The Theatrics of Faith

I’ve been thinking about religion, and how too much of it is given over to theatrics. All that ritual, custom, costume, preaching from pulpits, vast architectural feats of wonder as a meeting hall, towers towering over mere mortals, shouting and exorcising, loud music and echoing hymns. It’s the same methodology used by all the other cult crazes. Hitler used theatrics at the Nuremberg rallies. Rock bands like Led Zeppelin, despised by Christians, relied on theatrics in their live sets. As many of the new brand evangelicals may say, its better than a boring, miserable weak tea-and-crumpets-with-the-softly-spoken-vicar traditional church. But is it? It may be boring, but at least its sincere. I’d be a lot more willing to believe these ‘born again’ conversions if they could do it without all the smoke and mirrors, music and pyrotechnics. If they could touch people in the same way standing in a deserted stairwell as on a floodlit stage, I might be more inclined to consider them genuine.