Kalimera! Greetings to you from Athens, Greece! For the last fortnight, I’ve had the privilege of touring the northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea; we started in Rome and moved east to Athens, while also seeing many of the islands including Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes, and Patmos, as well as making a stop in Kusudasi, Turkey to see the ancient city of Ephesus. It has been amazing!
Can I say something? Americans don’t know what “old” is. Our tour director, David (who lives in Italy), told us of how he had lived in Los Angeles for a year in a 40 year-old house, and all his neighbors could talk about was how “old” his house was. His response was always the same:
“Well my mother lives in a house that’s been there for three hundred years, and nobody in Italy would consider that to be old.”
I completely believe that. These countries are ancient! Literally. I was entirely overwhelmed at the abyss of time that these roads and walls have been through. We walked down cobblestone roads where emperors had walked in their gold-encrusted leather sandals upwards of 3,500 years ago.
I’m talking about floors completely paved by marble and ceilings infused with Renaissance fresco masterpieces; these edifices are where heat is retained by masterfully woven, twenty foot tall tapestries which carpet the walls, and light enters through windows paned with thin sheets of Egyptian alabaster stone.
You sit in the hand-carved wooden pews, and, when you’re not distracted by the sense of insecure micoscopicity (I made that word up) because of the immensity of the room, you get the chance to admire the gold crosses, the mosaics, frescoes, and statues. (As our tour guide explained, these things help the people to stay awake during the long services.)
The medieval Christians of Rome possessed a zealous dedication that could only be rivaled by that possessed by the ancient Greeks; the Mycenaean city and the tomb of Agamemnon, the Parthenon, and religious sites like Olympia - all leave their legacy in Roman architecture. Much of the Roman work seems to be inspired or adopted from the Greeks, and that kind of leads my thoughts today.
Now, I’m not an artist, I’ve never been an artist, and I don’t really plan on being an artist. The best comment I can make on a piece of art is “Wow, that’s ambiguous.” If you know me, you’ll know the nerd that I am, and it will come as no surprise that a lot of what piqued my interest was the religious significance of these places as opposed to their artistic significance.
What I found most interesting though, was that I seemed to be the only one who was interested in that aspect! I cannot speak for those in my tour group, but certainly not even the tour guides or officials seemed interested in the faith-base of their own spiritual capital, and if they did then they sure didn’t want to bring it up.
I mentioned earlier the Greeks and their ancient temples and cities, and how they have their influence in Roman Catholic society. Greeks had no problem in paying tribute to their pagan gods, and these were largely embodied in the statues, monuments, and temples built in their honor.
These practices, as we know, were denounced by Jehovah in the Old Testament, and Paul in the New Testament. God, unlike the mythological characters in Greek history, does not desire to be endlessly worshipped and glorified for the sake of being endlessly worshipped and glorified - He wants us to worship and glorify Him so that we can come to know Him, to build a relationship with Him.
I think that’s why statues and overly ornamented basilicas are not found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Temples, yes, but nothing like what you see in Rome. When we focus too much on materials, we build a relationship with the material instead of our Father in Heaven.
What I continued to dwell on as I toured these monasteries and basilicas, was the feelings I had while I was there. No, I didn’t feel like it was dark or evil as some might think, but I certainly can’t say it was very warm or edifying.
What did I feel? Well, to be quite honest, I felt, well - nothing! Nothing at all. (That is, of course, once I got through my stunned silence.) So why didn’t I feel anything? Some might say it was the sheer volume of empty space that provided such a chill within their walls, or some might say it was the condescending look in the Savior’s eyes as He gazed down from the enormous mosaics, but for me it was just the fact that the Spirit wasn’t there.
Call me a home-grown Mormon, but as beautiful as the Catholic basilicas are, I can’t wait to get home and go to the temple. There is something so simple and beautiful about the gospel, that when you try and turn it into an art display, it loses its meaning.
I know what you’re thinking! Temples are big, elaborate and beautiful too! But it’s different. Like I said before, the gospel is simple, and that’s the kind of beauty I think that the temple has. Simple beauty.
The temple has a very special element about it. It’s pure and perfect. Everything is precise and elegant, but nothing is gaudy or ostentatious. We do not make temples beautiful for the purpose of being beautiful; we make temples beautiful for the purpose of being a place where the Lord would want to be. There is a small but important difference there.
In John 17:3, Jesus explains that eternal life consists in knowing the Only true God, as well as Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. If we are to come to know God, we must be in places that God would like to be in.
On my mission I heard Catholics say that their faith was strengthened after touring the Vatican City. Interesting to note that my faith has been strengthened as well! But not for the same reasons. My faith has been rooted even more deeply in God’s presence in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because I know for a fact that it wasn’t in Peter’s or Paul’s Basilica, to say nothing of the thousands of other churches in Rome or the Orthodox buildings in Greece.
The faith and the dedication was there in construction, but the mark was missed, and the Spirit would not, nor will it, live there. One simple sacrament meeting chapel is more warm, light, and edifying than the entirety of St. Peter’s Basilica (the largest basilica in the world, in case you’re wondering. They have a giant ruler on the floor to prove it)!
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to criticize or offend! My purpose in writing this was not to put down Roman Catholic faith! What I simply mean to express is the increased love and dedication I’ve gained for my own faith. The contrast I felt between our temples and every church we visited (even St. John’s monastery on the Isle of Patmos) was a simple black and white difference.
I love the church. I love being a Mormon! I love being in the temple and I love being in church. I love the sacrament, reading scriptures, and I love praying! I feel warm, light, and edified when the Holy Ghost is present; I love the Gospel, and most importantly, I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father, and hope to come to know them more. I take great peace in knowing that I can know them better.
I’ve seen the sun rise over Mount Kronos onto Olympia, and I’ve seen it set on the horizon of the Mediterranean Sea; I’ve seen it rain on the broken remains of Agamemnon’s palace, and I’ve touched the walls of the Grotto of the Apocalypse; I’ve walked where hundreds of gladiators fell by the mouth of lions, as well as through catacombs filled with the remains of thousands of early Christian saints and martyrs.
Still, in all the ancient world, there is nothing quite like the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
After walking with the gods of ancient Greece and post-apostolic Christianity, I would still rather walk with the true Spirit of God in my heart.
The church is true, everyone, and the book is blue! God be with you til we meet again!
Sincerely,
Taylor, a dead missionary
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