The Importance of Pilgrimage for Christians (Cambridge International IGCSE Religious Studies)

What are the goals of Christian pilgrimage?

Pilgrimage in Christianity

• A pilgrimage is a journey by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons
• Pilgrimage in itself is an act of worship and devotion
• In Christianity, pilgrimage is not compulsory; however, there are special places for Christians, and it can help to build individuals’ spirituality
• The importance and significance of pilgrimage depends on the individual Christians and the denomination *that they follow

Reasons for Christian pilgrimage

• There are many reasons why a pilgrimage might be important for Christians

  • It helps a person to follow in the footsteps of Jesus

    • The Bible tells the story of Jesus and his parents making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and Christians may want to follow in their footsteps

  • Some Christians believe that some pilgrimage sites will help them to **heal **(physically or spiritually)

  • The person may want to ask God for** forgiveness for sins**

  • Pilgrimage can help people to feel cleansed and ready to make a fresh start

  • It could be to deepen their faith or concentrate more on their religion

  • Christians may also want to strengthen the community of Christians by meeting others with the same beliefs

  • Some Christians (Catholics) make pilgrimages to shrines where they believe the Virgin Mary has appeared, such as Lourdes

  • Other Christians (Protestants) may visit places where they can find peace to be able to study the Bible and pray, such as Iona

What are the challenges of Christian pilgrimage?

• There are several challenges of Christian pilgrimage:

  • They can be very expensive

    • This excludes many Christians from participating
    • These people could feel left out

  • Travelling and reaching remote sites can be very physically challenging

  • They are seen by some as unnecessary because there are no commands in the Bible or Church rules to say that they are needed

  • Many popular sites of Christian pilgrimage have become very commercialised, and the spiritual nature of the journey can therefore be lost completely

  • Some sites of Christian pilgrimage, such as Jerusalem, are in places where there is political unrest or conflict

    • Going on journeys to these locations can put people in unnecessary danger

• Some people think that there is no need to go on pilgrimage at all:

  • They believe that a Christian’s internal spiritual journey is more important than an external visit
  • They believe that God created the whole world and can be encountered everywhere, not by going to certain locations
  • They believe that there are better ways to show devotion to God than pilgrimage, such as helping others
  • It is irresponsible to travel great distances when the planet is facing a climate crisis

Protestant reformers

• The Protestant reformers were against pilgrimage altogether:

blockquote “All pilgrimages should be stopped. There is no good in them” (Martin Luther)

• Some Christians think that going on pilgrimage breaks the commandment not to worship idols

  • They might say that going to a site associated with the Virgin Mary or a saint and praying could be seen as idol worship

Worked Example Give two goals Christians may have for going on pilgrimage

[2 marks]

Final answer: Answer:

One goal is to feel closer to God [1 mark]

Another is to seek healing, either spiritual or physical [1 mark]

Exam Hint A sample c-type question on this topic might read:

Evaluate the importance of pilgrimage in Christianity.

You must refer to Christianity in your answer. Your response should consider different points of view when you evaluate the question [8 marks]

Prepare to answer this question by making two lists, one of reasons why pilgrimage might help Christians and another of why it is less important than other forms of religious devotion.

Use the information on the following page to help you get specific examples of places of pilgrimage to support your answer.