{"id":60923,"date":"2026-06-16T15:11:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/living-spaces-and-spaces-of-faith\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T09:24:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T07:24:49","slug":"living-spaces-and-spaces-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/en\/living-spaces-and-spaces-of-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Spaces and Spaces of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”126887″]\u201cA picture is worth a thousand words.\u201d<\/strong> This saying captures something we don\u2019t always realize in everyday life: We often speak in images. Images, symbols, and stories explain values and realities without using many words. Language can do that. We can\u2014and do\u2014it every day. The Bible is full of them.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”504600″]<\/p>\n

Using Visual Language<\/h3>\n

Visual language conveys meaning without many words. We can make use of that. We\u2019ll get to that in a moment. First, however, we need to recognize just how much we ourselves rely on images. This allows us to talk about ourselves and about how an experience affects us. Last week\u2019s experience might have been \u201cheavenly\u201d or \u201cawful.\u201d That\u2019s one way to describe opposite experiences. It\u2019s simple, memorable, and clear. Whether positive or negative, imagery gets right to the heart of what caught our attention. <\/p>\n

When we differentiate, we no longer focus solely on ourselves, but also look beyond ourselves. We can look outward in ever-widening circles. Then we include, for example, our relationships, our work, and perhaps our religious community. These are vital parts of our lives. They shape us, and we shape them. There is a mutual influence at play. <\/p>\n

If we expand these circles even further, we can speak of living spaces<\/strong> and spaces of faith<\/strong>. These \u201cspaces\u201d are merely figurative language for the contexts in which we live or could live. It is all about context. One might think, for example, of the village or city where one lives, the church one attends, or the community of which one is a part. <\/p>\n

Visual imagery can be used to describe these connections. Visual imagery allows us to reflect on the situation we find ourselves in or to discuss what qualities a future context would need to have.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”367564″]<\/p>\n

The environment in which we live<\/h3>\n

The habitats or spaces of faith mentioned above could also be described as the biotopes in which we live. Ideally, they are the environments in which our lives unfold in a positive way. Images like these help me. They create some distance and simplify the complexity of our reality. Figurative language allows for a more neutral, yet concrete, examination of the subject. <\/p>\n

The terms \u201cliving space\u201d or \u201cspace of faith\u201d help us imagine our own lives or our own faith as part of a larger space. It\u2019s not just about my life or my faith, but also about the context in which we live. <\/p>\n

Every religious community is a unique ecosystem. Different churches or communities have chosen one form or another and have continued to develop their own ecosystem. The image of a biotope is quite striking because it allows us to reflect on our own culture. Is it truly a healthy biotope? Or, to use a figurative comparison: Is there enough oxygen in this pond to sustain life? <\/p>\n

The point isn’t to reduce a religious community to a fish pond, but to determine whether the habitat is suitable for its inhabitants (or: for me).[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ back_color=”color-731465″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ content_parallax=”0″ uncode_shortcode_id=”111146″ back_color_type=”uncode-palette”][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”586656″]<\/p>\n

A Place to Live and a Place of Faith<\/h3>\n

Talking about a \u201cliving space\u201d or a \u201cspace of faith\u201d is a form of figurative language. By using figurative language, one can often gain some perspective, and impressions can be described more clearly. <\/p>\n

Here are a few questions:<\/p>\n