Coming Of Age Research Paper

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Coming of Age Rituals of Christianity and Judaism Coming of age is an important event in everyone’s life. After all, it is the transition from childhood to adulthood; when a boy becomes a man and a girl becomes a woman. Coming of age rituals take place all over the world and have been celebrated throughout history, however the age at which a child becomes an adult varies depending on the culture the child grows up in. There are religious coming of age rituals such as Christianity’s Confirmation, Judaism’s Bar/Bat Mitvah, Zulu’s Thomba ceremony, Hinduism’s Upanayana ceremony, Buddhism’s Shinbyu ceremony, etc. There are also cultural coming of age celebrations such as the North American Sweet 16 and the Latin American Quinceañera. There are also other “coming of age” events such as graduating college, being initiated into a Fraternity or Sorority, and achieving a black belt in karate. In this paper, the primary focus will be on Christianity’s Confirmation ritual and Judaism’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah ritual.…show more content…
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root [Catholics] more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate [Catholics] more firmly into Christ, strengthen [the] bond with the Church, associate [Catholics] more closely with her mission, and help [Catholics] bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds,” (Catholic Church 1316). In short, the purpose of receiving Confirmation is to officially receive the Holy Spirit and seal the covenant with the church. This covenant is a promise in which a confirmed Christian will carry out their duties as a church member towards God as outlined (Brown 1). It is the third of the three sacraments of initiation, completing a Catholic’s initiation into the

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