Is a small wood's clearing with a consecrated circle & worshippers as holy & beautiful as a Great Cathedral?

Question

Why or Why not?

Answer 1

Yes I would have to say so.

I have had increadibly close spiritual experiences in the most out of the way places, including in nature. One of the best was floating on a little beach in Lausanne, Switzerland. There was something about the air and the sky that were magnificant. Then a rainbow appeared. I carry that picture of God around all the time.

I had a wonderful experience in the tabernacle on Martha's Vineyard. This is run by the United Methodists. The location, the literagy and the people there all seemed to mesh together to provide a powerful experience.

I have sung in cathedral services the world over. The aesthetic is very beautiful and worship goes off without a hitch. I like to study faces. The expressions and attitudes of people going to these types of services is very different than the previous ones - and not just because of what my mum calls 'social strata'.

There's something missing in those services - something wonderful and magical. I would have thought it would be easier to capture it in such magnificant surroundings but it seems like that is not the case.

Answer 2

As holy? Well that depends on the religion that is viewing it.

As beautiful? Possibly, but usually not.

One should remember, a Cathedral is usually quite natural; they are built to take advantage of the forces nature has put into place. Arches cause gravity to keep the building up rather than causing it to fall, stained glass windows use the sun's own light and naturally occurring frequencies in order to produce spectacular visual displays that a leafy canopy can approach but seldom surpass. The stones are from the very earth itself and often are worked to represent natural occurring forms. Often, the entirety of a Cathedral is designed specifically to turn your thoughts from the material to the spiritual.

A small wood clearing might be a testament to nature, but a cathedral is a testament to humans working in conjunction with creation.

A cathedral is also a sign of devotion. Of course a small wood clearing would be enough to worship, and of course a Great Cathedral doesn't come close to matching up with what the divine deserves, but it is humans doing their best, and giving their best, for the divine.

Look at it this way, your child gives you a drawing. On one hand, the child could have made the drawing in a few seconds and it would have been simplistic in nature. On the other hand, the child could have put all of its effort into the drawing, making it as beautiful as possible. They're both drawings, but one shows love through effort.

Answer 3

Good question. I'd have to say they're equally beautiful, and equally worthy of being used as a place of worship--on one hand, Nature can't make a cathedral; on the other, man can't build a tree (let alone a forest).

As for being holy...I'm not the religious type, so hard to say...but I don't see why they shouldn't be equal.

Answer 4

Perhaps. It depends on the people participating, rather than the setting itself. The beauty and power of religion is brought out when true believers come together to worship God and support eachother in love and kindness. Perhaps this can be found in a great cathedral, but a large church is more prone to be impersonal. Perhaps this can happen in a small circle, but a small group is more prone to the temptation of one person or a small group of people trying to control the rest. At least this is my experience from attending both large and small churches

My best religious experiences have been at camp (Kanakuk), where me and a group of guys and girls spent lots of time together and really grew close to eachother. We could open up and share our troubles and our triumphs. Being the same age and having similar experiences helped as well.

So in conclusion, (and I mean no disrespect) I think your question has the wrong focus. Its not the setting that makes a place of worship beautiful. It's the mindset of the people there: a true desire to seek out and grow close to God and the drive to help others do the same.

Answer 5

Absolutely,

You could say that you were worshiping in a "church not made by hands" -- at least human hands.

Many Pagan religions honor the spirits found in nature, the Dryads, Oreads, Neirids and Oceanids are just a few of the types of nymphs that the Hellenic religion acknowledges....

How about a Nymph-nic (picnic with the Nymphs) as a ritual? I know people who have done it with great success

Answer 6

A wooded clearing is at anytime as good or better than a building, not to belittle the jewels of architecture, glasswork, & statuary! The fundamental thing, I believe, is the spiritual integrity of those participating.

Answer 7

Yes it is! Actually more so to me because no one can create as beautifully as mother nature. I can appreciate the great cathedrals easily but nature is much better.

Answer 8

Yes. And those that worship in those "Great Cathedrals" will tell you that Jesus shunned those houses and worshiped outside with others quite often.

Answer 9

It is as holy and beautiful, and even moreso. i worship nature and the earth. You cannot truly connect inside any structure. Sometimes it's a necessity (nosey neighbors), but it feels less.

Answer 10

Sounds like my kind of church. I also enjoy "sermons" received from "god" and nature while walking through the woods, by a stream or along our rocky beaches.