Tag: architecture

Manmade or Natural?

Trinity Church in Boston, MA

Brick and mortar stands alongside glass and iron in downtown Boston, MA. Bridges and tunnels connect the God-made land to the manmade portion upon which 70 percent of Boston proper sits.
Even among all this manmade fanfare, however, the brilliant portions that stand out are those made by the Creator.
Boston Commons, the oldest national park in America, stretches for acres, green and growing, amidst the assortment of streets and buildings.
Trinity Church reflects in the glass sides of a more modern building, towering above all but the Prudential Tower a few blocks away. Even this old beauty is dwarfed by the marshland, Fens Park, sprawling acres that abut the home of the Boston Red Sox.
The green grass and fluttering leaves surround pools of sparkling water. A natural haven offers relief from the heat reflecting off the iron, glass and cement surrounding it like a conquering army.
More greenbelts sift their fingers through the architectural feats of mankind. As we traveled north from the city toward our hotel, strips of trees stood sentinel over the cement and asphalt thoroughfare.
I wondered at these makeshift forests, small compared to forests near my home in Oregon. Why were they left here? Why had the engineers forfeited that coveted ground to a more natural habitat?
To me, the answer is less important than the ideology these waving trees represent: Man needs the natural resources God gave in the form of trees, plants and waterways.
Sure, trees take the carbon we spew into the air and regurgitate life-giving oxygen. I’m talking about something deeper than that.
Studies show that people who spend time among the trees are healthier and happier. Is it the fresh air? Is it the natural Vitamin D acquired through ingesting sunlight?
I believe a simpler answer exists. God created us to commune with him. Nature declares the glory of God. Thus, when we spend time in a natural environment, serenaded by wind whispering through the leaves and birds chirping from the branches, our soul is nourished.
I’m not trying to be heretical and claim that communing with nature is the same as communing with God. I don’t believe God is in nature. However, we need a place of peace to experience true communion with God. That place – which exists within us – can be more easily accessed when we’re surrounded by the sounds of the Creator instead of the noisy fumes man spits out.
What is your favorite manmade structure? Has it ever helped you find a way to deeper spiritual communion with God?