Do we need a place to worship?

Can a place have sanctity?

As a geographical entity, it is subjugated to the changes in nature. As long as as Nature (with a capital N) remains a manifestation of divine, any natural entity acquires only a temporal representation of it and not the eternal definition in itself, i.e. only the shadow and not the source of light.

But by placing sanctimonious importance on such temporal structures, are we according more faith on shadows, and thus conveniently overlook the transcendent reality?

In other words, in our zeal to express the divine in an ‘easy-to-consume’ form, we have developed a syndrome of ‘oversimplification’ to help us capture a simplistic version of it (read shadow).

However, while I’m aware of the dangers of myopia seeping into my line of reasoning, identifying such a fallacy is often difficult. For, the above said points are prone to misinterpretation by an ‘untrained intellect’. One way is to critique my understanding of the representation of divine.

Is not the capturing of divine in any natural entity a proper representation of divinity?

The answer is YES and NO.

The ontological representation notwithstanding, the real issue in this case is not in the capturing, but in the representational mechanisms. For example, a mountain by virtue of its size and near-eternal presence, might stand for (read represent) ‘divine,’ albeit metaphorically, but it cannot represent one allegorically.

Such being the case, where does it leave us, given our notional representation of gods and their places of worship?

Far from criticizing the practice of idolatry, my point of contention is just this:

In our inability to contemplate and identify the divine, we have unearthed an easier alternative, that of capturing (and thus representing) the divinity in entities, Nature notwithstanding.

However, such a discussion warrants an almost exhaustive understanding of the events, as well as the scheme of things, right from our ancient history.

We need to understand the liturgical role played by many primitive societies in representing the divine.

Our ancient societies, though primitive in terms of usage of tools, were more complete in capturing the human condition.

They had established this sense of completeness by bringing under the umbrella of religion different aspects of social life. Wherefore can one stress the importance of natural resources, especially to the lay man, than by according them a place in the religious ceremonies. Our ancestors went one step further. Rather than just representing the divinities in these natural resources, they even made way for representing these very natural resources as a manifestation of it.

For, while Divinity is just an aspect, Divine is the whole personality driving.

But such a representation, by virtue of its ownership accorded to these resources, had only created a sense of social loathing in the mind of common man. In other words, such accordance has allowed the common man, over time, to conveniently transfer his responsibility to these divinities.

Deitification then became a convenient escape route for those disinterested in partaking on the ultimate responsibility. One can heed no further than the systematic destruction of marine life in the Ganges brought forward by the human mind, in the name of religion, in the name of God.

This leads us ultimately to the reason I have written this article for. Can a place have sanctity?

A tricky question, given the omnipresent nature of God! For if God is present everywhere, or more plausibly expressed, if we can believe in the omniscient manifestation of God, then such an epistemological stance should only contradict our belief in considering certain places of worship sanctimonious.

Conclusion

The above article is just a tip of the iceberg. As a philosopher, I am prone to question these belief systems in contemporary society. The true nature of divine lies in accepting its ‘omnipresence’ transcending our sensorial contour. But such a notion only pushes us to question our motive behind the topographical representation of divine.