About 70% of the human body is made up of water. The average human being can only live without water for about 3 to 5 days. Nothing can exist without water, water is the source of life. Mircea Eliade (1996) states: “Water symbolized the potentiality of the who; is “fons et origo”, the source of all things and all existence (p.188). So it makes sense that water plays such an important role in religion. Although the Islamic, Judaic, Hindu, and Zoroastrian religions may all be different, they all practice rituals related to water. Despite their differences, they all believe that water is important, these religions believe that water has the power to purify the soul. Eliade (1996) states: “All contact with water implies regeneration: first because dissolution is followed by a “new birth”, and then because immersion fertilizes, increases the potential for life and creation” (p.189). Water is important because it removes the old to create something new. If something becomes dirty the most logical thing to do is to clean it, the same goes for the soul. Water has the power to erase old life. Eliade (1996) writes that “purification by water has the same effect: in water everything is “dissolved”, all “form” is broken, everything that has happened ceases to exist; nothing of what was before remains after immersion in water, neither a sketch, nor a “sign”, nor an “event” (p. 194). In most religions, one must immerse oneself in water to benefit from all the benefits that water can provide. Immersion in water would mean any contact with water; this does not always mean total immersion. Eliade (1996) states that "Immersion in water symbolized a return to the pre-formal, a total regeneration, a new birth, because immersion signifies a dissolution of the middle of the paper......fires, plants and foods were to be placed in pairs” (Zoroastrianism section, para.5). Despite their differences, these religions believe that water is very powerful. Pure water has the power to create new life. Water has the ability to make those who were impure pure. Water is the source of all life and the beginning of a new life for those who were considered impure. Works Cited Abrams, P. (January 1, 2001). The Water page - Water in religion. The Water page - Water in religion. Retrieved April 1, 2014Eliade, M. and Sheed, R. (1998). Models of Comparative Religion (ed.). New York: Sheed & Ward. Esposito, J. (nd). Ablution. In The Islamic World: Past and Present. Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Retrieved March 20, 2014Mr. Berenbaum and F. Skolnik (eds.), (2007). Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from