Churches in Asia, Pt. 1

(Updated 12-13-14)

Since Christmas and the end of the year holidays are approaching, I thought I’d write about some churches we explored in Asian countries. Bible students will know that many martyred saints are buried throughout India, and of course missionaries from all over the world, have for better or worse, spread Western religion to even the most remote regions of the planet. When I first was asked by our Burmese tour guide if I was interested in photographing some churches in Myanmar, my immediate reply was, “Heck no! I didn’t come all this way to photograph a bunch of churches”.  But she insisted and the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it might be interesting to see how a Southeast Asian country would interpret the Christian religion. Besides, the driver had already pulled off the main road and parked in front of the church in the photo below.

When I saw this church, St. Augustines SPG, surrounded by a small jungle, I had to have a look inside. Once inside I started looking for a good angle.  I had only made a few pictures, when the church filled with children, chiding me for not removing my shoes.  They were astonished to learn that Westerners wear shoes inside their churches. (Image Below)

Next, just to keep you readers on your toes, here’s a Thai temple that looks like a church:

Wat Niwet Thammaprawat, in Ayutthaya, Thailand, was built in a Neo-Gothic cathedral style, in 1878, by order of King Rama V.  The main golden Buddha image sits high atop an altar, and the whole interior of the temple is bathed in colored light streaming through the stained-glass windows.  There are no pews in the church as Thai Buddhist worshipers prefer to sit on the floor, but other than that, it looks like a church. The temple itself, is located on an island, which is accessed by a cable car and further heightens the whole experience of a pilgrimage here.

St. Mary’s Basilica in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, is another fine example of Neo-Gothic style.  We arrived at this church during the ten day celebration of the Feast of St. Mary, which celebrates the birth of Mother Mary, right at the end of a Mass.  Most of the women wore apricot colored saris, with a matching cloth head covering.  I hesitated to enter, but an usher came over and told me that while I couldn’t use a flash, I was permitted to walk wherever I wanted and make photos.

We walked all around the church, as our guide explained various aspects of the basilica and the Holy day.  A crowd gathered around us as we moved around and the locals were looking at us, pointing and talking amongst themselves.  Usually, this sort of behavior stops after they become bored with me, but this continued in a most annoying way, until I confronted them and asked what they found that was so interesting about me.  The crowd instantly dispersed and our guide started laughing.  “What’s up with these people?”  I knew it wasn’t the fact that I was wearing shoes, because some other Indian men were wearing shoes, and I had already checked my head three times to make sure I had removed my hat. 
The guide smiled, took a deep breath and explained.  “You have a dot on your forehead, from the last temple we visited, like you’re a Hindu.  You dipped your hand in the Holy water and blessed yourself, like a Catholic.  You’re wearing the bracelet of a Sikh.  Your jacket makes you look British.  Your beard looks like a Muslim’s.  You walk around with the posture of a soldier and you talk a lot and joke like an American.  They are just like our driver and I were when we first met you, and wondered exactly what you are.”

Oh!
Well, this brings our post to a close.  On April 23, we’ll have a post about a famous church in Penang, Malaysia.  Any guesses?

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