Not for everyone

[Bwana]

Went to visit my oldest this past weekend where he is attending college in southeastern South Dakota.

Sunday after church we headed to Sioux Falls for dinner and to see what the city had to offer. The oldest remembered a church that his youth group had visited while on their mission trip to Joplin, Missouri to aid in the cleanup from the big tornado they had a few years back. He wasn't sure of the name but we took a guess and found what we were looking for. Talk about being over-the-top fancy. Anyway, here are a couple of pics of St. Joseph Cathedral for those of you who might be interested.

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[Big Muddy]

That isn't a Southern Baptist church, for SURE !!!....no spittoons or fiddles. ;)

[LJ3]

I love shooting Catholic weddings for that reasons. Those boys know how to build a dang church! My favorite so far was St. Timothy's in DC. Where Kennedy's service was held.

[LJ3]

Here's the innards of that place.

http://www.acladc.org/PICTURES/st%20matt%20inside.jpg

[Big Skyz]

Bwana, next time you are in this region of Montana, Helena has a heckuva cool looking cathedral chapel. On par with what has been shown on this thread. It's worth seeing. I always appreciate excellent art and architecture, the Catholics excel at both with their cathedrals.

[Bwana]

Len, oh my.

BS - have to keep that in mind.

I should have taken pictures of the stain-glass windows too but for some reason I never did.

[HideHunter]

Okay - there always has to be one.. I'm it. I'm a poor man. . . been poor all my life. When I see these I have very much the same feeling as standing on the strip in Vegas. I can't help but appreciate the "art", but when I look around ... the decadence nearly overwhelms me..

[LJ3]

It can seem a bit over the top, true enough. They still need to raise another 22 million to finish repairs on the National Cathedral in DC. That's a big ass collection plate!

[Thumper]

I appreciate the art and beauty of it all, but (to me) it would be more meaningful for a place of worship to be "humble". Shouldn't the bazillions of $$$ go to feeding the poor or something? I know I'm a fly in the ointment, but it reeks a bit IMHO.

We have a HUGE monstrosity of a church down here (I can see it from my house as it's directly across the lake from me). This is a relatively small town and the sanctuary has 10,000 seats! Talk about a frigging mess! The whole family are preachers .. dad, son, brothers, son-in-law ... on down the line. The one son got busted for ripping off $3,000,000 from the congregation, mostly retired and elderly, in some investment scam. Then the family started feuding and two pastors split up and started their own churches. The original church is a gargantuan monster on prime property (67 lake front acres!) and unable to support itself due to the congregation splitting up and the fraud scandal. It's been empty for a few years now and was just purchased by a company who is going to demolish it and build apartments or some such there. This church cost millions of dollars to build and will be facing the wrecking ball this year. It sure seems that money could have gone to a better cause.

I don't have a clue why a "house of worship" should be an extravagant, showplace. I used to shake my head everytime I drove by the Crystal Cathedral in California. Same deal ... bazillions of $$$ down the tubes. The place went frigging bankrupt. I think that money could have been better spent.

Again, I appreciate the art and beauty of these places ... but honestly, I just don't "get it".

[DeputyDog]

The cathedral in St. Paul, MN is really nice also. What do you think would happen if the Catholic Church sold all of the art works they own? Where would it end up and who would be able to see it. Some rich guy would buy it for his private collection and it would be never seen again by the common person. Now it is on display and anyone who wants to see it can for free. Remember, the collection that they have, the majority of it was commissioned by the church so it's not like they have gone around the world buying up some of the most famous art works in the world.

And by the way, the Catholic Church is the largest charitable organization in the world. They give more than anyone else to help the poor around the globe, and don't check for a baptism certificate to make sure the recipients are catholic before they help them.

[Bwana]

Though I am amazed by the artistry & beauty of such places, I tend to agree with HH & Thumper that all flash isn't necessary or desirable for a church. I guess it just shows that people have different ways or styles of worship, etc and to each their own.

[Thumper]

Deppity, I see a place for churches and museums. I'd never think of heading out to my local art museum to worship. Why go to church to admire art?

I'm not looking for a battle or even to degrade anyone's thoughts or beliefs .. I just don't understand it (personally). That said, I REALLY like this new Pope ... I love his "humbleness". He is a breath of fresh air IMHO.

[HideHunter]

The cathedral in St. Paul, MN is really nice also. What do you think would happen if the Catholic Church sold all of the art works they own? Where would it end up and who would be able to see it. Some rich guy would buy it for his private collection and it would be never seen again by the common person. Now it is on display and anyone who wants to see it can for free. Remember, the collection that they have, the majority of it was commissioned by the church so it's not like they have gone around the world buying up some of the most famous art works in the world.

And by the way, the Catholic Church is the largest charitable organization in the world. They give more than anyone else to help the poor around the globe, and don't check for a baptism certificate to make sure the recipients are catholic before they help them.

No "defense", to me, is necessary.. But the money had to come from somewhere.. Defend it to the people who are contributing to the collection plate. ;)