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11 comments
dpotter says:
Mar 16, 2009
John, I’m curious to know what you think about the theology behind the architecture in the first photo? Specifically, while I have an idea what your position on the sacraments might be, I’m torn between whether churches in the round say too much or not enough about the Lord’s Supper.
Anyway, I enjoyed these…so much that could be said about whether design actually influences worship.
John Zahl says:
Mar 16, 2009
Dylan I would take a further step back, noting not that it’s a “church in the round”, but instead that it looks like the interior of an Unidentified Flying Object.
That’s the part that interests me, the place where outer space and church architecture connect!
PZ says:
Mar 16, 2009
I just have to so totally agree.
It’s the UFO part.
The church in the first photograph resembles the inside of the Mother Ship in the enhanced version of CETK.
Alien interstellar spacecraft often have their pulpits in the pre-Tractarian position. The Victorians lost sight of the many sitings recorded by their forebears in the Eighteenth Century.
There was a celebrated one, now almost completely forgotten, off of Falmouth in 1738. It probably had to do with the Lisbon Earthquake.
mike burton says:
Mar 16, 2009
I don’t believe in “outer space”.
...ben... says:
Mar 16, 2009
um…
is the object of worship here Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob and Yeshua His son… or E.T.?
Does the eucharist include probing? Im very confused…
What is he message here?
John Zahl says:
Mar 16, 2009
The message: Coolest looking churches ever!!!
John Stamper says:
Mar 16, 2009
PZ’s post will make me happy for a long long time.
From the gorgeous valley boy split infinitive (“I just have to so totally agree”) to his observation that “Alien interstellar spacecraft often have their pulpits in the pre-Tractarian position”… where would we be without the prose of our beloved PZ?
Joshua Corrigan says:
Mar 17, 2009
Amen Stamper
Michael Cooper says:
Mar 17, 2009
If I didn’t know that these symptoms have been manifesting themselves for over 15 years (only my personal experience, probably more like 58) , I would say that PZ has been reading far too much William Blake of late. Try a little Jan Karon as a calming antidote. Mildly christian and devoid of aliens.
Jacob Smith says:
Mar 18, 2009
PZ, I thought your response was also really funny.
Ben,
Don’t you know E.T. is a Jesus Type. He came from above, let the children come to him, died and rose again. And the Mexican in me wants to draw a parallel between E.T.’s glowing heart and Jesus’ sacred heart…but that might be stretching things.
Those are really great pictures JZ.
Jeff Hual says:
Mar 19, 2009
Does it by chance have a docking port on the roof, or a landing station in the parking lot?
For me, this architecture brings to mind Rite II, Eucharistic Prayer C: “At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.” (I instictively make the vulcan hand gesture when the priest says that part.)
Live long and prosper…or “Na-noo, Na-noo, for those of you who remember Mork from Ork.