The physical setting of many churches has a beauty and a solace unto itself. It stills the heart and comforts the soul just to sit quietly in chapel, church or temple and let the sunshine filter in through stained glass windows, to hear the great silence of one's own heartbeat and to light a candle for one you loved so much for so many years. The music of many churches is magnificent. Some of the best musicians in the community practice their fine art on a Sunday morn or Wednesday concert. St. Martin's in the Fields has monthly concerts which move the soul and warm the heart.
Some ministers challenge the intellect.
Services as the great churches in New York, Dallas, Detroit or Denver reflect upon economic and political issues with little god-talk and a great deal of wisdom. Each congregation, each denomination, each religious tradition is a cultural life-world in itself. One cannot be a good anthropologist, sociologist, political scientist or psychologist without knowing, intimately, the very different pathways to the Holy embodied in diverse religions. Every service embodies the major social psychological concepts taught in class. Face rights, social boundaries, hierarchy, status-role, deference and demeanor, opening moves, disengagement routines, boundary Collusions, toy involvements, unique symbolic sets such as body talk, argot, clothing and behavioral routines all help students see the sociology of it all in everyday life.