The Western Version of Religion

This will be a brief post due to a lack of time, but I hope to get my point across none the less.

I recently traveled to Rome, stayed for 8 days and lost count of how many churches I entered. I also attended 3 or 4 masses, including a Papal mass (mass done by the Pope, this one happened to be in memory of Pope John Paul II). During my time there, I was really able to appreciate the differences between religion where it was founded and what has become the Western version of that same religion.

Here religion is bland. There is no avoiding it. Going to church is something people around here do because they feel it is an obligation, or because it has simply been worked into their weekly routine. I've gotten to the point where I attend masses for Christmas and Easter, and that's it. Some may think that is because we are straying away from religion, but I'd argue instead that religion is straying from itself. It is not what it originally was, it cannot be expected to ever be what it originally was. As times change so must the church, but have times become boring in order for the church to match them?

In all the church's I entered in Rome, you would enter and there would be an immediate rush of emotion in relation to the church. I would walk in and, before anything else, be left in complete awe due to the absolute beauty of the church. Everything there is marble and gold, statues of various religious figures are everywhere. The aisle from the second you walk in seems to go on for miles. The churches there are absolutely beautiful. We do not get that same experience here. It is almost a disgrace that the older churches are so stunning and the churches that we build today, with all the modern technology and the massive surplus of money we all posess, are so incredibly bland. It seems that we have forgotten the beauty in religion back here.
If you ever get the chance, I advise you to no end to visit Rome and go from church to church, whether you are a devoted member of a parish or not, you will be stunned.

It is not only the physical beauty of the church that differs so much from what we are used to, it is an emotional beauty. From the moment you step in the doors of those churches, you feel different. The masses which I attended filled me with the same feeling, to a greater extent. While a mass is in progress, you feel a true sense of community in the church. There is no disrespect (with exception of the few tourists who do not understand that the churches are more than just good places to take pictures) and you feel a true sense of belonging to the religion. I have honestly never felt that same belonging in the parish that I've been going to since I was born (although I do only go twice a year). The priests present true emotion and belief when they read or speak, they do not simply read a script which they had written in their minds before the mass. They honestly seem to convey some higher message, as if they know they have words to pass on, and they do so with the greatest of enthusiasm.

While in Rome, I also had the opportunity to visit the Catacombs. These were the underground burrial graves for the martyred catholics in ancient Rome. I'll admit it was an eerie feeling that left me completely uneased, it was very strange. But to experience those sights is astounding. How can you see with your own eyes the thousands of graves (not to mention the thousands more that I did not see) of catholics who died in the name of their religion and still manage to deny religion? People do not die without reason, and the masses do not die by dillusion.

I realize I am sounding preachy at this point, but until you experience the churches in Europe, it is difficult to understand where I am coming from. When I got back from Rome, I had just seen the Pope, I had seen all these magnificent churches (St. Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon, etc.) and I was (dare I say?) excited about my religion. That very quickly wore off once I was re-introduced to the Western lifestyle to which I am accustomed.

Making a side note from the religious aspect of Rome for a moment, I'd suggest to anybody that, even if you are not religious or do not wish the seek religion in any form, visit Rome. It is an experience that will change your life. They do not live as we do. The cities were beautiful, well taken care of, everything has history. There are honestly no words to describe the feeling you get when you are there.