Build Your Own Religion: The trappings of faith

Lent 2020 - Day Seven

So - you're starting a religion from scratch - blank slate. Design it from the bottom up. I've discussed briefly the tenets - the guiding principles of what one believes (and will be returning to this crucial topic). Now I'd like to start to talk about the trappings of faith - the symbols, the rituals, the holy places, the appearance of believers, the music and art. All these elements are intrinsic to any religion. I'll be going into greater detail about these in future posts between now and Easter. But here's an introduction.

Symbols are extremely important to religions; they allow believers to identify each other and to distinguish themselves from followers of other faiths. Some have hidden meaning, to which only initiates may have access. Sacred texts, said to hold divinely inspired basis for a religion's tenets,can be rich in symbolism and metaphor.

Rituals have a commonality across many religions, they bind communities of believers together in shared sacred acts with a meaning that all participants can agree upon. Rites of passage marking stages in life, birth, puberty, nuptials and death are almost universal. Archaeology shows burial as being the first rite that many early societies engaged in. The passing of the year itself is marked by ritual - solstice, fasting, equinox, harvest.

Such rituals usually take place in specific sacred places; in earliest times, these would be hilltops, forest clearings, sacred groves, places imbued with supernatural significance. Later, temples of increasing size and sophistication would be erected for the purpose of conducting ritual. And there would be special places of worship - of pilgrimage.

St Mary's Church, Harrow-on-the-Hill. It stands on top of the hill. The toponym 'Harrow' comes from the Old English word hearg, meaning 'heathen temple'.

Some religions emphasis the external appearance of believers - clothing, hair and facial hair - marking them apart from non-believers or followers of different faiths, a visual aspect of a collective identity. And the vestments of holy men and holy women reflect the religion's hierarchy.

Linked to rite and symbolism is music and art. Created to inspire awe, to lift the conscious mind from the day-to-day towards the numinous, the infinite and the eternal, to create a mood, a reverent atmosphere for contemplation and worship.

St Peter's Church, Ealing, late Victorian era.
"The last great age of church building" - Sir Roy Strong
"Perhaps one of our noblest churches" - Sir John Betjeman

Planning your own religion, how would you create your symbols and ritual, your holy places; how would you dress and how would your art and music reflect the principles, the tenets of your faith?

This time three years ago:
Health: duty of care

This time four years ago:
Cognitive bias in the search for God

This time five years ago:
A spiritual frame of mind

This time six years ago:
Sunday in the City

This time seven years ago:
God's teachings

This time 11 years ago:
A week into Lent