Green Island of Nieuwe Kerk

Today, I am writing about my trip to the Nieuwe Kerk. This "New Church" may not be the main tourist attraction in the city but it sure is unique, let alone beautiful. Besides, from the historical value perspective, this is the first church dedicated to Protestant worship (so far, all the churches I have visited are (were) of Catholic faith). One can easily say that my visit to the Nieuwe Kerk was just a matter of time.

Source: panoramio.com

Located almost in the heart of the city, the Reformed church of Nieuwe Kerk , perhaps, stands out of all city churches with its peculiar architecture style. For me, personally, the building gave the impression of the isolated island (despite its central location), mostly becuase of the lawn (used as a cemetry centuries ago) with old trees surrounding the church.  This particular area serves as a safe 'harbour' for locals to relax and get away from usual chores while gazing upon the large building standing tall in the centre of this green island.

Apart from having relatively modern design (compared to Martinikerk and Der Aa-kerk), the interior of the church also has distinctive features. Unlike Martinikerk and Der Aa-kerk, the Nieuwe Kerk is actively used for religious purposes. Indeed, it would not be a lie if I say that almost everyday the church is used for hosting events, most of which are religiously motivated. As a result, it is reflected on the interior design with pews placed everywhere and the altar being nicely decorated.

Source: orgelfoto.nl

In the previous post, I have already started to discuss one of the two Blackwell's thoeries of motivation for religious tourism - content theory of motivation. Here I will reflect on the second theory - process theory of motivation. Under this theory an individual asserts the reward of the journey and, gets motivated, if it justifies the efforts put into action. In case of religious tourism, the reward is a spiritual enrichment (self-actualisation). If an individual believes that the journey (pilgrimage) will definately result in a spiritual enrichment, he may perform religious tourism. Unlike, content theory where enrichment is a need identical for every individual, enrichment in process theory is a reward which is valued differently, according to how differently individuals perceive it. 

References:

Blackwell, R. (2007). Motivations for Religious Tourism, Pilgrimage, Festivals and Events (R. Raj & N. D. Morpeth, Eds.). Wallingford, UK: CABI Pub.