Art 1B: Art/Religion

Is Art and Religion Relevant Today?

Art and religion are both relevant today. Art, creative expression, etc. are always relevant as indicators of contemporary beliefs and perceptions. The effect religion has on people shows its importance in American culture (as Patton Oswalt put it in reference to Mel Gibson's film: "Jesus beat Spider-man at the box office!"). Mel Gibson's "Passion of The Christ" seems so strange to me, but is an excellent example of the huge impact of religion on people. If it were ANY other man, very few people would last more than 10 or 15 minutes of watching a similar beating on a big screen. The closest thing I can imagine is "Roots" and I can understand that part a little more because it seems closer to a personal struggle and EVERYONE loves to feel heroic through someone else. Why would someone spend $10 to watch their Lord and Savior get beaten and nailed to a plank? I don't think they would have the same self-projection to Jesus, but then again, some people are just so righteous. It seems to me that this is exactly like any other kind of advertising: bringing people closer to an idea or belief (or product) by emotionally pulling them into it. Outside of the United States: some years ago there were riots and murders in Europe because somebody drew Allah in a cartoon (for some reason this didn't happen when Allah appeared in an episode of South Park with Joseph Smith, Jesus and the like to fight David Blaine's cult).