Casey Estep: Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture 1

Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture by Victor Turner and Edith Turner was a very dense read for me, but it made me look at pilgrimage in a new light. Even after reading Pilgrims Progress I never felt that a pilgrimage was something of significance for me. I never felt that I needed anything that a pilgrimage could provide. Perhaps the big thing would be time to reflect on myself as a person. Spiritually, I don't believe that a pilgrimage would be drastically life changing. Something that the authors wrote was that "faith is strengthened and salvation better secured by personal exposure to the beneficent unseen presence of the Blessed Virgin or local saint, mediated through a cherished image or painting." This is not something that I agree with. God is not limited to specific places or even times. He can interact with anyone, anywhere, in any way that he pleases. My salvation will not be affected by whether or not I worked harder or took a long walk.

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