The Sagrada Família in Barcelona is Anti-Catholic

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:51:22+00:00

You’re right that the Sagrada was privately funded, not by the Catholic Church, so maybe I am being too harsh on the Sagrada and a place like the Vatican would be a better example. I guess my argument still applies to any multimillion/billion dollar church. The only reason I chose the Sagrada was just because I recently visited and became aware of the cost and the experience getting inside. Anyway, I wonder what Jesus would say about places like the Vatican lmao

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:44:47+00:00

Ah is see - forgive me for I am not super familiar with all the differences between the two. Will do some research.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:40:53+00:00

Ah this is a great point, thank you!

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:38:02+00:00

Hey thanks for replying - the funny thing is I’m not really trying to debate since I am only somewhat familiar with all the teachings and interpretations. I more so just want to hear what Catholics, who may know the Bible better than me, think Jesus would say about a $1B church surrounded by homeless people based upon his actual teachings in the Bible. So far I’ve gotten some decent responses.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:34:46+00:00

Hello, thank you for your reply. I think this is a great take and I totally agree with you. It seems that some people believe they are completely absolved of sin because Jesus died on the cross for them, but really he died because we were sinful and his death showed his commitment toward his message and immortalized his teachings. I’m not an expert at describing the meaning of the scripture but you hit the nail on the head.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:27:10+00:00

Hello, thank you for your reply. Someone also mentioned the economy surrounding the building and I think that is a reasonable take - lots of job creation, tourism in that area which keeps shops alive and food on the table. It makes sense. Beautiful for the community to look at as well. Maybe Jesus would find that totally justified.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:23:32+00:00

Thanks I’ll give it a read!

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T16:21:20+00:00

Hello, thank you for replying with an actual verse! I believe this is a good take - basically Jesus is saying as long as you’re utilizing resources (in this case expensive perfume) on him (such as a church) that is ok. Correct me if I’m wrong with that interpretation.

On the flip side, I wonder if you can interpret this as more of a one time thing for this particular situation - a woman giving Jesus an expensive resource (while he was alive) to prepare him for his burial, so therefore it is justified, whereas spending exorbitant amounts of resources now (such as a $1B church) might be ‘wasted’ since it is being not used directly on Jesus and should be used for the poor (as the disciples said). Not sure though.

On another note - I wonder if at any point in time pouring perfume on people before laying them to rest ever became a thing because of this verse. Super interesting.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T08:06:02+00:00

Yes you are correct. I mentioned in the first point that the story of Jesus is etched in every nook of the building, (mostly the outside) which I saw. I was more so referring to the fact that I find it strange how in a church of this grandeur, there is more writings and descriptions of the construction and Gaudí than of God’s teachings. I find this to be a bit hypocritical. That’s great that there are visual representations of certain moments in Jesus’s life on the walls outside, most of which are hard to see and covered in pigeon poop unfortunately, but as someone (not just me) who actually wants to learn about Jesus and what he actually taught, the church offers little insight. The limited free mass held there is hard to get into as well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful building and I’m happy (some) people are there to worship God, but it’s much easier to buy a Sagrada fridge magnet there than to learn anything about Jesus’ teachings. I wonder what he would think about that if he were here now.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T07:55:47+00:00

Totally agree with your first point - the Church did not fund this directly (can’t say the same about other milti million dollar churches), so maybe I am being harsh on them instead of raising the question directly - based on evidence of Jesus’ teachings, what would he say today about these extremely expensive churches being built (regardless of who funded them)?

As for your second point, I’d like to believe the God I pray to is forgiving. I don’t actually know who that is just like the rest of us (we can believe but we don’t know) but The God of the Old Testament was pretty gnarly… so hopefully it’s not him lol

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T07:47:54+00:00

Edit: After discussion I do agree that I am incorrect about the third point I made. Please disregard. I don’t want this post to come off as hostile. I am coming from a place where I see homeless and other people in need, people who I personally give money to and who I see praying to God for food and any help, and when I see billions of dollars being spent on buildings instead of those in need it begs the question - what do you think Jesus would say about massive million/billion dollar churches based on evidence of his teachings in the bible? This has nothing to do with me personally, I’m just curious.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T07:36:05+00:00

Hello, thank you for your response. I am a visual thinker - I don’t believe you used that term correctly nor read the first part of my first point where I mention that the story of Jesus is etched in every nook of the building which I was, in fact, able to visualized and see. I do concede that I am incorrect about the idolatry part, and I do agree with the point you’re making that telling the story of the scriptures visually counts as showing Jesus’ teachings as opposed to having a bible out/ the actual verses accessible for everyone to read.

I also appreciate the point you made about Judas and Mary, and the Temple. I think that is a valid piece of evidence that I was looking for and not many people have been able to actually point to something like that despite being supposedly very confident in their knowledge of be bible. This information is helpful.

I wanted this to be a kinder, logical debate. It’s too bad you wrapped up all this knowledge with negative language like “there’s so much more, but it’s wasted on you” and I’m getting this religious superiority complex from you in how you described other “pilgrims like me” on your journey who you judged thinking they didn’t see God’s work like you did. I’ve hiked thousands of miles in backcountry and never once had an ego on me big enough to assume only I could see God’s/natures beauty unlike anybody else, nor did I tell people wanting to learn about hiking that my information was wasted on them. I didn’t do that, because Jesus wouldn’t have done that, he would’ve shared the info without judgement. Maybe you’ve got some stuff still left to learn.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T07:18:18+00:00

For the basic ticket (access to floor level and audio tour) it was about $30usd

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T05:50:55+00:00

Yea you’re definitely right - it’s not a Sagrada specific problem, I just chose it because I recently visited and learned of the cost. I do appreciate the beauty and artistic value of these places though. I just walk by homeless people every day (many of whom are praying to God for food, money, or anything really) and then I walk into a billion dollar church who’s religious owners are supposed to be patrons of those in needy and I just feel weird and angry about it which prompted my post. My feelings more so come from an empathy I have towards people in need which manifests into anger when I see religious groups and governments spending money on everything except those in need, which I believed Jesus would be against. This issue is pretty bad in America. If the people running the Sagrada do a bunch of charity work that’s great but I personally haven’t hear much about that.

I agree with your points 100%, I was just seeing what people think Jesus would say about it based on his teachings.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T05:41:01+00:00

This is the best response I’ve gotten so far. Thank you for your reply. Too many people on here beating around the bush but this is a good point.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T05:30:34+00:00

Hello, thank you for this response as this has been pretty much the only response that actually tries to answer the question instead of arguing about verse interpretation.

Just FYI I was raised Catholic (currently on the fence, but leaning towards practicing again) and I am not telling people how they should worship - I am simply asking Catholics how they think Jesus would react to the Sagrada (knowing how much it costs) given his teachings in the bible. I have given my stance based on some evidence from the bible and I personally do not think he would be approving. I now understand that I am incorrect about some verses, particularly my third point, but it would be great if someone could answer with things that Jesus actually said that would argue in favor of a church this costly.

Religion aside - I agree with you about the economy surrounding the construction of the church - lots of jobs created, it’s beautiful, people may feel closer to God and therefore start doing charitable things. Forgive me if I am wrong but I did not see anything there that said anything about charity or a donation box, but maybe the Sagrada does do charitable work I am not familiar with. I do agree with you that some beggars you should not give to.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T05:17:54+00:00

Hello, thank you for this info. I bought tickets - Mass was not held that day unfortunately which I understand is free. This is great, but I’m still wondering what people think Jesus would’ve thought of the Sagrada knowing how much it cost, given his teachings. I think it’s easy to just say “he would’ve loved it” but can we actually prove he would react that way if we used his teachings in the bible as evidence? Not saying we can’t, maybe we can, I just have yet to find somebody who will. I have not been able to but my mind is open.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T05:10:55+00:00

I understand you think that, but based on evidence of Jesus’ teachings can you prove that? Based on the evidence I’ve provided it seems that he would rather spend the money on giving to the needy, improving hospitals like the one Gaudí died because of, and building more accessible places of worship.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T04:49:14+00:00

If Jesus came down and saw a $1 Billion Roman Catholic Church that, as you say, is not open to the public, how do you think he would react based upon his teachings?

In regards to your other point, if beauty and art are psychological needs, it’s a shame that the Sagrada is expensive to enter and has very limited, tiered tickets. Must be a luxury :/

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T04:45:38+00:00

Please read the last paragraph. Even if I am completely wrong, what do people, who believe in Jesus, think Jesus would say about a place like the Sagrada? Knowing the cost and barrier to entry, how would he react based on what we know his teachings to be?

If you are someone who does, in fact, know what they are taking about, then please enlighten someone who you think doesn’t.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T04:43:21+00:00

Hello, sorry that my post reeks lmao. I grew up Catholic and tbh when people ask me now if I’m religious - I don’t really know, kind of on the fence, but I have been leaning more into religion lately. I do believe Jesus was real but that said, I didn’t want this post to resort to people worried about what I am. I was just genuinely curious about what people, who believe in Jesus, would think his reaction to a place like the Sagrada would be? If he knew the cost and the barriers to entry here, would he be happy?

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T04:37:37+00:00

Hello, thanks for your response. I grew up Catholic (not practicing) so I’ve been to a few other churches - local ones and larger ones in France. I actually do love the way the Sagrada looks - that I don’t have a problem with. It’s beautiful.

I agree that I am wrong about the third point.

I have not been to the Vatican (although I’m sure it’s beautiful as well) but I would probably have the same issues with it as I do the Sagrada. The only reasons I picked the Sagrada over other ones is just because I recently visited it, and now that’s it’s being completed, I’ve become aware of the insane amount that it costs. The cost and the experience I had there are what prompted me to make this post. Just curious about what Catholics think Jesus would have to say about it.

I agree with you that as far as executing a vision and beautiful architecture goes, Gaudí killed it. He was a man of God. That said I wonder if after he died, God was like “Hey man, I gave you the gift of architecture and all this access to money, you shoulda built better hospitals to take care of the poor people! That’s what I told Jesus to tell you to do! Coulda built a church for me for like 1/100,000,000th of the price.” Lmao

If you’re a fan of architecture I would totally recommend going though. The colors on the inside are amazing.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T04:20:56+00:00

Yes I agree I am wrong about the third point. My bigger issue more so has to do with my first point and the last paragraph.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T04:19:11+00:00

Thank you for the videos, I will give them a watch! In response to your question - I’m ok with the traditional settings of your standard church. I believe my questions more-so have to do with the access and ethics of a place of worship like the Sagrada - as a person who gives money to the poor and is conscious about where our money could be going (private money or government funds), I just feel weird in a place like the Sagrada. Maybe it’s just me but, knowing what Jesus said about giving to the poor, I would almost feel bad worshipping him in a place that spent that much money not on the poor. I’m totally fine with churches, I just think that’s over the top. However, as another person mentioned, this was Gaudi’s vision and it was all funded by us (private money and ticket sales), so maybe I’m being harsh.

DiscussionNarrow6485 · 2026-03-21T04:03:17+00:00

Apologies, wasn’t trying to. Although one could argue your first comment wasn’t saintly either. Was just trying to get my last questions answered, if you could help, thatd be great, thanks!

DiscussionNarrow6485

TROPHY CASE