Religious Dedication in NYC

        

On a porch of an apartment in the Bronx, an individual or group of individuals has created a shrine-like installation, which one can access by using stairs situated at the side of the building , and can be seen from street level.  It appears that this installation is dedicated to Christ and the Virgin Mary, as one can see numerous framed paintings of the pair, and these paintings have different types of ornamentation dangling from them. On the right hand side, a figure of the Virgin Mary has been illuminated by a string of blue lights to capture the attention of passersby, and a large yellow flower hovers over Mary. There are four sculptural components; two of the sculptures are only busts of the Virgin Mary that have been put upon decorated pedestals, while the remaining two are complete figures. There is one chair on the left, which may be for someone who wishes to pray, or engage in some level of worship. Through the examination of this display and its purpose, one can come up with additional information regarding what the term “religious” can mean in a nontraditional and traditional sense.

This display was created by someone who views Mary and Christ as figures of awe, and by someone who wanted to use their porch as a place for them to feel connected to venerated figures. Also, this display has been built in plain sight by its creator, which indicates that this installation was constructed for the public just as much as it was built for private use. This public display may be intended to express one’s beliefs to their community, or it may be intended as a communal area. Alternatively, this display may simply be a way for the person who lives there to celebrate their faith, and it may not act as a place for worship per se, but rather a place where one acknowledges and expresses their contentment with their religion.

Those who come across this dedicated scene will immediately interpret it as religious for the sole reason that Mary and Christ are figures of Christianity, but if one were to approach what it means for something to be religious more broadly, beyond the strict definition of religion and define it as William James does, then one begins to delve into what religion means on a more personal level. James defines religion as a “personal attitude which the individual finds himself impelled to take up towards what he apprehends to be the divine” (James 51). Stemming from this idea, the terms “religious” and “religion” develop meaning beyond the confines of what someone interprets as strictly one religion or another, and emphasizes one’s personal connection to God or what they believe to be their source of meaning. What someone believes to be religious may not necessarily be derived from a particular religion, rather what they believe to be religious may just be something from which they derive meaning for themselves, or something that helps them find happiness.