I've actually never seen drinking wine from one cup except once; I'm Protestant and in my fifties. This has already gone by the wayside in most places.

So most Presbyterian and Methodist churches don't do this anyhow. And some now have gluten free communion. One Lutheran Church had the shared cup, but also had small individual cups available; only the oldest members were drinking from the shared cup.

My last Presbyterian Church (not here) actually had already gone through not having hymnals, and projecting the hymns and readings, back to using the printed hymnals and bulletins again. There were so many IT people attending who didn't want to deal with screens for Sunday.

I wish modern churches would bring back meditative prayer and chanting to a greater extent. And mix up singing and use older styles... medieval, Gregorian, etc... along with modern music.

I want to go to a church where you deep your hands in the holly water. PP's auto correct was poetic.

OP's subject heading sounded more interesting that it turned out to be. Religious rituals that are health hazards would sum it up I think.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What rituals in what religion do you feel could be modified in modern times
when there is so much science that shows that some practices can
be in some way disadvantageous to the very religious community
and the society as a whole?

One that I can think of is shaking hands in churches.
Another I can think of and I can never get over it is drinking wine
by the entire church gathering from one cup.
Another is spreading smelly incents in temples that
cause lung irritations..

God only knows, literally.. what are people spreading and how far.

Incense was originally used to freshen the air in churches where unbathed people congregated.

Most probably. Also it is possible that the smoke could work as an air disinfectant.
However nowadays it is more of an irritant then anything else.

OMG! The ignorance!

The use of incense in religious rituals far predates Christianity and even Judaism. It was used in many faiths around the world as an offering (since it was costly) and metaphorically, the smoke was seen as carrying prayers to the deities. Even religions that worshipped out doors used incense. And this has been done in cultures with far better hygiene that medieval Europeans.

Wikipedia on Incense: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_use_of_incense

Thanks, but they won’t read it. They’d rather believe it’s just used to cover up Christian serfs’ b.o. Why allow historical facts get in the way of one more reason to mock religion.

Deeping the hands in the holly water.. ?
The whole congregation upon entering and exiting church?
That used to be a thing, is it gone? Is it still on, if so..
how is that safe?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What rituals in what religion do you feel could be modified in modern times
when there is so much science that shows that some practices can
be in some way disadvantageous to the very religious community
and the society as a whole?

One that I can think of is shaking hands in churches.
Another I can think of and I can never get over it is drinking wine
by the entire church gathering from one cup.
Another is spreading smelly incents in temples that
cause lung irritations..

God only knows, literally.. what are people spreading and how far.

Incense was originally used to freshen the air in churches where unbathed people congregated.

Most probably. Also it is possible that the smoke could work as an air disinfectant.
However nowadays it is more of an irritant then anything else.

OMG! The ignorance!

The use of incense in religious rituals far predates Christianity and even Judaism. It was used in many faiths around the world as an offering (since it was costly) and metaphorically, the smoke was seen as carrying prayers to the deities. Even religions that worshipped out doors used incense. And this has been done in cultures with far better hygiene that medieval Europeans.

No, nobody questions that but did you ever wonder why? Go deeper.. people did not wash, diseases were rampant..
there is definitely some element of air cleaning in addition to the obvious. You are looking at the obvious.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What rituals in what religion do you feel could be modified in modern times
when there is so much science that shows that some practices can
be in some way disadvantageous to the very religious community
and the society as a whole?

One that I can think of is shaking hands in churches.
Another I can think of and I can never get over it is drinking wine
by the entire church gathering from one cup.
Another is spreading smelly incents in temples that
cause lung irritations..

God only knows, literally.. what are people spreading and how far.

Incense was originally used to freshen the air in churches where unbathed people congregated.

Most probably. Also it is possible that the smoke could work as an air disinfectant.
However nowadays it is more of an irritant then anything else.

OMG! The ignorance!

The use of incense in religious rituals far predates Christianity and even Judaism. It was used in many faiths around the world as an offering (since it was costly) and metaphorically, the smoke was seen as carrying prayers to the deities. Even religions that worshipped out doors used incense. And this has been done in cultures with far better hygiene that medieval Europeans.

Wikipedia on Incense: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_use_of_incense

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What rituals in what religion do you feel could be modified in modern times
when there is so much science that shows that some practices can
be in some way disadvantageous to the very religious community
and the society as a whole?

One that I can think of is shaking hands in churches.
Another I can think of and I can never get over it is drinking wine
by the entire church gathering from one cup.
Another is spreading smelly incents in temples that
cause lung irritations..

God only knows, literally.. what are people spreading and how far.

Incense was originally used to freshen the air in churches where unbathed people congregated.

Most probably. Also it is possible that the smoke could work as an air disinfectant.
However nowadays it is more of an irritant then anything else.

OMG! The ignorance!

The use of incense in religious rituals far predates Christianity and even Judaism. It was used in many faiths around the world as an offering (since it was costly) and metaphorically, the smoke was seen as carrying prayers to the deities. Even religions that worshipped out doors used incense. And this has been done in cultures with far better hygiene that medieval Europeans.

I encountered the wine from one cup for the first time at a baptism last month. A sea of white and grey hair all around during cold and flu season.

Growing up in a midwest Lutheran church, we had teeny little glasses for communion wine.


But I though OP had things like menstrual huts in mind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While some places of worship have crying room for babies and kids to watch the
service from behind the glass windows, it would be great to have "coughing" rooms
for people who came sick or half sick as some worshipers consider
going to the church at all kinds of health condition to be a noble thing..
so they could go there and keep the rest of the community safe
from whatever they can communicate disease-wise.

That's not a ritual.

But it is modification of the ritual of everyone being together in the main part of the church.

Anonymous wrote:While some places of worship have crying room for babies and kids to watch the
service from behind the glass windows, it would be great to have "coughing" rooms
for people who came sick or half sick as some worshipers consider
going to the church at all kinds of health condition to be a noble thing..
so they could go there and keep the rest of the community safe
from whatever they can communicate disease-wise.

That's not a ritual.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What rituals in what religion do you feel could be modified in modern times
when there is so much science that shows that some practices can
be in some way disadvantageous to the very religious community
and the society as a whole?

One that I can think of is shaking hands in churches.
Another I can think of and I can never get over it is drinking wine
by the entire church gathering from one cup.
Another is spreading smelly incents in temples that
cause lung irritations..

God only knows, literally.. what are people spreading and how far.

Incense was originally used to freshen the air in churches where unbathed people congregated.

Most probably. Also it is possible that the smoke could work as an air disinfectant.
However nowadays it is more of an irritant then anything else.

Anonymous wrote:What rituals in what religion do you feel could be modified in modern times
when there is so much science that shows that some practices can
be in some way disadvantageous to the very religious community
and the society as a whole?

One that I can think of is shaking hands in churches.
Another I can think of and I can never get over it is drinking wine
by the entire church gathering from one cup.
Another is spreading smelly incents in temples that
cause lung irritations..

God only knows, literally.. what are people spreading and how far.

Incense was originally used to freshen the air in churches where unbathed people congregated.

While some places of worship have crying room for babies and kids to watch the
service from behind the glass windows, it would be great to have "coughing" rooms
for people who came sick or half sick as some worshipers consider
going to the church at all kinds of health condition to be a noble thing..
so they could go there and keep the rest of the community safe
from whatever they can communicate disease-wise.

What rituals in what religion do you feel could be modified in modern times
when there is so much science that shows that some practices can
be in some way disadvantageous to the very religious community
and the society as a whole?

One that I can think of is shaking hands in churches.
Another I can think of and I can never get over it is drinking wine
by the entire church gathering from one cup.
Another is spreading smelly incents in temples that
cause lung irritations..

God only knows, literally.. what are people spreading and how far.