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What’s the religious scene like down there? (what with all the researches it does seem a bit oxymoronic to ask, but whatever.) Can a devout Catholic fulfill his sacramental needs? (If one were to be , hypothetically, dating such a devout Catholic whilst trying to convince him that Destination: Antartica is a must do…) Thanks! Bing
Hi Bing.
At McMurdo, there’s a chapel with a variety of services during the summer months, often with a visiting chaplin. At the other stations and field camps it’s kind of D.I.Y. religious services. Antarctica is a bit of a religious experience in itself; I think God would love for him to go.
8)I would like to assure you that eventhough there is no chaplin/priest over the winter, there is still a religious life down here. There are always Bible studies and non-denominational services, which are lead by volunteers from the community. In the past, I’ve even known devout Jews who told me that their biggest problem was sticking to the kosher diet.
For those people who feel spiritual but are not comfortable attending church, there are always open minded individuals willing to discuss any topic. Either way, religious or not, there is no reason not to experience “The Ice”.
They say don’t talk religion or politics, but the two subjects abound down here. Less in the winter, but in the summer we are overflowing with political discussion groups. We have one couple who put on a class each year dealing with some form of religion and philosophy. The chaplins are very organized and are a big part of the summer community. In the winter there is always someone willing to take the lead and we always seem to have a very active winter religious community as well.
mThere’s almost certainly some buddhists. Probably some meditation groups, although you could start your own if there isn’t.
Last season there was a large pagan popultion too — I was surprised by the turnout for the pagan solstice party (a lot of them were probably pagan-for-the-day sorts).
😉Trust me, there are Buddhists down here – I’m one of ’em. No meditation groups here this winter, but there was over the summer.
Namaste.
atlas
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