"If we instinctively seek a paradisiacal and special place on earth, it is because we know in our inmost hearts that the earth was given to us in order that we might find meaning, order, truth and salvation in it." --Thomas Merton
Preliminary questions:
1. In what ways can we categorize some of the religious/sacred sites that we’ll visit?
a. Categorize by structure
b. Categorize by purpose/intent of formation
2. What types of visitors might frequent religious/sacred sites? (General characterizations)
3. What can we postulate about the reasons for their visitations of these sites?
a. For personal historical/architectural edification
b. Desiring cultural exposure
c. Seeking salvific or spiritual guidance = worship
Questions for analysis:
1. What theological and religious suppositions do we bring with us when we enter these places of religious significance?
2. How do we interpret the images/icons/symbols that we see?
3. What lenses of analysis do we use when we observe these objects?
4. What informs our understanding of these contexts when we are invited to participate in the rituals?
5. What are the cultural and social foundations (norms/mores/values) that we use as basis for interpreting and understanding the formation/establishment of these places of worship and religious observance?
6. How are our own c/s foundations different from or similar to those of the community near/in/around our visitation site(s)?
7. How might those similarities and/or differences impede or advance our understanding of, interaction with, and participation in the people, culture, and communities that we visit?
For further examination:
Geography of Religion: Where God Lives, Where Pilgrims Walk. Published by National Geographic, 2004. ISBN-10: 0792273133. ISBN-13: 978-0792273134.
Sacred Destinations Travel Guide. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/
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