Landscapes of the Sacred Chapter 1


   The emphasis of chapter 1 is that humans inevitably connect places with spiritual experiences.  Beldon Lane does an excellent job at analyzing how places and lands become sacred in Landscapes of the Sacred. Lane introduces his four axioms for sacred place, with each one brining new light to the narrative on spirituality. Lane also mentions Jacob attributing the land on which he slept for the dream about the ladder descending from Heaven. It is incredible the ways that people tie experiences to places, or even to expect certain experiences out of certain places. Devout Catholics will visit the Vatican expecting a religious revelation and devout Muslims make a pilgrimage to the Kaaba to fulfill their faith. Lane's exploration of this topic cites excellent evidence and makes the readers think about how the title of "sacred" is attributed to different locations.

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