Consider the following about Catholics. They employ all 5 of their senses in worship.
- Sight - not only seeing what’s going on at Mass or reading the Bible, but using religious imagery for inspirational or meditative purposes.
- Smell. Good ol’ incense.
- Touch - feeling the Rosary beads while in prayer
- Hearing - hearing the Mass and prayers and so on.
- Taste. Communion every single Sunday and it’s available every single day of the week.
I may be totally wrong, but it seems as though Fundamentalists tend to shrink away from these very physical components of worship and rely more on…well…I guess on emotions or faith or some other intangible thing. Oh, I know we/they have their/our communion too, and we/they hear sermons and read Bibles. But beyond that, it’s all purely “spiritual.”
I am seeing a trend to go from the OP of Fundamentalists to a generalizing to all Protestants. There are Protestant churches who have almost all of the above in some form, there are those that do not.
My family would fall well into the category of Protestant Fundamentalism. I would say that the only things missing weekly are taste and smell (and, frankly, I am just as glad they don’t have the incense, as it would mean I could never attend–I am allergic–had to get a special sandalwood one for my wedding as it is one of the few that doesn’t set me off). Taste–we usually had communion four times a year. There is an argument for including the traditional coffee and doughnuts or potluck in the taste category, though, as fellowship is just as much a part of the worship experience for them as anything else. When one fellowships with a fellow believer, one is in the presence of God (“where two or three are gathered together in my Name…”)
Sight: My parents’ home is filled with images of Jesus, the Nativity, the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove), the Cross, etc–they probably have more religious statues than many Catholics
. So while many Fundamentalist churches do have very plain appearing sanctuaries, that element is not lost to them. Visit any Christian bookstore to see a sampling.
During a worship service, there can also be something very spiritual about a bright, plain, white, sun-filled room in terms of connecting with the light of Heaven. Another element is the amount of religous jewelry, accessories, etc that the people may be wearing—my dad has quite a collection of religious ties, for instance, as well as tie pins, and my stepmother has lots of religious jewelry. The special bookmark for the Bible or Bible cover that has inspirational artwork or text on it.
Touch: The rosary is not the only thing one can touch in a worshipful way. They share the feel of the handshakes/hugs of their co-worshippers and clergy. The feel of the Bible/hymnal in their hands. There are things like pocket crosses (some made of nails), mercy stones, WWJD bracelets, promise rings, etc–all things that are designed to be able to be used as a focus for prayer or reminder of one’s faith.
Hearing: Never discount the importance and effect of the music as well as part of worship. The praying aloud, either in their own language or in tongues is a very spiritual thing to them as well, particularly prized are those that are spontaneous and come from the heart of the individual.
Actually, for the Fundamentalists I have known, it is more about the goal of living their entire lives as the sacrifice (literally " to make sacred")–they seek to transform everything they do and touch into a worship and witness to their religion. Worship is a very visceral, physical thing. Rather than shrinking away from or ignoring the physical, they seek to transform them into things dedicated to Jesus. Look at the market for Christian videos, bumperstickers, Jesus on everything one can imagine–clothing, books, jewelry, etc. For example, my father at one point dedicated his stereo to God and only allowed Christian music to be played on it (and in the car, not fun for a teenager).
