Going to Church
People who go to “church” regularly receive the satisfaction
of having their identities as well as their moral and institutional commitments
confirmed. I use the word “church” here as a shorthand for “religious
services,” and what I have to say applies equally well to services in
synagogues, mosques or temples.
The confirmation that churchgoers receive comes both from
the form of the service and from its content. A church service has a standard
form, and those who attend regularly know it well. Typically, there is a
ceremonial beginning, which may be an opening blessing. Then, there is a series
of prayers that affirm the core beliefs and values of the church’s religious
denomination. There is usually a reading from a religious text, and the reading
is followed by a sermon that expounds on the meaning of the text. Finally,
there is a closing blessing. At regular points during the service, there may be
music. In some churches, the music consists of songs sung by the congregation,
and it may also include instrumental accompaniment.
The familiar form of the service envelops the congregants. As
they repeat familiar words and sing familiar songs, they feel at home among
people like them in a place that is theirs. The unchanging form of the service
gives them identity and belonging. In a changing and uncertain world, it gives
them stability.
The content of the service supplements the form. The words
affirm traditional beliefs and values, and in the context of the service, each congregant
reaffirms his/her commitment to them. The congregant does this even though he/she
may in fact have serious doubts about their validity. This is hypocritical if
you like, but it is very human. It gives the congregants a sense of sharing a
tradition with deep roots in the past. It tells them who they are.
A religious service also has a “happy ending.” Our religions
tell us that the world is ultimately a just place ruled by a just God or
perhaps by an impersonal karma. People will get what they deserve. The good
will surely be rewarded, and the bad will be punished. The moral books will be
balanced in an afterlife, in what Judaism calls “the world to come,” or in a
subsequent life for those who believe in reincarnation. Of course, many
churchgoers doubt the truth of such teachings, but they suspend their disbelief
just as playgoers enter into the spirit of a play by suspending their disbelief
in its reality.
Watching Hallmark
Watching a Hallmark movie is a similar kind of experience.
The movie has a formulaic plot with standard characters. It takes place in a
familiar setting. People who watch Hallmark movies regularly know exactly what
to expect. Just as in a familiar religious service, they are enveloped in a
familiar environment in which they can feel at home. They know that they are
sharing the experience with many other people, and that gives them a sense of
belonging and community.
Hallmark movies, like religious services, affirm traditional
values: family, home, romantic love, rural living, second chances. During the
movie, the viewer accepts those values even though he/she may not really
believe in them. A person firmly committed to a busy career in a big city can,
for a moment, believe that life in a small town in the Rocky Mountains is more
authentic and more humane. A person going through his/her second divorce can
for a moment believe that his/her true love is waiting somewhere. Finally, a
Hallmark movie always has a happy ending. As the characters often say, “Things
have a way of working themselves out.” The lovers find each other; the conflicts
are resolved; true love wins out; and the audience turns off the TV feeling
good about themselves and about the world.
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