Ryan Gibson (Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture)

Victor and Edith Turner, authors of Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture, helps explain the idea of pilgrimage as an religious and sociological experience towards spiritual growth. One interesting comparison made in this book is that of Pilgrimage to an affliction ritual. Affliction ritual is the act of experiencing suffering and pain in order to atone for ones sins and become clean again. While pilgrims make their journey for many different personal reasons, similar actions are taken, which seem to be very similar to the idea of affliction ritual. Pilgrims set out on their pilgrimage with a backpack full of food, clothes and everything else they will need for their particular journey. While they may not be thinking about it, leaving the comforts of home to head to a place with only a backpack of supplies is equivalent to a type of fast. While on pilgrimage, many comforts and luxuries are stripped away often causing forms of suffering from the initial withdraw. Also, The journey itself is bound to be teeming with different obstacles to face which the Turners equivocate to having their spiritual mettle tested. When comparing pilgrimage to affliction ritual the question is begged, what is the main difference? To me, Pilgrimage is more then atoning for previous actions but more about searching for a liminal experience. Both of these actions provide forms of spiritual growth, requiring some form of loss or suffering, whether physical pain or mental comfort in order to grow from the experience.