THERAPEUTIC VEHICLES AND THE CONCEPT OF SURPLUS REALITY

Abstract

The significance of the "vehicle" in the development of the great religions is well known. It represents in an aesthetic and symbolic form the meaning of a particular religion, as the Catholic Church, the Synagogue of the Hebrews, the Mosque of the Mohammedans, the Byzantine Church of the Greek Orthodox, Buddhist Temples, etc. In the Catholic Church this meaning is conveyed in the sculptures and paintings of the saints and prophets, the altars, and the engraved scriptures, all of which in themselves tell the dramatic story of the Catholic faith. In other words, each vehicle represents the philosophy of that religion in a physical, tangible form. The worshipper is
immediately involved and almost hypnotized by the atmosphere of the church as he enters it.