I have just read **Oct 15,2022 at 3:36** and it reminded me of oil I asked a priest to bless. He read the rite word for word except that he did not sprinkle it with holy water. Is it still as efficacious? Thank you. God bless!

I might be making much ado about nothing and/or being nit-picky. However, was it an accepted custom amongst the Ancient Israelites to name their children Ishmael? I'm asking because in 2 Kings 25:25-27 and the Book of Jeremiah, it mentions a person named Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family. > 25 But it came about > in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of > Elishama, of the royal [a]family, came [b]with ten men and struck > Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans > who were with him at Mizpah. - 2 Kings 25:25-27 (New American Standard Bible 1995) > 8 So they came to > Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and > Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of > Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the > son of the Maacathite, both they and their men. - Jeremiah 40:8 (New American Standard Bible 1995) However, is it strange for Ancient Israelite to name one of their children, Ishmael, which is a name usually associated with a quasi rival as Ishmael was an opponent of Isaac (one of the paternal ancestors of the Ancient Israelites)?

In Job 2:12, when Job's friends first see Job at a distance, they "did not recognize him, and they raised their voices, and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads." I know that tearing of one's clothes is a common mourning ritual as portrayed throughout the Bible, but is throwing dusts upon one's head as well? Where did the mourning ritual of throwing dusts on one's self originate? What is is symbolic of? What other accounts do we have in the Bible for it?

If I'm a Protestant, and ask a Catholic priest to come bless my home, does the Catholic Church allow him to?

I've noticed here and there the odd practice of inducing an **extreme, seizure-like bodily shaking** in oneself, which seems quite strange to me; it's not at all clear what the purpose is. Some people claim that it may have come from the Quakers, although Pentecostal's do it, and it occurs when the Holy Spirit fills the body . It also seems to be encouraged in some Evangelical circles, as it was explicitly said to be the force of the holy spirit in the movie *Jesus Camp* (2006). ## **What exactly is this practice called, and where did it come from?** I don't recall reading anything about it in the Bible. If you require an example, since I don't know what it's called I'm unable to find videos of it successfully on Google ("christian shaking" doesn't quite work), but what reminded me of it was the [few seconds of this clip](http://youtu.be/bFEoMO0pc7k?t=1m14s) of one of the "Sweet Brown" remixes.

We read in John 2 how Jesus performed his first miracle : > On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. In the same chapter, we see Jesus cleansing the Temple, not with water, but by driving out the undesirable elements (vs 13-16) . Going back to Cana, one feels that there was a reason for Jesus selecting the purification jars for turning them into wine-containers . He could have very well used the wine jars that had been emptied , but he didn't. My question therefore, is: What was the reason for Jesus choosing the purification jars for his miracle at Cana ? Inputs from any denomination are welcome.

In certain religions, women are considered as ritually impure during their menstrual cycles. They are asked not to participate in sacred rituals etc during those times. Is it the same in Christianity? Are menstruating women considered ritually impure in Christianity? Please cite from the Holy scriptures to prove your claims.

In my previous question https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/91868/what-denominations-practice-laying-on-of-hands-so-that-new-converts-may-receiv I asked for examples of denominations where ministers DO lay hands on people so that they may receive the Holy Ghost. **Question**: Are there any denominations that do NOT practice this? If so, how are new converts expected to receive the Holy Ghost in these denominations?

This question is inspired by examples in the book of Acts: > 14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them **that they would receive the Holy Spirit**. 16 (For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 **Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit**. 18 Now when Simon saw that **the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands**, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, **so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit**.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could **acquire the gift of God** with money! 21 You have no part or share in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart will be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of unrighteousness.” 24 But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:14-24 NASB) > Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “**Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed**?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 **And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them** and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19:1-7 NASB) > 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, **and after laying his hands on him** said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight **and be filled with the Holy Spirit**.” 18 And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened. (Acts 9:15-19 NASB) **Question**: What denominations practice "laying on of hands" so that new converts may receive the Holy Ghost, and what manifestations are usually expected when this happens? **Note**: By manifestations I mean anything along the lines of the examples I list in [my answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/91819/50422) to the question https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/16701/50422 . Alternatively, see appendix below. ___ **Appendix - Examples of manifestations I've compiled from Scripture** Intelligence, knowledge and wisdom: - and I have **filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship**, (Exodus 31:3 ESV) - and he has **filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship**, (Exodus 35:31 ESV) - Now Joshua son of Nun was **filled with the spirit of wisdom** because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses. (Deuteronomy 34:9 ESV) Power, boldness and authority: - But as for me, **I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might**, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. (Micah 3:8 ESV) - But **you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you**, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV) - Then **Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them**, “Rulers of the people and elders, (Acts 4:8 ESV) - And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, **and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness**. (Acts 4:31 ESV) - 9 But Saul, who was also called **Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him** 10 **and said**, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. (Acts 13:9-11 ESV) Joyful utterances: - 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. **And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit**, 42 **and she exclaimed with a loud cry**, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:41-45 ESV) - 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, **but be filled with the Spirit**, 19 **addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart**, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV) - What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; **I will sing praise with my spirit**, but I will sing with my mind also. (1 Corinthians 14:15 ESV) Prophecy, dreams & visions: - 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that **I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh**, **and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy**, **and your young men shall see visions**, **and your old men shall dream dreams**; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, **and they shall prophesy**. (Acts 2:17-18 ESV) - But he, **full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God**. (Acts 7:55 ESV) - And his father **Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied**, saying, (Luke 1:67 ESV) - Pursue love, **and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy**. (1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV) Tongues: - And they were all **filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues** as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4 ESV) - 44 While Peter was still saying these things, **the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word**. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, **because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles**. 46 **For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God**. (Acts 10:44-45 ESV) The fruit of the Spirit: - 22 **But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness**, 23 **gentleness, self-control**; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24 ESV)

I apologize if this question is not appropriate because I understand and I respect that the ordinances performed within the walls of LDS temples are sacred and holy and are not talked about. However, I know they are not secret (as there are open houses), so I'm not sure if asking about incense burning qualifies as an ordinance or not. If it is, please feel free to remain mum about it, but if it's permissible to talk about -- can an LDS member tell me if incense burning occurs in modern LDS temples akin to the Jerusalem Temple? Why or why not?

The Old Testament alludes to--and utterly condemns--the sacrifice of children and other condemnable pagan practices that were widespread among the Canaanite nations, for which God decided to punish them by taking their land away from them and handing it over to the nation of Israel. Below some passages that attest to this fact: Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (ESV): > 9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 **There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering**, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this. Leviticus 18:19-25 (ESV): > 19 “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. 20 And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor's wife and so make yourself unclean with her. 21 **You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech**, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion. > > 24 “**Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean**, 25 and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. Jeremiah 32:33-35 (ESV): > 33 They have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction. 34 They set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 35 **They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech**, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. Sacrificing innocent children is a horrendous and condemnable practice which is obviously wrong however one looks at it. However, I find the practice itself very mysterious and perplexing, as I'm having a hard time trying to wrap my head around the practice. My educated guess would be that Baal, Molech and other pagan deities were not mere imaginary entities, but actual, powerful demonic beings that are ranked very high in the demonic hierarchy of Satan's kingdom, and by sacrificing children as an offering to these deities, some underlying spiritual laws or principles are at play by which the demons are able to receive some benefit and the individuals sacrificing the children receive some benefit as well -- like some sort of macabre "win-win" contract between the demons and the humans performing the ritual. In other words, the sacrifice becomes a "key" in the spiritual realm to "unlock" benefits from demons, and the demons would gain something in return as well, although I have no clue as to what these "benefits" might be and why the sacrifice would be required in the first place. But again, these are just my own speculations, and I'm aware that I may be completely missing the mark on this. **Question**: What happens in the spirit realm during a ritual child sacrifice? Are there spiritual laws/principles that are tapped into when a ritual child sacrifice to Molech, Baal or any other pagan deity is performed? *Note: this is a topic that has me very puzzled, and I have no preference for any particular denomination on the matter. Therefore, answers from all denominational viewpoints are welcomed.*

In our daily living, the Church has given us a treasury of prayers from everything to blessings of various object such as holy water to exorcisms against the evil spirits that possess people. There is also a blessing **ad omnia**, for things not having a proper blessing unto themselves. I have been wondering through the Rituale Romanun the other day and caught myself thinking if it were liturgically permitted for a priest to pray the following prayer in order to put an end to the coronavirus within his region (diocese or city) with the bishops consent: **Benedictio Deprecatoris contra mures, locustas, bruchos, verities et alia animalia nociva** (page 396). This prayer is in fact a minor exorcism. In the Tridentine Rite a priest must have the permission of the local bishop to recite this prayer. In th Ordinary Form, I am not sure. An English version in the Ordinary Form also exists: **“Deprecatory Blessing Against Pests”** that can be prayed by a priest. So when the pests won’t seem to go away, call the exterminator … and the priest. > **Here is a spiritual way to drive out pests** > > There are times we need help from God to get rid of mice and rats, locusts, worms, rats, etc. A deprecatory prayer expresses to God –the Creator of all things– our negative or disapproval of one His guests. The prayer speaks for itself. It seems reasonable that this prayer could be used in this circumstance, since viruses can be considered to be a life form and thus a pest. > The origins of viruses are unclear: some may have evolved from plasmids, others from bacteria. Viruses are sometimes considered to be a life form, because they carry genetic material, reproduce and evolve through natural selection. - Viruses Are viruses liturgically speaking considered pests (*alia animalia nociva*)? My question remains thus: **Is it permitted for priests to pray this particular prayer to help stop the spread of the coronavirus?**

On Holy Thursday I watched a broadcast from the liturgy in a small religious community in Brasil. The liturgy was led by an elderly priest. Because of the pandemic, there were less than 12 persons to have their feet washed. A lay brother was doing footwashing and at the end, a girl who was helping was doing the footwashing to the brother who was washing the feet of everybody. Another year I saw another variation of feet washing ritual on Holy Thursday, whereas in very big congregation, about 60 lay brothers were washing the feet of all people participating in the liturgy. Did it go "too far" at some point or there is no law which would forbid such practices? Where the documents explaining the current position of The Catholic Church on this ritual are to be found?

From Wikipedia, matins : > Lutherans preserve recognizably traditional matins distinct from > morning prayer, but "matins" is sometimes used in other Protestant > denominations to describe any morning service. Assuming that the claim is true, what makes "morning prayer service" in the Lutheran church distinctly different from the matins? Perhaps, the matins has a particular structured order and is a specific form of the "morning prayer service"?

Did the 19th Century Anglican Church have exorcism rituals? I can't see any in the Book of Common Prayer. Is there somewhere else they might be? I heard somewhere that only bishops could perform exorcisms in that era, but I've seen no firm evidence of that and nor can I find the rituals or prayers they would have used.

Even though only priests were allowed into the Temple in the Old Testament, all of the ceremonies and furnishings were described in great detail in the Old Testament for anyone, Jew or Gentile alike, to read and understand. However the details of Mormon Temple Ceremonies are kept secret, and, in fact, non-Mormons are prevented from even entering Mormon Temples. The LDS website says > You can talk about what the interior of the temple looks like, and you can freely share the feelings you have in the temple. However, temple covenants and ordinances, including the words used, are too sacred to be discussed in detail outside the temple. By avoiding discussion of these sacred things outside the temple, we protect them from mocking, ridicule, or disrespect. Do not be casual when talking about your experiences in the temple. ([lds.org](https://www.lds.org/liahona/2010/10/commonly-asked-questions?lang=eng)) What is the reason for keep the ceremonies secret? Why are they considered 'too sacred'?

I am aware that some, but certainly not all, Protestant denominations employ the practice of foot washing in their services. I understand that this is based on John 13, where Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. However, how and why did this practice become adopted as a literal practice rather than a general principle? What is the origin of this practice in churches? Does it predate the Reformation or was it practiced before that in either the Orthodox and/or Catholic church? What denominations employ this practice today?

There has been a long standing association between ashes and repentance within Christianity stretching all the way back to Tertullian not to mention various grief filled moments of repentance found in the Old Testament. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent a period of fasting, inner reflection and repentance within the church calendar. For a long time (until about the 8th century), however, the practice of sprinkling ashes or applying an ashen cross to the forehead as a mark of repentance was not used on the first day of lent. Why did this change? Was it a cultural shift? Was it an idea from the papacy or other church authority? Where did this particular practice come from? In essence then what is the origin of the Ash Wednesday ritual traditions?

Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, goes into great detail about the specific ways of doing certain worship-related things. For example, The ordination of Aaron is a highly ritualized procedure. The sacrifices are each a little different and are laid out as detailed rituals performed by priest and worshiper. Even the camp around the tabernacle was highly organized and only set out when the trumpets were blown a certain way. Given the ceremonial aspect of all the rituals laid out in the Sinaitic law, the specific guidelines for priests and sacrifices, and the ceremonial and symbolic nature of communion and baptism, is there any biblical basis for rejecting ceremony and ritual? In the worship service, this would be a question for non-liturgical churches. For things like weddings and the like, please give biblical support for why the ceremony or ritual of the wedding service itself would be considered unnecessary.

The Unitarian Universalist church is living proof that there is some sort of naming component in the child dedication/baptism ceremony in traditional Christian churches. How is the Christian name assigned? By the priest or the child's family? What is the difference between the "Christian name" and the "baptismal name" and the "confirmation name"? And what is the significance of each name?