Religious Art from Other religions

[Femster]

how do others see this?

i have seen some quite beautful art- Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist- to me yes it conveys a message of their faith, but i see it just as art, like all art, to be appreciated and admired.

 

would you consider it a graven image if you were to go into an exibiton, saw something ou liked striclty for its art value, and then bought a copy of it?

 

I wold like to hear opinions on this.

We shouldnt make a image of God, but these pieces of art arent neccesairly of their Gods.

 

 BTW i very nearly became a Hindu, felt the love and warmth, but something was not quite right. And i do respect all religions, and would hope they would afford me the same courtesy ( not always possible though)

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

My favorites of art from other religions would be that of Native American, Celtic, and the Chinese Buddhist works.  Some of the Jewish art is beautiful as well.  I see nothing wrong with owning a piece as a work of art.    

[Outta Here]

I don't see anything wrong with it either. I do remember being chastised for purchasing my daughter fairy figurines--something about opening the invitation to evil spirits in my home. I suppose some might find something to object about the artwork along those veins. 

 

[Tom Wetmore]

I have several Buddahs in my house acquired while traveling in Asia.  One I bought, the others were gifts from friends. I associate no real religious significance to them, but see them of nice mementos to remember those places and friends.

[Unchained]

A figurine of Buddha or an icon of a Saint wouldn't be an idol for me. I would never be tempted to worship pagan gods, so such a piece of religious art would only have an aesthetically meaning to me.

However, I still think there are compelling reasons to avoid religious art in our homes. The main reason for this is because it can be a stumbling stone to unbelievers.

For instance, I once gave my parents a menorah I had bought in Israel. They had it on display in their window, and after seeing how conspicuous it was I to those passing by, I finally had to advise them to find another place for it. People with limited knowledge could be led to believe that adventists were some kind of Jews, (an allegation that I've personally encountered) and that's obviously not true. Likewise, someone who briefly visits your home might think your religious art is an indicator of your faith.

Furthermore, for some people veneration of religious images is a quite serious thing. Some people could even be offended if we use art that have a religious purpose for decorative purposes. We should also remember that warning against idolatry is an important part of our Christian duty, and our testimony could be weakened if people saw our homes filled with figurines of various gods. It's going to be hard to convince a Catholic or an Orthodox to stop venerating religious images if I own such images myself.

This is why I personally won't own religious art that have the potential of being misunderstood.

 

 

[Aliensanctuary]

Although we may place value on art as part of our cultural heritage, some view sculptures or photos or paintings as idols and objects of worship that must be destroyed. Even though we may admire human skill and creativity in art, ultimately, all works of man will be destroyed, leaving no trace of human existence on this planet. We won't miss it, or even remember it, though, after we are born again into new bodies with memories of the past all deleted.

[Gail]

Exactly! I have had this thought, too. What is there that we can truly preserve in this world?

[Outta Here]

Memories of the past all deleted?!! Really? I missed something somewhere along the way.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Memories of the past will be "deleted"?  I totally disagree with that idea.  If it was to be true, then why would Jesus bother to have the nail piercings in his hands still be evident throughout eternity?

[DreamWeaver]

I personally would not own art of other religions or religious ideals. We're too close to the end of time for us to be doing that. Art is something that appeals to us on both a carnal and spiritual level which could lead us to sympathize and eventually empathize with the foreign gods that the art depicts or represents due to us giving room to casual meditation on unbiblical things. We put ourselves in unnecessary spiritual danger by bringing home things that paint God in a false light. I think its bad enough that on a daily basis we have to combat competing doctrines that could lead us astray outside of our homes, so to bring something into your home that is 1 step away from being an idol, fetish or other object used to praise any being other than God, would be to work against your own salvation.

I mean, I'm an art lover myself so I know how it feels to see something that is not biblical and think it looks cool. But I would not give in to dwelling on those things nor would I take them home to make it harder for me to concentrate wholly on the Lord. While I don't believe the gods are real (I know they are demons and false representations of the Lord), I do however believe that there is a certain amount of temptation to be converted or spiritually mislead by that art, especially due to its beauty.

[phkrause]

I agree, don't believe that memories will be deleted. As time passes I believe that memories will fade away And if its true that we will have much more use of our brain's, it seems more likely that our memories will be around a very long time!!

[Unchained]

Those who claim that we won't remember the past quote Isaiah 65:17 as a proof text. Personally I don't think this verse was meant to be taken in a literal way, I don't think we'll have amnesia in heaven. I rather think that the dark aspects of our past is something we won't constantly ruminate over.

[Liz]

We won't have satan constantly reminding us of our bad things.

As to the art question, while I can understand wanting a nice piece and seeing it just as art. I'm also guilty of seeing things in other people's homes and thinking it is an expression of their faith. So I have to think that they would be doing the same to me.

[Aliensanctuary]

We might suspect that there will be form and function, but not art for art's sake in the Kingdom by extrapolation of the 10C's. Although, the Temples and Tabernacle were decorated with Cherubim and Palm trees and the Ark, Altars, Tables, and Candlesticks were decorated also, but that may just represent real Cherubim and palm trees and almond trees in the Temple complex. We might be surprised if a single artifact is rescued from Earth before its complete destruction, unless it's the Ark of the Covenant or other articles of furniture from the Temples/Tabernacle.

There may not be much from this life worth remembering in the Kingdom unless it's the sense of having done things to help others, especially for the poor, the sick, and the unfortunate. With the destruction of Self there would be few unselfish or uncorrupted memories left for us to recall. Not sure, but there may be a vague familiarity with someone we once knew, even though our old bodies and DNA codes are gone forever. Being born again, we might have the minds and bodies of children, part of the process of starting over with a "clean slate", one might say. As clones, we would all tend to look alike. Thus, no one would have any advantage of being "better looking" than someone else.

In the Kingdom we will find beauty, but it will be natural beauty, except for the huge cities above, lit up in colors like we might decorate our houses around Christmas-time.