- How and why might the life of a Christian be changed by going on a pilgrimage?
Most Christians undertake a pilgrimage to a place of special spiritual interest for a variety of reasons. These could include, an expression of their devotion to God, an individual belief that they should undertake this form of spiritual adventure, or could be a hope that they as an individual will gain something personally out of the experience, for example the curing of an illness or disability.
In Christianity pilgrimage is not compulsory as it is in other religions such as Buddism. Many Christians would not even consider undertaking an act of pilgrimage.
There are a number of life changing experiences that going on a pilgrimage could prompt many of which are the main messages of Christianity anyway, but it is felt that undertaking a pilgrimage makes the purpose of these teachings clearer. Many of these teachings relate to family life and the treatment of others in a Christian manner, including, that God is a loving father of his people, that God will forgive people and so should Christians etc. For many a pilgrimage is a wholly spiritual experience that promotes their general Christian well being.
- ‘Pilgrimage is a selfish waste of time and money’ Do you agree?
Many people would agree that pilgrimage is a waste of time and money. A cynical viewpoint states that “amazingly man is still insecure and ignorant enough to require the patronage of totally mythical entities to govern his life and his society. Notwithstanding the total lack of any hard evidence, religion has become the biggest business of all time, making vast sums of money and giving immense power and influence to a relatively small group of people who are willing to propagate the most preposterous fairy stories as the gospel truth.” (internet resource) This is a view that there is no ‘supreme being’ at all not just an opinion on pilgrimage, but it has its effects, if there is no God, there is no need for pilgrimage. This quote also highlights the fact that many people are making money out of the act of pilgrimage, for example tour operators, travel agents etc.
A Christian viewpoint would include the spiritual side of the argument and comment on issues such as getting closer to one’s faith through pilgrimage. But the opinion of many deeply religious Christians could also be, slightly cynical, and also a view that this author shares. Pilgrimage is a selfish act. The money spent on travelling to a place of religious significance would be better spent on alleviating some of the suffering in this world, eg, helping the starving etc, The time that could appear to be wasted could also be better employed in a number of worthwhile causes, eg, helping to raise money for Christian causes, spending time with someone who is troubled or merely reaching out to one or two people who are friendless. The possibilities are endless, but making time for the benefit of others has got to be a more worthwhile exercise than selfishly exploring one’s own religion.
