People like to see splendors.

Vatican Splendors. That's the name of an exhibit I saw today in St. Paul. Artifacts. From 2,000 years of Christian art and history. Maybe too much splendor. I get an uneasy feeling when I see so much splendor. Sometimes I think organized religion has far too much splendor. Too much extravagance. Yes, it makes me uncomfortable. And when I step outdoors, outside of a cathedral or a basilica, I feel so much more at ease. The contrast of man-made versus god-made. Nature. Nature. So beautiful. And I see the people I love as god-made. They are my conduits to god. My love connections. And god is love. An edifice or an exhibit of religious artifacts -- well, that's not quite the same. Oh, it's nice. But I'll tell you what I liked most. The displays of the apparel worn by the Swiss guards. The guys that guard the Pope. Yes, it was gawdy. Lots of pomp. Kind of funny, too. To dress in such costumes. Albeit, they call 'em uniforms. And some of it armor. Metal. And the history of the Swiss guards. So interesting. As I wandered through the exhibit, I saw so much suffering. How Christians suffered. And sometimes I wonder if they relished the suffering. Seems a little sick to me. Art work. Showing Peter being crucified upside down. Jesus on the cross. Oh, so much sacrifice. So much suffering. In the name of god. After I left the museum, I went by one of my book stores. And picked up a dictionary of the gods. Yes, a list of 2,500 gods. Imagine that. They've identified 2,500 gods. And so many, many religions tell us that they have the real god. The others are bogus. Anyway, maybe my god isn't even on the list. I didn't see 'Broede's god.' Well, I'm home tonight. In my little Paradise. It was snowing earlier this evening in Paradise. I've been out for a walk. Two miles. And then I decided to come in and write this. Kind of a way to worship god. I think of someone I love dearly, too. That makes me feel as if I've been touched by god. Blessed. And when I walk outdoors, I feel like I am in god's house. Yes, in Paradise. In love. Close to another special being. And to god. And to have all this, it's unnecessary to enter a man-made edifice. We treat god like royalty. We build castles to god. Like the castles that kings and queens live in. I don't know if god wants such splendor. Prefering simple love instead. Spiritual love. And that's something from within. An inwardness. Love. Love. Love. It can't be bought. Good lord. Look at what has happened to me. I wouldn't be talking or writing like this if I hadn't gone to the Vatican Splendors. By the way, it was a sellout. I had to wait 45 minutes to get in. And they let a batch of people in every 15 minutes. So it wouldn't be too crowded. People like to see splendors, I guess. --Jim Broede