Week 3- Facing the Sacred and Finding a Personal Representation

David Morgan’s chapter on Facing the Sacred raised some very interesting points in regards to how important visual interpretations can be towards the process of meaning making and establishing a certain perspective in regards to religion. Prior to reading this chapter I understood visuals to be an addition to enhance a belief, however, after having read this chapter I now understand that to a great extent an image that is relevant and relatable to the audience can either strengthen a faith or leave people wondering aimlessly in discontent. It is through the examples of Christianity and that of the face of Jesus Christ that Morgan has used to illustrate his ideas on the importance of visual representations.

A nineteenth century photographer from Philadelphia, Marcus Aurelius Root was quoted by Morgan saying that according to Root, the human face is "the most perfect of all mediums of expression . . . the index of the soul” (Morgan, 2007, 199). Thus the face of Christ had to be one that could reflect all of his teachings as well as having the ability to allow millions of people to have faith in the stories of this man. Having faith is one thing but having the ability to put a visual figure to the belief makes it somehow more concrete. Root’s thoughts of having a face as the index to the soul is a very daunting statement when it comes to having the right image represent Jesus Christ and furthermore, Christianity.

According to Morgan, psychologist G. Stanley Hall stated that the “psychological Jesus was more important than the historical Jesus” (Morgan, 2007, 201) this idea is similar to an idea that UQ lecturer in religious studies Rick Strelan supports, in that Strelan believes that the myth is more important than the fact. People have the ability to connect with the myth, to allow themselves to be a part of the journey, whereas the fact is concrete and difficult to make personal. This is a similar thought to that of Hall, the psychological Jesus is so important because that is your personal Jesus; the Jesus that you connect with and share experiences with. The historical Jesus is merely a historical figure that cannot be contacted or confided in or related to.

This chapter has truly allowed me to understand visual representations of religion a lot greater than what I previously had. It has become apparent that despite some people needing a great visual representation as Root suggests in regards to the importance of a face that help to reinforce people's beliefs through visual engagement; some other perspectives such as that of Hall only need the comfort that they have their own personal representation that remains unchaged by outside influences.

 

References:

Morgan, D. (2007). Facing the sacred : image and charisma . In D. Morgan, Lure of images : a history of religion and visual media in America (pp. 199-229). New York: Routledge.

Image: Courtesy of pixabay.com http://pixabay.com/en/cross-jesus-wood-church-christ-77999/