edbang at 9:37AM, April 23, 2009

@mlai: Interesting point! :-) Since Vatican 2, in 1965, it's been the modern catholic way for priests to celebrate mass facing the congregation instead of having their back facing them. It was said in latin before, and today it's mostly said in the language of the locale. I think we can agree today that common language is not really vulgar, but the application of it can make it vulgar. I don't think it's ok to not go to Church, because that's where people worship God together. There are two basic types of prayer: Personal Prayer and Community prayer. Both are vital to the relationship we have with God, because we're called to have a relationship with God, and with other people as well. Church just makes it a lot easier to get into community prayer in a safe environment. I do not know if I agree with Mr. Joseph Campbell, about the reason the ritual is losing power. The mass today still has plenty of divine mystery. Turning wine to blood, and bread to body is one of the mass' greatest mysteries. We can't explain it with physics, but that is our faith. It wasn't wrong to worship the way it was done before, but humanity's relationship with God has evolved, as relationships often and should do. Our rituals are merely reflecting that. The ritual really depends on the people's intention of their worship. If an adult person went to church because they were forced, whether they understood and believe in the ritual or not, is wrong. If the same person went to the ritual whether they understood the ritual or not, but did for the right reason (loving God and neighbor, or because they are an open person seeking a relationship with God and do not know where to start), then they strengthen the ritual. I believe intention is way more important than the ritual itself, as the ritual is really a formula we know that improves our relationship with God and other people. I believe the reason today why people are not filling the churches, thus having the ritual seen as losing power, is because people are no longer forced to go! Religion was a very political thing before. You worshipped what the king worshipped, or be an outcast. Faith is just not seen as a priority today. We think we know better and don't need God, but I believe we need God very much! I wonder how many people back in the day were really in church for no reason? Even today it'd be interesting to know...

mlai at 7:06AM, April 23, 2009

Regarding ritual vs layman's understanding... Joseph Campbell said something about that. He said that rituals are not understood for a reason. It is the mystery of the divine. To speak it in a common "vulgar" tongue/language, to personalize it, to have the priest face you to talk to you, rather than facing forward to talk to God... it loses its power. "Personalizing God" was the Protestant way originally, and now is the modern way, I suppose. On 1 hand, it allows more intimacy. OTOH, it puts you on equal footing with something that should be your irrevocable authority. And with that, ppl start fudging on commandments: "[i]It's okay, God won't mind if I don't make it to Church.[/i]" That sort of thing.

edbang at 8:49AM, April 22, 2009

Nice tutorial. I like how they do the shadows. I've tried a variation of it in this pic and half in the previous pic, but I'm not totally happy yet. Practice, practice... A part of this comic is a conversation with God. I agree a lot is also introspective, but I believe God has his own way to communicate with us... My point is it's not always an in your face kind of thing, but a subtle thing you can easily miss if you didn't pay attention.

JustNoPoint at 4:46PM, April 21, 2009

*Bookmarks the coloring tutorials. That hair one will be really useful. This tutorial taught me my current coloring method. [url]http://omar-dogan.deviantart.com/art/Colouring-Tutorial-72826280[/url] I loved the prayer on the edges as well! I want to color clouds like that too. This is a pretty nice change of pace from the end of the world comics I generally read. Just a guy wandering around with his own thoughts. I didn't realize how enjoyable it would be.

edbang at 6:57AM, April 21, 2009

That's very true. I think the most important thing is to know the meaning behind the rituals, otherwise we're just going through the motions. One of my favorite priests explains the mass as he celebrates it. Tradition is good, but to appreciate it, it needs to be understood. I've wondered often why we still use, thee, thy, thou and art in some prayers... I think in community it works, but as a personal prayer it's just weird.

Evil Emperor Nick at 11:57AM, April 20, 2009

Like so many things it is sometimes had to seperate what we do out of habit or tradition and what we do because it means something. Long story but each year at my grandfather's church there is the asian mass were asians from across the area are invited to celebrate the mass as well as celebrate asian culture. It is really great! It is extreamly interesting to see how someone who shares your religion but comes from a totally different cultural tradition celebrates god. It was/is one of the best religious experiences of my adult life. It really opened my eyes at least as to how much of what I do sometimes is just the European way to do things.

edbang at 11:15AM, April 20, 2009

@E.E.N: You're right I should've made it a bit more clearer. I put it on the side to give more space to the comic. This Our Father's version is the english liturgical version of 1998. This one time, I was praying with some friends, and when it came to the Our Father, one of them prayed this version, and I was a little surprised. When I thought about it, it was just as valid as the traditional version... It opened my eyes a bit on what the nature of the prayer really is.

Evil Emperor Nick at 6:49AM, April 20, 2009

Oooh nice effect with the semi-boarder. I missed it at first.