Kelsey Woods- LOTS 2

A tension between the Local and Universal

In this section Lane explores the local and universal properties of religion. He states that people have both local places, such as your bedroom, where spiritual experiences can occur, but that the flipside also exists in that we need things like a pilgramiage to a holy land to strengthen our local spirituality. This claim made my mind travel in several different directions. The first thing this made me ponder on was that different religions vary on this axiom. When was the last time you heard a Christian say that their faith felt complete once they traveled to Isreal? Christians go to church on Sundays, say their prayers at home, and occasionally go on mission trips, but when do they go on true pilgramages? I am not saying that there has never been a Christian to ever travel a long distance for a spiritual experience, but it is, in my experience, very uncommon. I feel as though from an American view point, the church has become a universal sign of faith. People feel like they could go to any church in the country and get similar experiences, so why bother going further then we have to. It is interesting that in a culture so reliant on automobiles and a country so spread out, that religion never gets much of a journey.
This section of the book also made me think about how a pilgramage could strengthen ones faith. Think about being in a strange place, different architecture, smells, languages, foods, customs, etc. Now imagine in the midst of all this confusing unfimiliarity you reach a place that you have heard stories about your whole life, that you've worked so hard to get to, where God has been, where he can reach you. The comfort and happiness you feel would not be tied to the place, but to the God you are trying to honor. I feel like for this to take full affect, pilgramages should be completed alone. Only once you have completely disoriented yourself from everything you know but God can see how much power he really holds over you.