In addition, place attachment may be religiously based. Through
religion, the meanings of certain places become elevated to the
status of sacred (Mazumdar & Mazumdar, 2004). Revered places
such as Mecca or Jerusalem or, on a smaller scale, churches,
temples, shrines, burial sites, or divine places in nature, are central
to many religions, and their scared meanings are shared among
worshippers. Not only do such places seem to bring worshippers
closer to their gods, but reverence for, and protection of, these
places essentially reflects one’s cultural fealty. Although religions
often designate which places are important, Mazumdar and
Mazumdar note that religious connections to place can also be
individual: a place may gain spiritual significance through personal
experiences (e.g., an epiphany). Therefore, the cultural and individual
levels of place attachment are not entirely independent.
Cultural place meanings and values influence the extent of individual
place attachment, and individual experiences within a place,
if positive, can maintain and possibly strengthen cultural place
attachment.