The most magnificent buildings in days gone by were the giant cathedrals that were full of people during the services hend there. Built of stone before the discovery of iron which became the basic ingredient needed to make steel the huge buildings are attractive. Credit the architects and the stone masons who devised the ideas that guided the workers who built these magnificent buildings.
Empty cathedrals are caused by people abandoning the underlying belief system. The activity, .. attending a service, became repetitious and boring. The magnificence of a cathedral holds the promise of great value within but as people became more and more aware of the world around them their time became more valuable and the time inside a great building acting in unison became too expensive to be spent there. Better things were outside. The temptation of this world was greater than the promised reward somewhere else.
A message repeated better be correct. When it is discovered to be false it’s abandoned. Empty building. No matter the greatness of the appearance, the message needs to surpass the building. No matter the size of the crowd, the message cannot hold them if it’s wrong or irrevelant.
Belief can support a great many things. Many people sustain a belief over a lifetime. They are the attendees inside the cathedral but the diminishing number in the audience has a cause. Faith becomes insufficient when the underlying belief system is questioned and found insufficient. New behavior based in reality and reason, the metaphysical and epistemological requirements for acceptance of a concept, replaces faith.
Religion was discovered eons ago in answer to the human requirement for a system of information needed to guide one’s life. It provided answers that over time were replaced by more and more advanced ideas that replaced the mystical basis of the faith that was the cement that filled the seats. The body follows the advice of the mind. True information underlies correct behavior. Truth can replace faith. Empty seats are a consequence of a cause that was replaced by reality and reason.
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