"The God I believe in isn't short o' cash, Mister!" - Bono, "Bullet the Blue Sky", Rattle And Hum, 1988.

 

Back to Jim's original question:

From an architectural interest , I have visited a lot of churches....both here and in Europe. The really grandiose churches from the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococco eras represent a whole different time in history. Labor and materials were cheap; the average parishioner was not worldly and there was much more emphasis on MYSTERY....the unknown. It doesn't bother me or my (limited) religious beliefs.

In general, I would say that the contemporary (20th cent) churches that I have visited are mostly not grandiose....with a few exceptions. There is a stone church in central New Zealand; the church built into the rocks (partly underground) in Helsinki; LeCorbusiers church at Ronchamps in eastern France; Steven Holl's campus chapel in Seattle; the Cathedral of the Rock in Sedona (Lainey should remember that one); the AIA award-winning church in the woods in Arkansas. Alvar Aalto's church in Imatra, Finland was a favorite of mine; it's about 1 km from the Russian border [I visited in 1974] Aalto's church is similar to the Sydney Opera House.....billowing sails on a tiny scale. On a less modest scale is the Crystal Cathedral in CA......telepreacher Robt Schiller....is he the one?

Most of these have conveyed a contemporary sense of Mystery by the use of LIGHT....both natural and artificial......usually illuminating the church from indirect sources (hidden from view).

Whether an ancient or spiffy new church, the best ones provide a quiet place for worship and reflection. That's where it's at for me from the 'architectural' perspective.

The 'money and religion' is a different but related question. I like this thread and would like to hear more....as long as folks can avoid confrontation.

Does anyone else have reactions from visiting/worshipping in older or newer churches? Has anyone visited any of the contemporary churches that I mentioned above?

 

Religon and money. I do not have enough of either.

 

[QUOTE=paS2K,Mar 4 2007, 09:19 AM] ......In general, I would say that the contemporary (20th cent) churches that I have visited are mostly not grandiose....with a few exceptions.

 

[QUOTE=paS2K,Mar 4 2007, 09:36 AM] Here's the church in Central New Zealand....South Island.

 

It was all about power and authority in the Renaissance. I've climbed INSIDE the done of the Duomo in Fierenza....it's an amazing space between the inner and outer shells. I wonder if that's still possible

There are smaller and more intimate churches in Florence, but still pretty grand stuff. If you go out into the hill towns and countryside in Italy, you can see smaller and more modest churches from the same era

 

Bat, I think we've killed this thread with too much man-made beauty

 

This thread is will no doubt expose many to viewpoints that are unacceptable, but that is the nature of a live forum, a concept that is upheld, to some extent, by the Constitution of this country.

Religion is simply a man made concept to control others. Virtually, every example of mass murder throughout the history of mankind has been conducted under the guise of a religous belief or variant thereof. This manner of "justifiable" killing continues to exist in the world today.

Second, it is virtually indisputable that modern day religious organizations represent one of the biggest businesses existing in the world. One might be surprised to know that the Morman Faith is the wealthiest religion in the world today. As a businessman, I certainly admire the method employed by the Morman Church (i.e. Empire) to obtain money from its believers. Using the cloak of religion, Mormon Bishops call every member of their "flock" in for a private meeting annually to determine the specific amount to be contributed to the Church. Naturally, the required amount of "donation" is finalized after the Bishop reviews the member's Federal Income Tax Return.

The Catholic religion is no better. The Bishops in virtually every locale throughout the world have harbored child molesting priests for centuries. This aspect alone has ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of families. Recently, we attempted to adopt a child through a local Catholic religious organization. The cost was approximately 2-3 times greater than other local organizations were seeking. Perhaps, the Catholic institution needs for money have increased in connection with the litany of lawsuits filed and potential for damage awards in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Where was the diving force of God to prevent such attrocities?

The Evangelical Organizations are just as guity. God bless TV and its ability to empower people sitting at their kitchen table to experience the thrill of the Holy Spirit when some asshole with a Jay Leno hair cut and immaculate suit claims to heal a cripple person in the name of God, his son and the Holy Spirit. Please keep those donations coming in, Haleluja! Praise the Lord! IMHO, it is more like Thank you chump, can I have another....... few hundred dollars to assist God work.

The Islamic religion - well suffice to say that the human brain is capable of justifying any form of murder under the guise of Allah. It appears that islamic temples are more often than not sanctuaries to gather wealth. The variety of sects ruled by the variety of leaders merely represents another form of control over others who worship in unity and contribute financially.

To sum up, religion is a means to receive money. Money breeds power. Power(ie. religion) is control. And, as a bonus, a tax free method to create income as well. Ingenious, really!

Who would not trade their respective mom and pop business for the ability to pass the plate for donations. Depending on the size of the congregation, there are many wealthy religious leaders walking around on earth today. For sure, there are thousands of million dollar religious facilities developed world wide. Whether a divine entity flows through each and every one of them, or any of them, depends on one's faith. But it is indisputable that money was the foundation to create and continues to maintain each and every high dollar monument to whatever form of deity one belives to exist.

Thankfully, one's spirituality does not require the foregoing necessity of money.

OK, I feel much better now! Thanks you.

 

Nice post, Ag.