Explore Sacred Sites

Sacred Destinations Travel Guide

There's often something spectacular about sacred places. People are inspired to create spaces that are more meaningful than the other places where they work, live and play. This often translates into a place that is unique, complex, beautiful and timeless, and installs a sense of awe in mortals. Sacred places are some of the oldest and best preserved architectural structures in the world, and can be key to understanding the values and dreams of a culture.

Many of the sites in Sacred Destinations have photographs, maps, links to other sites, and a description and history of the place.

They have included all of the favourite sacred places I’ve been, including the torii/ arches in Fushimi Inari, Japan, the mosaics in Ravenna, Italy, the reclining Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal, Canada.

It’s a great site to visit when you’re planning a trip to a foreign vacation, whether that means everything you need to get started on a pilgrimage, or a few tips of great places to check out on a backpacking trip.

Today's Link source: Digg

What is "GOOD" about Good Friday?

beliefnet: What is Holy Week, What is Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, Passion, Easter, Resurrection, Last Supper, What is Palm Sunday
"Why is it 'Good' Friday?" - Rev. Dr David A. Killian

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. It's the day that Christians use to celebrate the day that Jesus Christ was killed on a cross, and it is a statutory holiday in many Western countries.

As Rev. Dr. David A. Killian from Brookline, Massachusetts says:
"What is 'good' about an innocent man being arrested in the middle of the night; betrayed by one of disciples, Judas; denied by another, Peter; accused falsely by the chief priests; mocked and scourged by soldiers; and condemned to death by the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate? What is 'good' about crucifixion as a criminal and being scorned and mocked in one's dying hours? What is 'good' about the crown of thorns on his head, the nails in his hands and feet? Yes, this is a good question, Why is Good Friday called Good ?"

There are different views on this, but the linguistic view is that it is the result of the changes to the English language over hundreds of years. One theory says that Good Friday was " Godes Friday", meaning "God's Friday". Another view is that "Good", used to be the same as "Great" or "Holy".
The spiritual view, as Rev. Dr. David A. Killian from Brookline, Massachusetts puts it, is that "Bad Friday" becomes "Good", "because God took the treachery, cruelty, and injustice of the crucifixion [on Good Friday] and transformed it into an expression of love, forgiveness and faithfulness" by bringing Jesus back to life on Easter Sunday.

Today's beliefnet link explains "Good Friday" and many of the Christian terms and ideas that are used to describe the events of Easter week.

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