Castle or Cathedral?

If we imagine religion as a castle we build against the schemes of the evil one, we will make the walls thicker and higher and the windows and doors smaller until we live in an impregnable darkness. On the other hand, if we imagine religion as a cathedral we build for welcoming and exhibiting the glory of God, we will use stone only where necessary for the support and frame of the windows. Our spiritual home will be suffused with ineffable light.

I am reminded of the first model of religion--castle or fortress against evil or evil ones or the Evil One--when I listen to my friends who are into conspiracy theories. Doom is always just around the corner. Threats are everywhere. Beware of deception. Even when they are happy people otherwise, their religion seems to feed their darkness. For them the Devil is the successful one. God is the beleaguered, outfoxed one.

I dissent from that view. I think we would do better to imagine the role of religion as celebrating, refracting and reflecting the heavenly glory. Our lives are full of light. The world is also suffused with light. God wins.

I recognize the presence of evil. There are terrible things going on in the world. Thus it has always been. I am not making light of the horrific suffering being endured right now by millions of people. Still, even thought evil does show itself in the world, our job as a church is to turn our attention away from the darkness of evil and revel in the light.

The more we do this, the more effective we will be in fulfilling our divine calling to be lights of the world.