Paige Dwyer-Image and Pilgrimage (2)

Chapter one of Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture for me was the most intriguing chapter. It focused on pilgrimage as a liminoid phenomenon. Pilgrimages have had prominence in many major historical religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They are widely disputed because of their liminal and marginal phenomena of social process and cultural dynamics. Liminality is not only a transition but also potentiality, a "what may be" not just "what is going to be". This book is meant to further examine what we consider to be one characteristic type of liminality in cultures ideologically dominated by historical religions. An example of this liminality in society is in European societies, where life for the masses was based on economy and feudal political structures. Their religious life was also centralized and locally fixed. Christianity developed its own mode of liminality for the laity. A sacred site or holy shrine was located at some distance so that pilgrimages were performed. Jerusalem was one of the first locations where pilgrims joined those going to see the shrines dedicated to Peter and Paul in Rome. Many participate as a form of penance, others were fulfilling a promise to a saint whose intercession he once sought on his own behalf. Whatever the reason, pilgrimages were a prominent aspect in Christian life during this time.