Week Reflection No.5

Sacred space. Now, this was not discussed in-depth since the first week of my reflections. I thought it was about time I returned back to it, to discuss my own opinions and values regarding sacred space.This week, in Study of Religion, we looked at the importance of our own values and it how it connects with not only our spirituality, but our sacred space as well. We were taken outside for roughly ten to fifteen minutes, where we sat in silence individually and relaxed in a sacred space, whilst contemplating on our relationship with our God and our spirituality as a whole.

A person reflecting in their own sacred space

I did my best to sit down in my own quiet and sacred area, being cautious not to be distracted by my friends or any other anomalies. The first thing I did for five minutes, when I sat down was look around, but without destroying my sacred space. I was surrounded by trees and shrubs, but I could also see the leaves on the lush grass. This gave me a peaceful feeling, and for the next five minutes I decided to close my eyes. I could faintly hear the birds chirping, the wind blowing, people chatting quietly in the distance - yet, it was still a sense of peace. After this, I began to finally reflect on the conventions of my spirituality - such as my morals, values and opinions. At this, I began to realise some of my values consisted of treating others as equals, being humble in all things, a healthy devotion to God and of course a cautious reading of the sacred text, or in other words the Bible. As a Christian, I still believe sacred space is very important to me, as it gets my bearings and allows me not only to pray to God more efficiently, but also understand where I am at with my spirituality.

A representation of spiritual enlightenment

I also was able to reflect back on my life's accomplishments, when I decided to become a Christian and the history of my journey with my spirituality. I realised it had been quite a rough one, and that it had never been an even line of "being a Christian all my life". However, now that I am one, I feel that I can value other things too such as generosity and faith. Another realization, when I was meditating in my sacred space, is that by following these values, it made me more happier and more fulfilled. Truly, I asked myself - why do I even have a religion? Why am I Christian? I realized it is because it helps paint a purpose in my life, and allows me to walk a path which teaches me ethics and moral codes which are essential to having a fruitful life, whilst connecting with God and thanking him for the fruit that he has grown in my life as well.

Week Reflection No.4

When we talk about religion, we also need to discuss the sacred and profane factors of it, and how they differ when compared. In this week's class of Study of Religion, we examined the sacred and profane and how it makes up religion. As a matter of fact, the sacred and profane does not only have to affiliate with religion, and it can be as simple as eating, because eating is a ritual. If we were to list the sacred and profane factors of eating, we could for example say that something sacred about eating is that it gives nutrients and fulfilment for your day, and on a profane factor, it can be addictive or sometimes unhealthy if done too frequently. 

Christian extremist 'Anders Breivik' displaying a manifesto only hours before his massacre

Therefore, if we are to discuss a prime example of the sacred and profane, compare the differences and similarities and then justify it in our topic, we can examine what has been happening in the media recently. The Norway massacre. Now, the Norway massacre itself is quite profane, whereas the prayer gathering afterwards was quite sacred. At the prayer gathering, religions of all kinds and denominations united and prayed together for the deceased, who were killed by a Christian extremist called Anders Breivik. A double bubble-map has been drawn up to illustrate the differences and similarities.

If you read carefully, clearly this diagram poses some issues. Yes, the profane and sacred differ quite greatly and are clear enough, however there are a few similarities. First, religious warfare. Religious warfare is certainly profane in any form, but can actually be considered sacred as well, as it is a devoted act in the name of God to do whatever is necessary. Sometimes, Muslims refer to this as what is called a "jihad" which means holy war. It is a holy war, because the enemies are considered infidels or oppositions to the God, and therefore his follower/s are compelled to do a violent act to quell this "threat" and preserve their religion. If we also look at religious pride, we understand that most people are religious are also proud of their God and what they stand for. The reason why this is both profane and sacred, is because it is the opposite of humility, but at the same time expresses a loving of their God. As for religious motive, this has somewhat already been discussed, but it is both sacred and profane because it is expressing "any action" through a means to be faithful to God.

The people of Norway mourn for the deceased in the previous massacre

As you can see, the sacred and profane illustrates some of the key factors of religion and spiritual events, but also poses controversial issues when they conflict.

Week Reflection No.3

The idea of worship is almost a key factor of the idea of "sacred space", which was mentioned in the first week of this blog. However, worship comes in many forms and varieties, and depending on the individual's personality, it is done very differently to the next person. In this week of Study of Religion, the class watched videos from the series called "Songs of Praise", which looked at a variety of religious worship styles, which very few of us had heard of before. An example was a Christian, who adopted "eastern meditation" into their doctrine and believed it had excellent enhancement to praying and being at one with God.

A woman meditating, with candles which suggests Christian doctrine.

Unfortunately, there are those, who are forced to do worship in a certain style, because they are either impaired or unable to leave their house to join religious communities and gatherings. A solution to this, is to use "worship DVDs" or videos to help that individual immerse themselves into what they believe is a sacred space, or to educate them about their own spirituality.

An old man enjoying television in the comfort of his own home

In a worship DVD, the screen is normally displayed with lyrics and a view of several singers. This also depends on what kind of song it is - whether it is a traditional Catholic hymn, or a Baptist Church piece with a whole band. Normally, the individual viewing the worship, will enjoy seeing the smiles upon the worshipper's faces, and even gestures which signify that they are truly immersed, and therefore the individual is compelled to join in as well. Examples of this are raising of hands, emotional voice and lyrics which the individual can relate to. I believe, that to an extent, the individual viewing the worship DVD may feel a peace and holiness in the room, but I firmly do not believe that it could be as ever of a sacred space as them simply praying quietly by themselves or with people present in the room. When an individual views something that which they enjoy, through a television, it becomes very virtual and sometimes not always that real, whereas in contrast if they are doing what they enjoy physically in the actual environment, then there is a far more empathetical effect.

A group of Christians, raising their hands in worship

Week Reflection No.2

Architecture, in all its brilliance and mystique, serves a much more deeper purpose then to simply be lived in, looked at and known about. It is a symbol, and most commonly a symbol of devotion, of passion and revolutionary milestones of humanity itself. "What does architecture have to do with religion at all?" I once asked this with a growing interest and curiosity of the truth. In this week of my "Study of Religion" class, I have examined several videos of Architecture, participated in activities and discussed via mouth and pen to what my opinions were on it. Through the week, we have looked at architectures such as Leshan Giant Buddha in China, Russian Cathedrals and the ancient anomaly of Great Britain - Stonehenge.

"Stonehenge", an ancient and sacred space, created over a number of ages in Old Britain

Although I have not had the pleasure of visiting it face-to-face myself, St. Peter's Basilica is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and revolutionary architectural designs that still stands today. A behemoth structure, standing one hundred and thirty eight metres, and spanning at a length of two hundred and twenty metres, decorated with renaissance patterns, illustrating a devotion to God and his holiness, St Peter's Basilica remains to be one of the most significant and sacred locations for Christianity. Not only is it a place of pilgrimage and worship, but is also the burial site of the apostle "Peter", whom is a significant follower of Jesus, depicted in the New Testament of the bible. Therefore, it is not only sacred to Christianity as a whole, but Catholicism in particular, since they place emphasis on the saints.

Crowds of tourists, exploring the halls of St Peter's Basilica

Among the ceilings and higher walls of the basilica, windows are placed intentionally, allowing rays of the sun to reflect through and into the halls of the building - and I have no doubt this is not only an addition to the beauty of this architectural brilliance, but also a symbolism that God watches over our world constantly, with a holy omnipotent stature. In fact, this very factor of the architecture may be referring to the verse in Matthew 5:14-16:
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Sun rays shining through the windows of St Peter's Basilica

As you can see, through the art depicted in the basilica, along with the architectural structure, such as the rays coming through the windows and the announced burial sight of a sacred prophet, St Peter's Basilica creates an extremely holy sacred space for Christians. And in fact, Christians can be excluded from the equation, because it is enough to say that a group of people whom are not Christian, may still walk into the Basilica and feel at peace, ultimately marvelling at the work which devotes itself to the divine power above, and through this curious and touching sacred space, feel compelled to pursue God himself.

A brief video, demonstrating the environment and awe of St Peter's Basilica

Week Reflection No.1

Religion. It surrounds all of us and has been around for almost longer then any of us can remember. Religion can be defined as a belief system which governs the individual's lifestyle, moral values, opinions, theology and overall usually provides an answer to the meaning of life, the creation of the universe and all the other anomalies that humanity has so desperately tried to nut out for a terribly long time. Therefore, because humanity is so diverse, with many different cultures, locations and civilisations, people came up with their own ideas and answers that they believed were the most efficient, logical and comfortable religions. As you can imagine, because of this, it became very difficult for everyone to agree on the same idea. In conclusion, religion is a fundamental aspect of life to a large percentage of the population, and therefore it's most certainly worth taking a few moments out of our lives to talk about it.

Michelangelo's "The Creation", illustrating mankind's desire to reach and connect with God

 That is why I am part of one of my most favourites classes, aptly titled "Study of Religion" and the term speaks for itself. In a bit more then two weeks, my class has covered the origins and basics of Buddhism, as well as discussing and examining the sacred spaces for most religions. Undoubtedly, the sacred space of a religion is extremely important and central to understanding the individual's preferences for his spirituality - from this we can understand that religion and religion as a whole.

A famous painting, illustrating Buddha's achievement of enlightenment

I, myself, am inclined to the beliefs and fundamental basics of Christianity, but I do indeed have cemented ideas of what my sacred space is, and many other Christians share my views as well. My idea of a sacred space is that it can be anywhere, granted that the environment is quiet, humble and comfortable. I also believe sacred space can be beautifully shared with a few friends. However, I do not believe sacred space is solely the Church building, for it has it's flaws. Sometimes, it can be distracting and does not allow the individual to fully focus with the divine in this kind of environment, especially when there are many people residing in the area, making noise. That is not to say that my view must be right, but it is the one that I am most certainly comfortable with. I would say the other half of Christians would disagree and most definitely consider the Church building  to be the top and most important sacred space. In the wider world, sacred space can go as far as a whole city or a large building. For example, many Muslims consider the city of Mecca a very important sacred space, as it was a central location to Muhammad's teachings. This is the same for Jews and Christians, who believe the same of Jerusalem, where Jesus resided for a number of years and taught some of his most important lessons. As for Buddhism, Lumbini is a sacred space, as it was Buddha's birthplace. However, sacred space is ultimately defined by the comfort, relevance of spirituality and tranquillity to the individual. The place that the individual can sit down, connect with their god and experience true enlightenment because of it - that is what sacred space is.

A short clip from the movie "Of Gods and Men", demonstrating sacred space