Hanscom - Liminality

              In class, we discussed the liminality one experiences during a rite of passage. Liminal space is this in-between, grey area where one has departed from their past role/identity and is going through the process of being initiated into another position or identity. In the book The Ritual Process, Turner writes about how liminality during rites of passage for the Kanongesha of the Ndembu can be likened to death. I believe imagery of death abounds in rituals performed during the liminal phase of the rite of passage because the "old" person is essential dying, and the new is being birthed. I find this imagery to be fascinating because it is a concept adopted by so many different cultures in many different ways.
              We were encouraged in class to discuss rites of passage we believe our culture practices. As a Christian, I immediately thought of baptism as a rite of passage because I believe the occasion itself bears much significance in a believer's conversion story. Baptism is symbolic of the believer dying with Christ as they are dunked under the water, and are brought back up through the water into the new life that Christ has provided for us. The symbol of Christ's death is important in the process of baptism because it signifies that the believer has left behind their life of sin and taking on a new life with Christ as their Savior and Lord.
               I also really liked how Turner discusses the idea of liminality drawing people closer together. This idea of "communitas" or "community" is about common or shared experience that causes strong comradeship to form between people who goes through liminality together. Communitas is not necessarily about forming close bonds with the people that you share a living space with, like roommates or family members. It's the process of going through a journal that involves liminal space that draws people together, creating common ground for everyone to relate to each other.
             I would say that the process of deciding to become baptized, preparing for the event, and then being baptized could be a liminal space. The event of a baptism brings many people together, creating "communitas" or "community" within the church.

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