard utterance at the beginning of mantras, chants or citations taken from the Vedas. It is very commonly used during meditation to connect Hindus, and often non-Hindus, with the primordial sound associated with the creation of universe from nothing. The written form of this sound is recognized as a scared symbol for Hindus.

Why Religions Use Symbols
According to Anthropologist, Clifford Geertz, religion is defined as a system made up of symbols that works to define the cosmos in a way that people will know how to respond to it. As a symbolic system, religion gives order to the universe, and therefore helps eliminate the chaos, ambiguity, and helplessness that people experience. Religion provides ultimate answers to otherwise unexplainable questions for believers. Geertz goes onto say that religious symbols fuse individual's ethos which he defines as the picture one has of the way things actually are. By synthesizing people's ethos, religious symbols enable believers to affirm their spiritual reality even when their experiences contradict one another. This both brings people together and allows them to see significance in their religious beliefs. Religious symbols can also be used as a language to communicate ideas about belief. This is just one explanation as to why religious utilize symbols and why they often stand the test of time. The true reason why religions use symbols so frequently is unknown, but Geertz provides a great place to start.

Images
Images used taken from Religious symbol at Wikimedia Commons