Why We Need Sacred Art

CatholicExchange.com ^ | April 15, 2007 | James Maldonado-Berry

[Ciexyz]

The world would have been a lot poorer culturally without the artistic contributions of Catholic artists in Catholic countries.

Protestant churches, however, still house religious paintings, but they're nowhere near the sanctuary or altar. They're hung in hallways, in rec centers, in Sunday School classrooms.

[annalex]

One Baptist Chruch I at times visit for family reasons has a naked cross in the sanctuary; Christmas time it is accompanied by a Christmas tree. No images of any other kind are in view.

In the office there is a face of Jesus unobtrusively pinned to the wall.

The hallways around the child care section are decorated with prancing animals, Vinnie the Pooh, and suchlike imagery.

[Ciexyz]

Protestant churches retain the cross in a position of honor, either on the alter or hanging above it. The worshippers seem comfortable with this, having the cross as their sole focus.

It's an adjustment for someone raised in the Protestant tradition to encounter the many statues found in Catholic churches. In any case, the love and care put into the creation of these beautiful pieces of art is most evident. We can be thankful that Christian artists and sculptors expressed their love of God through these works of their hands, heart and spirit.