Nicolas Maxim: Social and Cultural Context. Is pilgrimage needed?

In the Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture book Calvin states that "pilgrimages aided no man's salvation" (Turner & Turner, 1978, p. 30). In the Protestant religion they have a strong belief on faith rather than good works as the way to receive salvation (Turner & Turner, 1978, p. 30). The Catholic view is mostly that faith without good works is useless and will not get you salvation. This means that they feel one should believe in God and read his word, but they also believe that things such as pilgrimage are great for ones religious life. While both views are based on tradition, I agree very much with the Catholic point of view. I feel that pilgrimage is a testimony to one's faith and is something that adds to the spiritual journey of one's life. Faith is good but it does not allow one to experience liminality and communitas of pilgrimage. Liminality is the sense of being between two worlds which is often experienced in pilgrimage. Communitas is where community happens. I believe that it is important to experience the bonds and relationships that pilgrimage has to offer. When believing in a religion it is one thing to have faith in something, but it is another thing to live your faith out in your actions. When looking at religious people I always feel that actions speak louder than words. If someone says that believe in God but do not act in a Godly manner, they are contradicting their statement. Therefore, I see pilgrimage as a great way to live your faith out and show people that you are who you say you are.