SteelHead wrote:Yep, when you are hungry to the point of starvation on a daily basis, you worry about food much more than uplifting art or architecture. To me, meeting basic physical needs takes presidence over providing spiritual uplifts. Those who argue otherwise have in my opinion most likely never experienced abject poverty.
I may speak out of place, but I imagine that starving children in sub Saharan Africa would prefer a bowl of food over an hour of contemplation in a cathedral. Feeding them spiritually while they starve physically seems an inversion of priorities. Again, those with the big fancy churches seem the most defensive about this issue.
You remember Mother Theresa and her order right? Feeding all of the poor in India, not to mention taking care of the ill and dying. Especially those dying of AIDS, during the height of paranoia about the disease.
Her sisters are still all over the world doing that very thing to this day.
There are many Catholic organizations and orders that are in the poorest parts of the world feeding people, and teaching them to help themselves. All of this right along medical care, orphanages, etc.
Yes, there are many old, big, and beautiful Catholic Churches, but, when were they built? Some of them are hundreds of years old.
Now, if you're thinking the Catholic Church, or any other church should sell all of their big buildings, fine, when that money is spent, then what?
Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.
There is no instant solution to helping/serving the poor. They will be with us til the end of time.