In worship everything is concentrated on God, and in this atmosphere believers feel closer to God. Different forms of worship and the ceremonies within religions have different atmospheres -- they may be calm and reflective or full of energy and noise -- but believers feel God can be revealed in all these different forms of worship.

CHRISTIANITY

One of the central ways in which Christians worship is through the communion service. During this service they all share in the sacraments -- the bread and wine. This is a reminder to Christians of the Last Supper, when Jesus ate with his disciples for the last time, before he was arrested and put to death. Christians share bread and wine just as Jesus did with his disciples and through this they feel part of the last supper. Christians believe that Jesus is present with them when they take part in the sacraments, just as he was with his disciples. Therefore, God is revealing himself through the sacraments.

The Quakers, who are a group of Christians, do not have a communion service. They worship by coming together and concentrating on God in silence. They try to empty their head of all other thoughts so that it can be completely filled by God. They believe that God fills them with the Holy Spirit -- the aspect of God that can be present in human beings. When any of them feels moved by God to speak, they stand up and share their experience and joy with the others. In this way they feel God reveals himself to them.

After Jesus was put to death , Christians believe he rose again -- that he resurrected -- and that he then appeared to the disciples over a period of forty days. He was then taken up to heaven, and seven days later the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

_{(Acts 2:2-4)}

Christians believe that a person can be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and so to have the Holy Spirit within them is to have God resident within their bodies. There are many different ways in which a Christian can experience the Holy spirit within them. It may be an increasing sense of love, serenity or joy. Sometimes the reactions of people are actually visible to others -- they may laugh, cry, faint or speak in tongues. Whatever the reaction, Christians believe they have felt God and in this way part of him has been revealed to them.

In the Evangelical branches of Christianity in particular, the outward signs of the Holy Spirit are often seen in people during services. Occasionally, there is a particular trend for these events to occur. Such a trend began in Canada in 1994 and is called the Toronto blessing. Whole groups of people began to be affected by the Holy Spirit during services. Christians from all areas of the world came to visit Toronto and some of those affected went to other countries to share their experiences, and the phenomenon spread worldwide. The believers thought that it was the beginning of a revival in Christianity.

It is difficult to explain why such events occur. It could be the result of mass hysteria, and not be caused by God at all. However, the believers are fully convinced that God reveals himself to them through such events and they are left with a sense of comfort and love, and stronger faith.

ISLAM

Much Islamic worship involves praying to God. Muslims do this by using a special sequence of movements which symbolize their submission to God and their openness to hear God. They try to empty their minds to allow themselves to be open to God. They believe that God reveals himself to them through this prayer. They achieve a sense of stillness and peace and a more acute sense of God's presence.

The highest form of worship in Islam is performing the Hajj. This is a pilgrimage to Makkah, the place of Muhammad's birth. During this pilgrimage, Muslims separate themselves completely from all worldly activities.

Huge numbers of Muslims perform the Hajj between 8 and 13 Dhu'Hijjah (the twelfth month). With so many believers together, the atmosphere is charged with a feeling of God's presence. The pilgrim lives and moves entirely for God. Muslims who have performed the Hajj feel that they have drawn closer to God and experienced his presence.

Every Muslim tries to perform Hajji at least once in their lifetime. Pilgrims from all over the world and social classes go to Makkah as equals before God.

HINDUISM

Hindus have many statues depicting God. They illustrate different gods which are really aspects of one God. They believe that the spirit of God - Darshan - is within each statue. During worship, a bell is rung which wakes up the spirit of God within the statue and as the worshippers fix their gaze on the statue they believe that they are experiencing the presence of God.

The climax of worship is always the arti ceremony. The leader of the worship has a dish on which there are five lighted candles. The lights are moved in a circular motion before the images of God. The worshippers pass their hands over the flames and then over their heads, and they believe that through this they are receiving the spirit and blessing of God. So God is revealed to them through this act of worship.

Choose a non-Christian religious group and research its forms of worship. Include how they worship in private and corporately. Include photographs and describe a typical worship service that worshippers in your chosen group partake in. Describe the roles of both the leaders and the followers in your chosen religious group. Your research should be about 600 words long.