Olivia Strittmatter - Landscapes of the Sacred

 Blog Post 8 - Landscapes of the Sacred


This post is going to be about chapter one of Landscapes of the Sacred. In this chapter Belden Lane writes about the four axioms that guide the student of American spirituality.


The first axiom is that people don’t choose what places are sacred, rather the place chooses itself. This means that a person cannot decide which places are sacred, and they can’t find the place if the place doesn’t want to show itself. When the sacred decides to reveal itself and show that this specific place is a sacred place.


The second axiom is that sacred places are ordinary places, and they are made extraordinary through ritual. Meaning that sacred places can be quite normal looking. They’re only seen as sacred because of the rituals that are performed in the place. These rituals that are performed in this place is what makes it sacred, rather than rituals being performed there because it is sacred. Even though at times the two ideas overlap.


The third axiom is that a sacred place can be tred upon without being entered. Meaning that someone who doesn't recognize the place as sacred, or isn’t believing it to be sacred can walk right over or through the sacred place without actually seeing the sacrality of it. For example, if someone doesn’t believe that The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem is sacred then they can walk right through it without feeling it.


The fourth axiom is that the impulse of sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal. This means that since sacred places have had a divine encounter, they show that the sacred is able to be seen in a particular place. It also means though that people are very aware that the divine is everywhere. It’s also that people are looking for somewhere to center themselves, but there isn’t a place like that because the divine is everywhere, and cannot be tied down to the one sacred place, or any place in general.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kayla Hammond- Christmas Saves The Year (student choice)

                        On December 8th at 9pm one of my favorite bands released a new Christmas single.  The song is Christmas Saves The Year by Twenty One Pilots. I was notified of the song release moments after I finished reading the chapter on Masks in the Landscapes of the Sacred book. I immediately stopped what I was doing to listen. The song perfectly described this year and how many may be feeling this Christmas season. All while adding a perfect theme of joy and hope. This song was a mask disguised as a message from God, with a deeper hidden meaning in the lyrics.  Snow falls down from the gray sky  Ashes fall in the sea  Plans are thrown to the wayside  Frozen days of the week But everybody wants to make it home this year  Even if the world is crumblin' down' Cause everybody's got somebody who's got their name on a shelf  With cheap decor and flavored cheer  You rest a...
Read more

Kayla Hammond - Prayer as the Posture of the Decentered Self (Phenomenology Reading 2)

      In the first Chapter of the Phenomenology Of Prayer the author explains how prayers can represent the decentered self. He explains this concept through Mary the mother of God. In the bible it explains how an angel named Gabriel was sent down to tell Mary that she will bear a Son whom is holy. Mary's reply was "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:35-38) In this reply it shows a prayer of decentered self for she recognizes that God is her creator and the highest of power. In addition to this she recognizes that God is the writer of her story. In another example God prayers in a form of decentering self too when he was about to face his death on the cross. In this he says "My Father, if it is not possible this cup shall pass without my drinking it, you will be done".  In both of these examples God nor Mary knows the plan the Lord has for them yet they still are able to trust in the Lord and do as he ple...
Read more

Kip Redick Introduction

  Welcome to the Fall 2020 Sacred Communication/Journey blog page. As I have done with this post, enter your name and a subject for the title of each post. Blog entries will be considered informal writing assignments and as such will be graded more in relation to content than style. Blog entries will contain questions and answers to questions, as well as reflections that relate to daily classroom discussions, completion of exercises, and reading assignments. Any questions the student has while reading or completing assignments should be written in their blog. Reflections may relate to connections the student makes between discussions in this class and those in other classes, between arguments raised in the readings in this class and those raised in other classes or from informal conversations. Students are encouraged to apply the ideas learned in this class to activities that take place outside of the class. These applications make great reflections. The student should br...
Read more