One man’s art is another man’s idol.
Don’t forget, the Protestants of the Reformation often hated beautiful things.
No less an authority than the Protestant Ralph Adams Cram, a world renowned expert on art and architecture, once wrote:
“From the outbreak of the Protestant revolution, the old kinship between beauty and religion was deprecated and often forgotten. Not only was there, amongst the reformers and their adherents, a definite hatred of beauty and a determination to destroy it when found; there was also a conscientious elimination of everything of the sort from the formularies, services, and structures that applied to their new religion. This unprecedented break between religion and beauty had a good deal to do with that waning interest in religion itself. Protestantism, with its derivative materialistic rationalism, divested religion of its essential elements of mystery and wonder, and worship of its equally essential elements of beauty. Under this powerful combination of destructive influences, it is not to be wondered at that, of the once faithful, many have fallen away. Man is, by instinct, not only a lover of beauty, he is also by nature a ‘ritualist,’ that is to say, he does, when left alone, desire form and ceremony, if significant. If this instinctive craving for ceremonial is denied to man in religion, where it preeminently belongs, he takes it on for himself in secular fields; elaborates ritual in secret societies, in the fashion of his dress, in the details of social custom. He also, in desperation, invents new religions and curious sects working up for them strange rituals . . . extravagant and vulgar devices that are now the sardonic delight of the ungodly. ... If once more beauty can be restored to the offices of religion, many who are now self-excommunicated from their Church will thankfully find their way back to the House they have abandoned. The whole Catholic Faith is shot through and through with this vital and essential quality of beauty. It is this beauty implicit in the Christian revelation and its operative system that was explicit in the material and visible Churches and their art. We must contend against the strongest imaginable combination of prejudices and superstitions. These are of two sorts. There is first, the heritage of ignorance and fear from the dark ages of the sixteenth century. I am speaking of non-Catholic Christianity. Ignorance of authentic history, instigated by protagonists of propaganda; fear of beauty, because all that we now have in Christian art was engendered and formulated by and through Catholicism; fear that the acceptance of beauty means that awful thing—’surrender to superstition.’ It is fear that lies at the root of the matter, as it does in so many other fields of mental activity.” (Radio Replies, vol. 2: 1052)
Speaking of which, the Israelites called, and they'd like their bronze serpent back.
My gut reaction is...Oh well.
The lost knowledge of history and the past from the destruction of books is the more worse crime by far, but I have to say that at the end of the day I'm not losing much sleep over that either.
I never was much of an art lover.
Cromwell learned his trade well, later employing it for Henry VIII in the general dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1540, destroying in five short years what a thousand years had built. As Henry’s chief minister he embarked upon the destruction of an estimated 1,300 abbeys, priories, nunneries, and hospitals, some 2,374 free chapels and chantries, and presided over the acquisition and despoliation of their lands, and of their people.
Sad. There’s an English seminary in Spain that does reparations for this. the Spanish bishops set up seminaries for the Irish and the English during the repression of Catholics in those countries.
The English and Protestant French attacked villages on the coasts of Spain and would attack, plunder and destroy the church - sometimes locking the priest and people inside before setting fire to it - and the sail away.
The Protestants often hacked off the faces and arms of the statues, and this monastery in Valladolid does reparation for them, praying for the souls of the Protestants who committed these acts.
‘....antiquarian John Stow complained, some of this Christian Taliban’
Please this type of hyperbole and over dramatic explication tends to make the author’s point less valuable. The author acts as if the roman church never destroyed any art work at all ever. To suggest that only the ‘evil’ protestants destroyed artwork is nonsense and defies history.
If you actually want to make a point try to find something less hysterically presented
Edward VI was out for a ride in the countryside when he saw a completely destroyed building. He asked about how it had come to such a condition. He was told that it was once a great monastery and was destroyed during the reign of his father. Edward answered sadly that it was a shame that such a beautiful building should have had such a terrible end.
Nothing worse than a person who uses religion to push their non-religious ideas.
Shame on Moses
And yet the scientific and industrial revolutions were founded. Comparing the West to the muzzies is retarded.
I love art and am an artist who has not taken the nude drawing 2 class since I can draw someone with clothes on and not need to know about their bodies, just like I don’t need to know what is under the ground or under tree bark. That said, I think the Reformation came after the Renaissance (what I call the DARK going off the narrow path and getting into soft porn era). I often wonder what the time between His birth and His return will be called. The time of the Martyrs?
If God had wanted the art and books preserved, He very well could have done so with one command. I do fear for today’s art, but not the pagan stuff, and during the construction of the Temple, God was very explicit about what He wanted in our places of worship. No images. That is so we can concentrate on Him alone. I love beautiful cathedrals. Absolutely love the art, but when I pray I close my eyes and cover my head. I don’t think I should have to close my eyes.
Good gravy.
The Muslims and their “god” Satan find all this Christian fratricide delectable.
By all means, keep the pissing contest going.
Meanwhile, we have a country falling apart, a world going to Hell and Muslim jihadists planning your beheading and the subjugation of your families to the blood-soaked death cult.
ping
Great post and comments here and at the link.
Blood & thunder ping....