…if some small mistake were made in doctrine, huge blunders might be made in human happiness. A sentence phrased wrong about the nature of symbolism would have broken all the best statues in Europe. A slip in the definitions might stop all the dances; might wither all the Christmas trees or break all the Easter eggs. Doctrines had to be defined within strict limits, even if man might enjoy general human liberties.

                                                                    G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

I found this section in Chesterton’s book quite intriguing because what he discusses has been quite observable in the history of Christianity, especially since the Protestant Reformation. From the white washing of beautiful churches in Calvinist Geneva to the destruction of altars in England, iconoclasm has frequently reared its ugly head among Christians. Also, the condemnation of (and sometimes legislation against) legitimate holiday festivities due to supposed pagan influences has been a recurring theme among some groups. One of my issues with certain Protestant denominations (not all, for sure) is that they seem to always need to reinvent the wheel, theologically speaking. The Church already dealt with iconoclasm in the 8th century and spoke authoritatively with the 7th Ecumenical Council. It’s fascinating too, as Chesterton notes, how coherent and strictly defined theology can actually preserve Christian liberty.