Religious significance of water

Civilizations rose and others fell, different social orders and different beliefs steered humans’ activities and attitude towards life. For most, religious teachings and preaching is a constitution practiced to control and manage life intertwining with everyday activities. Rules and regulations, checks and balances are vital elements to help apply such teachings and keep humanity from falling into turmoil and chaos. How significant is water to our beliefs? What are our books telling us about this subject? The importance of water and the sustenance of its purity could be largely addressed to the public through the preaching of their beliefs. All three major religions, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism have all elaborated on the subject. Each religion has mentioned water in a distinctive manner, some as part of practice, all as a purifier, and some used for cleaning certain parts of the body before worshiping. Hinduism and Shinto are also water-oriented faiths where water has its role to play in performing rituals. The fact that water is used by most religions prior to practicing or worshiping for cleaning purposes makes lots of sense. Water is the Universal solvent, which could clean anything by absorbing the unwanted material then disposing it away, hence purifying our bodies and that is what a prayer does to the soul, cleaning it from sins. The importance of preserving it is something that is extremely important for preachers to teach and address in their ceremonies. Religious authorities must emphasize upon the subjugation of human cruelty towards using it and exploiting it periodically. However, the religious perception of water and its use is extensive and worth exploring in more depth.