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Turkey
Religion
The history of the major religions is inextricably mixed with
the history of Anatolia. Both have developed and advanced
together. Early Paganistic ritual slowly gave way to
Christianity, only to be replaced by the Islamic faith of
the invading Selcuks. The legacy of this religious past
is scattered throughout Anatolia, from the ruins of
temples dedicated to Zeus and Athena to the Mevlana
Tekkesi of Konya. Turkey is visited by thousands of
religious pilgrims from all corners of the world every
year, and they are all welcomed in the tradition of
Celaleddin Rumi, who wrote:
Come, come again, come! Infidel, fire-worshipper, pagan,
Whoever you are, however often you have sinned, Come!
Our gates are not the gates of hopelessness. Whatever
your condition, Come!
Christianity
The First Christians
Anatolia, often labeled the cradle of civilization, can
without exaggeration also be titled the cradle of
Christianity. It was in Antioch that followers of Jesus
Christ were first called Christians by their Roman
rulers, and the Armenians, Assyrians and Aramaic-speaking
Suryanis of eastern Anatolia were among the first
non-Jews to adopt the new religion. The Armenians,
converted by St. Gregory the Illuminator, became the
first nation to accept Christianity as the state
religion. St. Paul, a native of Tarsus, took advantage of
the excellent Roman road system to travel three times
through southern and western Anatolia, preaching and
converting as he went. He also lived for over two years
at Ephesus. Many of his epistles are addressed to the
peoples of Anatolia; the Cappadocians, the Ephesians, the
Galatians, etc. John, Philip, Barnabus and Peter also
proselytised in Anatolia. John's Book of Revelation was
written while in exile on the island of Patmos, and was
addressed to the seven churches of Asia Minor -- Laodicea
(near Pamukkale), Sardis (east of Izmir), Philadelphia
,(Alasehir), Thyatira (Akhisar), Ephesus, Smyrna(Izmir),
and Pergamum (Bergama).
The Byzantine Empire
For two centuries the Roman authorities fought the rising
spread of Christianity with persecution and terror. The
turnabout came when Constantine the Great embraced
Christianity and in 330 AD dedicated Constantinople the
new capital of the Roman Empire, thus establishing the
Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, which was to last for
well over a thousand years until it was conquered by the
Ottoman army. With the seat of Christianity located at
Constantinople, believers set about stamping out all
remaining traces of Paganism. Monasticism and ascetism
emerged in the fourth and fifth centuries, and became
very influential. In Antioch the anchorites demonstrated
their piety by living on pillars, while the dendrites
lived in trees. In 537, Justinian I built the cathedral
of St. Sophia, an architectural masterpiece and the
greatest legacy of the Byzantine Empire.
The early Church was plagued by deep-rooted doctrinal and
theological disputes, the most contentious of which was
the true nature of Jesus Christ; man, God or both at
once. In an effort to solve these differences and define
the doctrinal faith of the Christian Church, seven
Ecumenical Councils were held. These Councils, convened
by the Emperor, excited much public interest and
speculation. The First Ecumenical Council took place in
Nicaea (now Iznik) in 325 AD, and drew up a declaration
of faith, the Nicaean Creed, which is still used today.
At the second Council Emperor Theodosius declared
Christianity the official religion of the Empire.
Subsequent Councils, held in Ephesus and Constantinople,
debated the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the human
versus the divine nature of Christ and the function of
icons in worship. The fourth Council resolved that Christ
was ‘truly God, truly man’ in one being, but the Armenian
and Syrian Orthodox refused to accept this, stressing
Christ’s single Godlike nature, and did not take part in
subsequent Councils. In 1054 a schism took place between
the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches which
was both theological and political. Pope Leo IX and
Patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated each other.
These orders remained in effect until they were annulled
in 1965.
In 1095 Pope Urban called for a holy war against the
'infidel' Selcuks who had taken Jerusalem in 1071, thus
launching the Crusades; Christian wars with motives as
much political and materialistic as spiritual. The first
four Crusades were fought partly on the lands of Asia
Minor. Following successful campaigns in Anatolia, the
Crusaders built a chain of castles along the southwestern
coast, the ruins of which can still be seen today. In
1204 the declining Constantinople was sacked by the
Crusaders who ruled for sixty years before the Byzantines
retook it. The Catholic Community in Turkey dates back to
the Crusades and to expatriate settlers who came since
for diplomatic or commercial purposes. Similarly there
have been small Protestant and Anglican Communities in
Turkey since the nineteenth century.
Islam
Islam, which means submission to God, developed from the
divine revelations made to the ProphetMuhammad (570-632
AD). Muhammad was born into the Kuraish tribe in Mecca
and God's revelations to him were recorded in the 114
suras (chapters) and 6,236 ayets (verses) of the Koran.
It provides the basis for legal and judicial systems and
prescribes a pattern of daily individual and community
living. Supplementing the Koran is the Sunna, which
developed from the traditions, moral sayings and parables
of Muhammad (Hadis), and on which much of Islamic common
law is based.
The nomadic Central Asian tribes were converted from
the Shamanism of their ancestors to Islam by the Arabs of
Persia. The Selcuks were responsible for converting large
numbers of the native peoples of Anatolia. Today,
although modern Turkey is a secular republic, Islam is
the religion of 98% of the population of Turkey.
The main division in Islam is between Sunni and Shiite
Muslims. The Shiites believe that Ali,Mohammed's cousin
and son-in-law, and his successors were divinely ordained
caliphs. Although they believe in the Prophet Muhammad
and the Koran, their religious practice varies
substantially from that of the Sunnis. The majority of
Muslims in Iran and Southern Iraq are Shiite. In Turkey,
the majority are Sunni.
Religious Beliefs
Acceptance of monotheism is the most important facet of
Islam. God is One; omnipresent and omnipotent, pervading
all aspects of life. Muhammad stressed God's
everlastingness, as well as his loving, bountiful and
forgiving nature. God had ninety nine names, reflecting
his many attributes.
On the Day of Judgement each individual's faith and deeds
will be weighed and one will either enter paradise - a
beautiful garden full of heavenly food, drink and
beautiful women - or be cast into the fires of hell along
with the faithless and the greedy. Martyrs for the faith
do not wait for Judgement Day but enter paradise
immediately.
Heaven and earth are populated with invisible spirits
known as jinn, who serve as God's messengers and record
one's deeds. Rebellious jinn are devils, who seduce
people into evil ways.
Muslims believe that God sent many human messengers to
teach the world His ways, including Adam, Noah, Abraham,
Moses and Jesus. Muhammad was the last and greatest of
these.
Religious Duties
These duties are termed the five pillars of Islam. The first
is to profess the Kelime-i Sehadet, the Muslim creed of
belief: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his
prophet". The second is prayer in the direction of Mecca
(namaz). Five times each day the muezzin issues the Call
to Prayer (ezan) from the minaret of every mosque with
the words Allahuekber, or God is incomparable. The third
is alms (zekat); every Muslim is expected to give
generously of his earnings. The fourth requirement is
fasting from sunrise to sunset for the holy month of
Ramazan (oruc), and fifth is the pilgrimage (hac) to
Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
order, men and women gather together in their place of
worship, called a Cem evi, and during prayer face each
other rather than Mecca, using Turkish rather than
Arabic. They fast for three days in Muharrem instead of
for the month of Ramazan.
Sufism
Within Islam, particularly from the eight century onwards,
there was a strong ascetic, mystic movement, known as
Sufism. This was made up of religious communities or
brotherhoods (tarikat), usually founded by a charismatic
sufi or dervish and led by a sheik. The rituals of such
brotherhoods were strongly influenced by pre-Islamic and
eastern occult practices and beliefs. These mystics
desired to know, love and be in complete union with God.
They were largely responsible for the early spread and
popularization of Islam. Under the Ottomans they lived in
tekkes or lodges, which were similar in nature to
monasteries, and lived off alms. Two important Sufi
brotherhoods were founded in Turkey.
The Bektasi order of dervishes was founded in the 13th
century by a philosopher named Haci Bektas Veli (1209 -
1271). Their annual feast day is held on the fourteenth
of August in Hacibektas, near Kayseri, and is attended by
hundreds of thousands from all over Turkey. Accepting Ali
as the legitimate imam (leader) this sect appeals to
Alevis. It is a liberal, tolerant sect among whose
unorthodox practices are allowing the drinking of wine
and women leaving the house uncovered - Haci Bektas
pronounced that "a nation which does not educate its
women cannot progress". Bektasi dervishes were largely
responsible for the conversion of the Christian
inhabitants of Anatolia to Islam. The Ottoman Janissary
Corp, Christian converts and the most powerful soldiers
in the Ottoman Empire, were mostly Bektasi. When they
became too powerful, both the order and the janissaries
were abolished in 1826. The order revived at the turn of
the century only to be banned along with other orders by
Ataturk in 1925.
Mevlana
Founded in Konya by the mystic and poet Mevlana Celaleddin
Rumi (1207 - 1273) this sect influenced Islamic thought
throughout the Middle East. Rumi was an accomplished poet
whose long work of poetry The Masnawi is regarded as a
masterpiece of Persian literature. It is often called the
Divan of Shams-i-Tabriz after the wandering dervish who
was Rumi's inspiration and spiritual companion. During
the Mevlana service, known as a sema, the dervishes wear
a full-length white flowing gown, which swirls as they
perform their distinctive whirling dance, accompanied by
the
plaintive strains of the ney. December 17th, the
anniversary of Mevlana's death, is especially celebrated.
Although they were closed by Ataturk, they continue to
perform the sema on special days, and their tekkes are
designated folkloric venues, where foreigners are welcome
to come and watch. Especially recommended is Fatih Tekke
in Istanbul, where the sema is performed every Monday. |
