Pagan Statues

[fides' Jack]

22 hours ago, CS937 said:

Did you read the article I posted in my previous post?

Yes I did.  Thank you, it was worth the read.

20 hours ago, Nihil Obstat said:

Of course we would - we would be missing those pieces we got rid of. Art is not really fungible - one piece is not replaced by another piece, even if they are both equally artistically valuable.

If we ever lose Botticelli's Birth of Venus, through theft or war or accidental damage (God protect us), we will have lost an irreplaceable cultural treasure. Yes we will have many equally worthy pieces of religious art, but regardless we would have lost something that is effectively priceless.

I appreciate the sentiment.

I'll be honest, I am a little torn on the issue.  I completely agree with @Credo in Deum that pagan knick-knacks should not be kept in the home.  I also agree with you that we've completely lost our sense of objective beauty, and perhaps if we made an effort to preserve those pieces that exemplify true beauty, it could make a difference.  Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder.  I still also think that beauty is worthless if it is not in some way directed toward God.  Do saints in heaven care about Botticelli's Birth of Venus?  Probably not.  Does objectively beautiful art, made by beings who were made in the image of God, give glory to God?  Possibly.

I'm also way out of my depth on the matter.  I've thrown in my two cents.

[CS937]

2 hours ago, fides' Jack said:

Yes I did.  Thank you, it was worth the read.

I appreciate the sentiment.

I'll be honest, I am a little torn on the issue.  I completely agree with @Credo in Deum that pagan knick-knacks should not be kept in the home.  I also agree with you that we've completely lost our sense of objective beauty, and perhaps if we made an effort to preserve those pieces that exemplify true beauty, it could make a difference.  Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder.  I still also think that beauty is worthless if it is not in some way directed toward God.  Do saints in heaven care about Botticelli's Birth of Venus?  Probably not.  Does objectively beautiful art, made by beings who were made in the image of God, give glory to God?  Possibly.

I'm also way out of my depth on the matter.  I've thrown in my two cents.

https://lucazavagno.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/saradi-mendelovici.pdf

 

^This is also worth reading  

[KnightofChrist]

Idols as Art could have saved the lives of many early christian martyrs. 

Meh. We modern christians are fatso lazy wimps.