1.04.2010

Christian Tourism

As far as "religious tourism" goes, I could list the obvious sights to see- all in the Middle East. Perhaps even cathedrals and Reformation-related sites in Europe should be added to the list. In the US, I had heard of the new Creation Museum near Cincinatti, but didn't know the Christian tourism industry had contrived other must-see places to visit. I passed a few ads for these attractions this weekend, but, sadly, didn't get a chance to stop at any of them.

When I think of things that belong in museums, I think "dead", "past", or "extinct" rather than "living and active," so the Bible Museum was hard for me to understand. Also, the fact that it's stuck in a random strip mall was a little bizarre.


Also, I think of museums having a place aspect to them- Abraham Lincoln museums, for example, appear in Illinois, where he lived, and Kentucky, where he was born, but not, say Idaho [Apparently "More than any other state, Idaho is related to Abraham Lincoln." Bad random choice on my part. Thanks, Twitter.], which wasn't even a state when he was alive. So, a Christ Museum in Tennessee? Seems a little out of place. Also- Christ is alive, see above.


This next one just made me wonder 1) Who says "Jesus talk"? 2) I wonder how many takers they have to come share a song on their TV station? 3) Unnecessary quotation marks are a pet peeve.


This last one was a Big Deal, and had a huge building next to the big Black Bear Jamboree show. Jesus looks so clean cut and ... white. Also, they have camel rides. Show tickets are only $38.17 each!


As for us, we went to see God's real attraction in the area... the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I'll take God's creation over a dusty museum any day.


4 comments:

Matt Moberly said...

I think it's a little depressing that museums have a connotation of obsoleteness to our generation. We go there to pay homage to things that are irrelevant, rather than to strengthen our present reality by informing it with the past.

Why don't we look at museums for adults the same way my kids look at the Children's Museum? They go to take in, and they talk for days about how their present experience is related to and enhanced by things they took in at the museum.

Sigh.

Joanna said...

Matt- Have you been to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago? It is kind of like that- a Children's Museum for adults. Most of the exhibits are over kids' heads, and interesting to grown-ups.

Eternal Lizdom said...

I think you definitely captured the best of God's actual "museum." Great post!

Anonymous said...

We usually go down to Gatlinburg with SC friends in January every year, but we can't this year because of Grant's job. Sooo thank you for the Smoky pictures. They'll be my consolation prize for missing the real thing this year!

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