Of religions and art

Published by Alexia in the blog The Thought Police accidentally put me in the 5th circle of hell. Views: 409

Art is defined as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.” Humans express themselves constantly through mediums such as painting, sculpture, music and writing. We create out of imagination and out of the need to express our new information and ideas.

But why do we read the same book over and over again, listen to the same song constantly or view the same artworks day after day? I believe it to be for comfort and security. The first time we view an artwork, we do so to experience something knew without running the risk of feeling real pain. If our favorite character dies as opposed to a friend, the grief is much less because the character was never living. The second time we view the same artwork, we have become accustomed to it. We know what is coming next and so we feel a sense of security. When we play a piano piece, we know which phrase will come next and when we read a book, the deaths of the characters have already been written.

How is religion any different to art? Religions hear the same stories over and over again; giving a sense of security. Just like art, religions are expressions of human creativity that change over time as our needs develop. So what is the difference between art and religion? There is no difference. One could also say that Atheism is considered art, as Atheism is still an expression, though it is more analytical than creative. We can conclude from this that if Atheism is art and religions are art, then one could consider Atheism to be a religion. Although Atheists do not worship a God, do religions have to include a solid belief of the supernatural?
Oct 23, 2012
  • Echoax
    Echoax Oct 23, 2012
    Religions to me would be to believe in a god or gods of some type. Since atheist do not believe in gods I would not call it a religion.
  • Legion
    Legion Oct 23, 2012
    Interestingly enough, what you're saying makes sense. I agree with this a good amount, despite being a Christian. Religions are often used to instill security in oneself.

    And even more interestingly, what you said about Atheism can also be applied to other religions. Does it really require a strong belief in God or anything supernatural to call yourself a Christian, go to church, and go through all the motions of being Christian in order to gain security and comfort in your life?

    Sadly, no.

    This is the problem with Religion. I hate religion. It takes something so much bigger than any of us understand, and then turns it into a bunch of rules to follow, which end up turning into pointless rituals. I LOATHE it.

    Being a Christian is so much more than going to church, praying when someone asks you to, yada yada yada. That's Religion, not Christianity.

    And what Echo said I agree with also. Atheism is different from Religion in that its sole purpose is to disagree with religion. So while it COULD be called a religion, I would not call it that.
  • Berry Punch
    Berry Punch Oct 23, 2012
    Atheism is the lack of theism, nothing more, it holds no content to express.

    The prefix A denotes not and without.
  • Alexia
    Alexia Oct 24, 2012
    There has always been a debate between if Atheism should be regarded as a religion and so I thought I'd explore it a little. I am still unsure if Atheism could be considered as a religion, but what I do believe is that the terms 'religion' and 'religious' tend to be misused a lot. Therefore, I'm finding it hard to reach a conclusion. All I can explain for now is that both Atheism and Christianity etc have a lot in common with each other, yet there are some defining features. For example, house cats and lions can both be considered felines. But can lions be considered as cats?

    For now, that is where my brain stops. I'll have to continue to break it down. xD
  • Berry Punch
    Berry Punch Oct 24, 2012
    Theism nor atheism have anything to do with religion, a person can be one or the other, and still be either religous or irriligous. But theism and atheism are not religions themselves, they are the belief in a god, and the lack of that belief respectively.

    The domestic cat and lion are seperate species, however they do share the same genus (feline), but are not in the same family as each other. Meow :3
  • Alexia
    Alexia Oct 24, 2012
    "The domestic cat and lion are seperate species, however they do share the same genus (feline), but are not in the same family as each other. Meow :3"

    ^This. This is where I stand with theism and atheism at the moment. ;3
  • Soraian
    Soraian Oct 24, 2012
    I just throw myself out of the circle, no tags for me, I'm just a void, no theism no atheism, just grayness. please?
  • Alexia
    Alexia Oct 25, 2012
    ^ Nice. o.o
    Though, I for one have a tendency to try and classify everything and anything (including myself). :p
  • Soraian
    Soraian Oct 25, 2012
    Sometimes not being apart of something is the greatest acceptance of all, some people cant accept that i have no place, they say; YOU ARE AN ATHIEST, YOU ARE A THEIST, YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SOMETHING OR NOTHING NOT JUST A VOID, i just want to be accepted :(
  • Alexia
    Alexia Oct 25, 2012
    You say that not being part of something is the greatest acceptance of all, yet you still want to be accepted? :p A little contradictory there.
  • Soraian
    Soraian Oct 25, 2012
    I never stopped seeking acceptance i was just disappointed that nobody would give it to me if i didn't label myself, i need someone to allow me to be label less, that would be the greatest acceptance.
  • Alexia
    Alexia Oct 25, 2012
    You know what you can label yourself as? You. Screw fitting in with the general masses when you can be their evil overlord. ^^
  • Soraian
    Soraian Oct 25, 2012
    Ohmygodyes.
    :3
  • Alexia
    Alexia Oct 26, 2012
    Exactly. ^^
  • B-Dog1996
    B-Dog1996 Oct 26, 2012
    I do not consider Atheism as a religion, for the reasons Berry mentioned.

    And I also do not consider religion as an expression as such. I consider it a way of life. Like Legion said, you can't just turn up to Church once a week and call yourself a Christian. It requires you to take its teachings and apply them to every moment of your life.

    So while it could be seen as a creation of human imagination, I still don't feel as if it's art (unless you count human life as a form of art).
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