Abstract
We only need to do an observation exercise to see that Christian churches are obvious places of consumption. In this area, the erroneous conception of equating the concepts of consumption and consumerism, has made both, congregation and the institution itself, try to distance themselves completely from this act; In fact, the episode of Jesus expelling the merchants from the temple (Mt 21: 12-16), has made that the link between these two dimensions of social interaction (sacred place and consumption) limits with blasphemy and heresy. For Colombia, since 1991, the number of Pentecostal temples rose 6,347 according to the report of the Ministry of the Interior. It must be said: a large part of these congregations not only restrict their activity to the repetition of a divine act that deserves to be commemorated in the form of a ritual act (Eliade, 1981), but they have also generated a whole “package of services” to transfer and consolidate knowledge, highlighting the bases of their faith: training schools, book sales, artistic and sports groups and pilgrimage trips. For many parishioners, these services are seen as “spiritual investments” because through them they can access more sophisticated forms of self-realization, and liturgical experiences. In this way, the Pentecostal Christian temple will be approached as a space where consumption can not only coexist with the sacred but also allows everything the sacred conserves its divine and metaphysical character so that the parishioners continue to see in them the religious repositories of their daily lives.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Religion, Social Studies, Consumption, Consumerism, Identity, Distinction, Christianity, Consumer practices
