Cathedral and Mosque

6. Statement of Findings

6.1 St John’s Cathedral

6.1.1 Beliefs

Anglican beliefs are based on their sacred text, the Bible, which serves as a teacher and model. The Bible Anglicanism follows Christian tradtitions and beliefs, for example; One God, Jesus Christ, heaven and earth, the Holy Trinity (The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), the Virgin Mary etc. This is made apparent in their Apostle's Creed which states clear beliefs such as "I believe in God, the Father Almighty", " in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord", "born of the Virgin Mary", "suffered under Pontius Pilate" and "I believe in the Holy Spirit".

6.1.2 History and Design

The design of St John's Cathedral is based purely on the principle of "Nothing but the best for our God" which automatically explains the elaborate architecture. Centered in the middle of Brisbane, the cathedral foundations were laid in 1901 and was partly completed in 1968. The final stage of construction was not finished until 2006. The massive neo-gothic styled cathedral takes great pride in its apprearence. Its long yet narrow layout and seventeen metre high ceiling ignites a feeling of intamacy with our God. In the thirteenth-fourteenth century, there was no electricity and therefore many windows had situated throughout the buliding to let light in. Througout the ages, stained glass windows have been used as an artistic, beautiful and magnificant way of creating a source of light and telling stories through the pictures formed buy the coloured glass. The Cathedral is built from sandstone and is constructed in a basilica shape with large sandstone pillars setting out the nave.

6.1.3 Ritual and Rites of Passage

The Anglican religion has two main rituals/ rites of passage. These are the Holy Communion and Baptism. The Holy Communion is a ritual performed each mass to remind us of the life Jesus gave for us and give thanks. Communion uses the last supper as precedent, Blessing both wine and bread. . Baptism is a ritual that welcomes us into the Christian community, this is done by anointing the person with oil and/or immersing them in a baptismal font. Baptism washes away sin and cleanses in order to bring the person into the faith on a clean slate. Traditionally baptism takes place in childhood but exceptions can be made. Although these are the two main rituals of the Anglican faith, other traditions include marriage, as process in which a male and female are wed by a priest/celebrant, and funerals, a ritual contucted to celebrate ones life and give the chance for loved ones to say their final goodbyes.

6.2 Islamic Mosque

6.2.1 Beliefs

The Islamic belief is greatly devoted to mantaining a peacful lifestyle and serving their one God, whom in the Ismalic religion is reffered to as Allah. The Qur'an, their holy text, preaches the word of the prophet Muhammad who is believed to be the very last prophet Allah will send to this planet. Cleanliness is incredibly important in the Islamic society. They believe both the body and soul must be clean in order to serve and present ones self in front of Allah. Muslims pray five times throughout the day to connect with Allah in order to eventually join him until judgement day. There are many similarities when it comes to christian and islamic beliefs. There are a few major differences, for example; Unlike the christian belief, Muslims do believe Jesus existed but as an important prophet and not the son of god.

6.2.2 History and Design

The Holland Park Islamic Mosque is a built facility with certain unique characteristics for Muslim prayer, as well as an institution dedicated to maintaining community life. As a building, its primary role is to accommodate a congregation that performs its ritual prayers in formation. As an institution, it marks the sociocultural existence of a Muslim community, in this case, the community of Holland park. The Mosque was established in 1908 by Afghan and Indian Muslims. The design of the Mosque displays the traditional features such as the large dome in the roof, used to identify the Mosque easily amongst other reasons, the Mihrab, a niche in the wall that indicates the direction in which to pray and the Minbar, a platform placed beside the Mihrab.

6.2.3 Rituals, Rites of Passage

The oblution is a major ritual practiced/performed by Muslims before entering their sacred Mosques. It is believed in the Muslim faith that God likes cleansed people and so as a result they both spray themselves and bathe in perfumes to be assured that they are in an acceptable state for Allah. It is also important that the soul be cleansed too. They believe that the only way that this is possible is to ask for forgiveness during prayer. One of the more important rituals they practice is the five daily prayers; Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (noon), �Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset) and �Isha (evening). Every Muslim that has passed the age of puberty, must be dedicated to practicing the five prayers. If not, it is considered a grave sin. Ramadan is a ritual that takes place on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Known as the month of fasting, Ramadan is another important ritual practiced by Muslims worldwide. On the first of this month, they get up at dawn and eat a meal called the Suhoor and perform the Fajr. They then break the fast at Maghrib, the fourth prayer of the day. Due to health concerns, only the ill, pregnant women, the elderly and children under twelve are excused from this ritual. Another ritual that is performed in the Mosque is marriage and the Imam performs this.

7. Evaluations/Conclusion

7.1 Evaluation

The two places of