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The CITY of Rome burned during Nero's reign. That had more to do with an inept ruler than religion. Just as the Great Chicago fire was not the end of the United States, so too was Nero's burnt CITY Rome not the end of Rome or Roman society.
The ROMAN EMPIRE - the ROMAN SOCIETY - collapsed much later, AFTER Rome as a society and empire converted to Christianity.
I have some questions: Do you believe that anything put into an art museum is art, no matter what it is?
Who decides what is art and what isn't art? Who decides what artist receives government subsidies for their work? Do you think that shock value is a characteristic of art?
Are you really telling us that there is nothing that offends you?
Yeah. How 'bout we put up a nice big photographic expose of Glenn Beck, praising the wonders he's done for our country, in the Smithsonian at taxpayer's expense. We could call it "The Enlightenment." Everybody on board with that one?
You're right. All religious subjects should be banned from museums because someone somehow will look to take offense about something. That's what religion is all about, afterall. Putting a pile of bricks up, calling it holy, spend thousands of lives defending bricks, throwing bricks at people who have bricks of their own, stealing other peoples bricks, vanquishing anothers brick pile, building a new holy pile of bricks to defend. Really I think it's just another form of urinal if you look through gods eyes how frequently males do their territorial thing. I think I've just created a new piece of art about religion!
Religious nuts, wattayagonnado.
You obviously have missed the bigger picture. And to call a church a urinal is despicable. You should be embarrassed.
I have some questions: Do you believe that anything put into an art museum is art, no matter what it is?
Who decides what is art and what isn't art? Who decides what artist receives government subsidies for their work? Do you think that shock value is a characteristic of art?
Are you really telling us that there is nothing that offends you?
Art is subjective but things that are purposely offensive, while perhaps being considered "art" by some, should not be put on display in a public museum.
The bolded statement is great. I honestly don't think the gov't should fund art museums and that kind of thing. There are a lot of things ("news" radio like NPR, art galleries, performing arts centers, etc.) that should stand on their own proverbial two feet and get funding through donations, charging admission, subscriberships, etc. Let the private sector deem what is appropriate via financially sinking or swimming and leave the gov't out of it.
The Smithsonian Museums are all free, which is pretty cool considering you can learn so much from them. If it were privatized, the admission would be astronomical.
So they had one exhibit you don't agree with. That doesn't justify ending funding for an entire institution.
Remember back a few years, when someone created a statue of Jesus out of elephant feces? That touched off a lot of screaming and yelling, too. Apparently, as soon as someone declares something to be "art," it's art.
Remember back a few years, when someone created a statue of Jesus out of elephant feces? That touched off a lot of screaming and yelling, too. Apparently, as soon as someone declares something to be "art," it's art.
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect...Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.
I have some questions: Do you believe that anything put into an art museum is art, no matter what it is?
Who decides what is art and what isn't art? Who decides what artist receives government subsidies for their work? Do you think that shock value is a characteristic of art?
Are you really telling us that there is nothing that offends you?
The difference between a random paper cup sitting in the corner of a room by accident, and an art installation depicting same is INTENT and MEANING. You may disagree with the meaning, or think it's not as profound or valuable as the artist making the installation thinks it is, but that's a whole different thing than saying something is not art just because it doesn't fit your particular mold of "what art is."
I don't find much artistic value in "Thomas Kincade's" paintings, or Yoko Ono's performance pieces. I may make fun of both, but I will not say it's not art when the intention and effort was put forth by the artist as a form of expression.
Did anybody on this forum even bother take a single art appreciation class?
Again, how many days has this thread moved on and maybe one person has even attempted to critique the artist's intent and meaning behind showing an image of ant covered Jesus? Was the purpose to offend? Was it to provoke criticism of the church's stance on AIDS and safe sex practices? Was it because it looks cool? To promote Islam?
THAT'S the difference between having an EDUCATED discussion on the subject, and your typical discussion with the Holy Roller City Data crowd, who are all emotion and indignation with nothing going on "upstairs" of substance to back it up.
Art is subjective but things that are purposely offensive, while perhaps being considered "art" by some, should not be put on display in a public museum.
The bolded statement is great. I honestly don't think the gov't should fund art museums and that kind of thing. There are a lot of things ("news" radio like NPR, art galleries, performing arts centers, etc.) that should stand on their own proverbial two feet and get funding through donations, charging admission, subscriberships, etc. Let the private sector deem what is appropriate via financially sinking or swimming and leave the gov't out of it.
Great post. Worth repeating.
Would have repped you but have to spread it around first.
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You obviously have missed the bigger picture. And to call a church a urinal is despicable. You should be embarrassed. 
