Entry 10: Places of Worship in Nature

  Most people think of a church, as a majestically crafted building for congregations to gather and worship. There is a section in chapter 7 that discusses worship in nature. In this way people of all beliefs use certain elements of nature to worship, therefore challenging the traditional notion that you have to be in church to worship. Throughout history the elements of nature that we usually take at face value are used as divine entities. Some examples include mountains, rocks, and water. Mountains have been seen as the home of divine beings. Rocks have been seen as symbols of the Gods. Water has been seen as a gift to sustain life. This can also include not so simple things of nature. The ziggurat is a massive, flat mountain that is known to be sacred. Stonehenge could be constructed for religious rituals. All of this art that came from nature has been used for religious means, but how is this knowledge beneficial to us now? This goes back to something I stated earlier about challenging the idea that you have to be in church to worship. A lot of people just go to church on Sunday and forget about it until the next Sunday. Through the use of nature and religion in history, I believe it can teach us to worship outside of church. Every time we step outside we can use what we see as a means of worship. If you are not religious then this can also teach you to pay attention to the art that is all around you. We see all types of beautiful things in the world and we should stop taking it for granted. We need to embrace the things of nature like many religions have done in the past.