ART & RELIGION: CAN WE MIX THE TWO?

Religion Inc. by Gerardo Gomez

Whenever I bring religion into any conversation, I can only speak about my own experiences and what I have been faced head on with. I was born Jewish but raised both Catholic and Jewish because my mom is Catholic and my dad is Jewish. I had a Bat Mitzvah and went to Israel for Birthright – however, just because I was raised Jewish and had my Mitzvah and went on Birthright does not mean that I identify as being Jewish. I honestly believe that religion is another way to separate the human race and cause an even bigger uproar by creating more problems with diversifying.

I find that religion is more of a cult and provides a bad representation on how we should carry on with our lives rather than it does promoting good. The book, Art Is Not What You Think It Is, discusses this exact idea saying that “this is what is most deeply at stake in any discussion of the relations of art to something being promoted by hegemonic power as natural. Any such claims have always had very profound implications for the lives of individuals and communities, for it has consistently been the case that such claims are linked to political and legal systems of discipline and enforcement in many societies around the world, and across different religious belief systems and political cultures” (Art Is Not What You Think It Is). I say that I need to be more creative when speaking about religion because I know my beliefs and opinions are vastly different from someone else’s, however, I find that everyone should respect others opinions and try to take them all into consideration as opposed to being narrow-minded and only thinking their opinions are right and everyone else’s is wrong.

I find that religion separates the world so much and creates so many problems like war and segregation. If we took religion out of the equation, I find that it’ll aid the human population in a more productive and positive light as opposed to how it has made such a negative impact on the human race.

A lot of art, I am realizing, has a ton of religion thrown into it – more times unbeknownst to the viewer, which will automatically make the viewer look a lot more closely to the piece and find all the hidden “Easter Eggs” that are within the art. I believe that religion was once a big topic in the middle ages for artists to use as a way to express their own viewpoints without having to voice their opinion, rather they would simply have their own interpretation on display. Nowadays, we have social media and other necessities and tools for us to voice our opinions without having to say a word – the art speaks for itself.

Works Cited

Gomez, Gerardo. “Religion Inc.” :icongerardogomez:. Deviant Art, 18 June 2010. Web. 16 May 2017.

Preziosi, Donald, and Claire J. Farago. “Into the Breach of Art and Religion.” Art Is Not What You Think It Is. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. 121-41. Print.