YEAR OF ZEN: SUMMER: DAY 09

The Court Jester - Jan Matejko Stańczyk

Q: Have you ever reacted to the overly precious nature of a liturgy or ceremony?

A: Yes, I have had experiences in my life where the “too-muchness” of a religious ceremony was just too much. I think that ritual can be sacred and a core part of our experience. I also think that human inclinations toward tribalism and group think can often take sacred ritual and pervert it into something deeply unhelpful. I saw this in my own formative religious experiences in Mormonism. Where this really hit home, however, came when my mom and I were invited to attend a Christmas service at the Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in downtown SLC. It was all too much and my first reaction was a thought that I feel fortunate that things went the way they did with my family and I don’t feel a deep sense of allegiance or obligation to that particular religious community.