Perception of Sacred Space

Abstract

Discrimination of space into sacred and profane is as old as mankind. This study suggests a typology for categorizing sacred Space at three broad levels: mysticoreligious, homelands and historical. Each is further divided on the basis of the extent of the group which shares the consensus view of sanctity. Recognizable levels include international, national, regional, community, neighborhood and individual sacred space. The Mormon culture was used as a basis to test the validity of the proposed typology through use of two questionnaires administered to Mormons. The first questionnaire was an open-ended survey to determine all important regions which were recognized as sacred. The second questionnaire was then prepared which required respondents to rank 15 sacred sites or regions in terms of their sanctity. An analysis of the responses indicates that those sites which are perceived as most sacred are mystico-religious sites where Mormons believe contact occurs between divine powers and man. The next level of sanctity was applied to homelands. The recognized homelands include Utah and Jackson County, Missouri which the Mormons view as a promised land. The third and lowest level of sacred space includes sites of historical importance to Mormons.

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