Do we need Sacred Space to be with God?



St Andrews Church, Brighton



Different religions have different types of sacred space, but do we really need sacred space to be with God? I personally think no we don’t need a sacred space because God in a Christian sense is always with you. I’m not saying I’m against sacred space because it is useful to some people who believe that it is a calm place where they can be with god and some people if it is in their mind that you need a sacred space to be with God then it would be easier for them to communicate to god. A church for Christians is usually referred to as 'the house of the Lord' so many Christians feel they have to be in the right place to be with Him. Also Christians don’t just have a place for sacred space but they have items such as a bible or a cross and they use prayer to connect with God and to teach us His plan with having to go anywhere.

A Buddhists sacred space is a lot different than a Christians because they don’t have a God, but they do meditate in a temple which would be their sacred space. The quietness and peace that is provided at a temple help the Buddhists to concentrate on their mind.



Stonehenge



Stonehenge is surely Britain's greatest nation icon, it can symbolize power, mystery and endurance. We are unsure what its original purpose is but there have been many theories that have come from the surroundings and how it was built. Many people have thought it used to be a temple made for worship of ancient earth deities. Other people claim that it was a sacred site for the burial of high-ranking citizens from the societies of long ago. It must have been a very important place if they took that much effort into building it, so it defiantly has some religious background. Today Stonehenge is visited by many tourists and over the time it has become ruins but most of it is surprisingly still standing because they made it long ago when they didn't have many machinery or tools. 

Stonehenge was apparently built by people called 'the Druids,' who have been in England for around 2000 years. Most people believe that Stonehenge was and still is a sacred space and that the Druids used it for sacred space too.



Western Wall in Jerusalem



For Jewish people a sacred space would be in the Western Wall in Jerusalem, this is where Jews would come to mourn and grieve at the loss of their temple. To many Jews, this is considered to have a very important meaning. Also many people visit Israel to see some of the places where people like Jesus, Moses and David have been. People, mostly Christians, would find this a sacred space because they feel they are in a higher presence of God.

You can find sacred space anywhere and many religions have different types of sacred space, but I believe all you need for any religion is a quiet peaceful place where you can concentrate and yourself. To some people a physical landscape is the best way to make us feel closer to our god/s but you really don’t need it, you may want it but it isn’t necessary