Religion, Arts, and Entertainment

[pckizer]

Mozart's Requiem (classical music)

Additionally: one of my favorites is Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor.

Would the world be better without all of it? (ok, so that's a huge question).

A friend and I were discussing that very thing a few years ago while touring the Trammel Crow Collection of Asian Art.  My answer to him at the time was that I'm very glad of the patronage the vatican (and various more local instances of the catholic church) as well as various other religious and private institutions have made in the funding and furthering of various forms of art.  We are definitely better in that way for the various art they have helped come to exist.

I have two other issues, though:

1: Particularly with the more recent mono-theistic religions but also even with the older religions with greater deific variety, how many of the pieces of art are merely copies or slight reinterpretations of the same subject matter over and over.  Given how much richer the variety of topics they might have had to choose from, how many new styles or subjects might have developed if artists had been encouraged more toward the new and novel?

2: Also, when the new was made in some medium of art and then the most popular religion in an area changed due to time or new monarchs, how often were those types of art not fitting in with the top religious styles of the day ordered destroyed in some way.  As a modern example, it may have been an extremely common topic, and also might not matter for those that follow the tenets; but, consider the Buddhas of Bamyan that were notably destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.  Consider that art and science were long considered very similar in practice and the (possibly religiously motivated) destruction of the Library of Alexandria so many years ago.

In relation to those and more I could add if I didn't already get more long-winded than I intended, I don't hold that the world would be better without it (quite the contrary), but I do hold that the strangle-hold religion has previously held on the production of art has greatly been to the detriment of society at times.

[Tanker]

Jerry Uelsmann, btw, is a great religious photographer. You may pick up on some of the symbolism.

Whoa!  I could waste some time on that site...

Is it all done with the camera, or is it photoshopped after?

Slightly off topic but...
If you like his work you may like this couple's
http://www.parkeharrison.com/
I like their older stuff  better (architect's brother).

I don't have anything to add to the main thread simply because I've never thought much about it. If something is beautiful to me I can enjoy it for it's beauty. I can find a sunset beautiful without thinking of the light being refacted by the Earth's atmosphere 93,000,000 miles from the huge fussion funace that created it 8 minutes before (though laid out it is kinda awsome). For me beauty is beauty regardless of the source.

(I don't know if this makes any sense I can't seem to figure the right words.)

[Sophus]

Also.... Bob Dylan. He's wonderful no matter how crazy he is.

[i_am_i]

I admit to listening to Wagner and liking it. In terms of my enjoyment of his music, I don't care about his views on Judaism.

Every time I listen to Wagner I get this overwhelming urge to invade Poland.

[karadan]

I liked Dogma. Does that count?

Big pretty churches, religious paintings and statues are totally meh in my opinion.

Give me MC Escher any day.

[jrosebud]

Do they have to be current religions, or will any myth do?

Botticelli's Birth of Venus made me cry when I saw it in Florence.

[KDbeads]

If non-current is ok.....
Gregorian Chant

Current, 'chant infused' in some cases:
Enigma, Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos

[HollyM]

I know a lot has already been said on this topic, but I'll still offer my 2c.

In my opinion, as long as I enjoy the music and the lyrics aren't too bad, I still enjoy it regardless of religion. Being a fan of musicals, Godspell is definitely one that I enjoy (at least some of the songs--including Day By Day, By My Side, and Turn Back O Man.

Outside of musicals, there's very few religious songs I listen to, having been tortured by a lot of bad hymns throughout my childhood years (even at seven, I was bored stiff by a lot of the "songs" sung in church; no rhyme and rhythm to them, and a lot of the time it was sung on one note and not by very good singers either). However, I enjoy listening to "Amazing Grace", especially by Hayley Westenra.

So, I think it's more of a personal thing, and much more than just to do with whether a song is religion-inspired or not--it's to do with the music as well, and good singing doesn't hurt either!

[MrDavidBowers]

Hey!

I just posted this on a different topic, but I think it's actually more appropriate here

I just watched a film called THE EVANGELIST. I think atheists would totally enjoy it! I certainly did =) Totally funny and irreverent

Check out the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVI3VeSavtw

You can watch it online starting July 6: http://theevangelistmovie.wordpress.com/web-premiere/

[xSilverPhinx]

If non-current is ok.....
Gregorian Chant

Current, 'chant infused' in some cases:
Enigma, Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos

Yeah, I listen to Enigma and Era and do have a particular liking for Gregorian Chants...when listening to them I hardly even remember they're christian music.

Theta and delta brain waves.