Friday, June 05, 2009

The Return of the Cathedral?

Is the Cathedral relevant for today? Apparently the Archbishop of Canterbury thinks so. Check it out.

5 comments:

Anam Cara said...

I guess one needs to distinguish between those who go to a cathedral to see a cathedral and those who go to a cathedral to worship God. The ABC didn't make any such distinction when he said the particular building was relevant in light of declining numbers of worshipers.

I love medieval ecclesiastical architecture and if I could ever get an advanced degree, that would be it. I love the symbolism in each stone - I love to see the progression from Romanesque to Gothic. I love the reminder of the communion of saints - those who have gone before me - worshiping God within those walls - stuggling to build a house of worship - the labor that went into each stone's carving or placement.

On the other hand, a modern rendering of a medieval building like the National Cathedral leaves me sort of cold. I wonder why that is....

Nikolaus said...

Ha! When I read the title then saw the photo I thought the topic might be about returning the Catherdal to the Archbishop of Westminster.

RMBruton said...

This man embodies "whistling while passing the cemetery". Notice how he evades the question of dwindling Church attendance by inferring that statisticians aren't taking into account the tremendous numbers attending (whatever he means by that) Cathedrals. He's clearly including tourists. What a sad legacy this man will leave behind.I do not doubt his sincerity, but he is clearly delusional!

Dale Matson said...

"I'm not so clear church attendance is declining. I has declined."
I'm not so clear the ABC is clear whenever he speaks. He has become so double minded it is difficult for him to speak two consecutive sentences that don't cancel each other out. I worry about the integrity of his thought process.

Observer said...

just be thankful that he did not suggest a committee look at the question and report in 2012....or 2013....or at the next Lambeth