In The Cathedral - Rituals

For this social lens series we are looking at religious sites and how people relate to these places.

The rituals, ceremonies and rites conducted here have been passed down over centuries, imbued with meaning and cultural significance. All of the actions here are, in fact, based on a set of specific patterns which are repeated over and over again. They only vary in their content, but rarely does the main pattern change: a preacher might preach a different gospel from the bible, but the way he does this is mainly based on a fixed outline; a routine.

Behaving in known patterns of behavior simplifies things. One does not have to ask how something should be done, or ponder about the steps in how to proceed; the procedure is already established, it only has to be filled with different contents. For the people attending a ceremony it also simplifies things: one generally knows about what to expect and how one should react and respond. This makes the flow of a ceremony generally very smooth and interruptions are therefore quite rare.

Preaching from the holy book

Carrying the holy book and burning incense are central themes within this ceremony here

Rituals, ceremonies and rites are found throughout religions and are probably one of the main characteristics of them. They help to simplify our actions, but it also means that people might get "stuck" in certain pattern of behavior as well. Perhaps one does something merely because one is supposed to do something without knowing the meaning behind it. The meaning could also be obsolete for a person, having only little or no relevance for someone's life in actuality. However, it seems, that many people still carry along with certain behaviors, perhaps because it might be expected of them.

In the past these expectations were much higher in western societies and it seems that people felt much more obliged to follow them. It is no secret that attending a mass was much more common in the past than it is today. Although there are many reasons for why people might not be go to church so often anymore, one might be that many do not feel that they want to do something simply because it is expected of them. In other words, the social constraints on people's lives have loosened considerably and in its place seems to have to come a greater sense for self-autonomy.