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What is a particular creative piece -- a work of art, a book, a movie, a song, a performance, anything -- that has a religious theme or overtones, and yet you can't help but like it or even love it?

I'm thinking of this because on Easter Sunday there will be a live broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar with a pretty cool cast. Being raised Jewish and being an agnostic, one would think I'd get myself far away from this. But this show has one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's best scores and awesome songs, I've liked it for years, and I'm very much looking forward to the broadcast.

bleurowz 8 Mar 18
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63 comments (26 - 50)

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1

I still listen to some CCM (Contemporary Christian Music.) To me, it's no different from enjoying creative works from other cultures. Same goes for quite a bit of art and earlier forms of Western music that are sacred in intent.

When I was a teenager I was asked by my very religious cousin what music I listened to. I listed a bunch of bands. She informed me that I was listening to "secular" rock. I said, "No, I listen to rock. YOU listen to Christian rock - rock came first. Chrtistians hated it - but now use it as a recruiting tool. " I guess I was atheist back then.

I refuse to listen to modern Christian music.

1

One of my favorite books is "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov which takes place in both early 20th centu ry Moscow and the days leading up to the crucifixion. Great book - Satan is actually portrayed as a protagonist... Pontius Pilate is a hypochondriac and Jesus is sort of awkward.

Another is "Lamb" by Christopher Moore - funny retelling of the life of Christ from the viewpoint of his childhood BFF, Biff.

3

Oh, and The Exorcist... Great book and movie -

When I read it, I was dating a woman whose mother would not let me in the house with it - true story...

@Stevil Lol

9

HAndel's Hallelujah Chorus....especially singing it!
Incidentally the Hallejulah by Cohen is NOT religious in any sense....if anything anti--religious

Thank you for pointing out that "Hallelujah" is not religious. As for the Hallelujah Chorus, I have sung The Messiah many times, and as I have said elsewhere on other threads, it is not about religion for me - it's about the music, and especially about how I feel when I sing. 🙂

AnneWimsey, I'll have to listen more closely to the words of Cohen's Hallelujah

Cohen's Hallelujah is one of my karaoke songs. With utmost respect.

1

The cross. I have a collection of them. I love the different artwork and the symmetry. Also, it is a connection to my Pagan days (the cross was around before Christianity...🙂

what did it symbolize before christianity?
/

@btroje It was a Pagan symbol and meant different things depending upon the path you were on. On my path it was symbolic of the meeting of the physical and spiritual planes of existence.

2

tHE Pieta

3

I used to like "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", but Charlie Daniels is quickly becoming the next Duck Dynasty Douche...

You can like a song without admiring the singer of the song.

1

From the cultural / enrichment point all books / movies / song....even the Piss Christ....I like them all. Each one teaches me something new.

Yay the Piss Christ!

5

I don't own any but I would think rosary beads would be a really therapeutic thing to have on hand for high anxiety days. 🙂

I have a set of catholic rosary beads and a set of anglican rosary beads. They can be therapeutic.

@Stevil Those are for late night anxiety when "I just can't get to sleep"

They can, indeed. Religions use repeated rhythmic movements to induce at least a mild hypnotic state that "opens" the mind, of at least people, to the power of suggestion. This CAN be used for beneficial therapeutics as well as "mind control."

Rosary beads remind me of Buddhist mala beads. They have the same purpose.

@bleurowz cool, bleu, something new. I have to look into Buddhist mala beads.

2

Neil Diamond’s “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”

@Stevil I actually looked that up recently and I can't remember the consensus. I don't think of Billy Graham when I listen to it. 🙂

2

Jesus Christ Superstar, because I am a sucker for show tunes. Heh.

Me too!

2

The Recordare from Mozart's Requiem. Although it's a plea for Jesus' mercy on judgement day, it is so earnest and stunningly gorgeous. It also is a work of complete technical and expressive mastery.

1

Why me Lord by Kris Kristofferson. You will have to watch the You Tube version where he explains how he came to write the song.
I don't care if it rains or freezes from the movie Cool Hand Luke. Don Imus use to have if as his theme song for his radio show in the 70's. Imagine by the Beatles and 'This Train' by the Band.

3

Hieronymus Bosch's "The Last Judgement." When I first saw it around age 10-11 I was amazed, shocked, frightened and drawn to it. I didn't know who did it, or the title, but whenever I saw prints of it or in books, I would just look at single figures, then sections of it, and the the whole thing (repeat). I found out about 5 years ago the title and artist. Fast foward to a 2 years ago.... 2 week trip to Europe highlighted by a river cruise. By the end, I was sick as a dog, but we still had 3 days I n Vienna and 4 hours before we could check in to our hotel. Randomly picked a museum to check out to burn up some time.. smal museum, but some cool old art but I'm fading fast..stumble into the last room running on fumes... BINGO! There it was, right in front of me. Stayed there for 45 minutes taking it in.. would've been longer but The Boss was sick, too and wasn't invigorated. As close to a "religous moment" I've ever experienced.

MikaB Level 5 Mar 18, 2018

I love when that happens. I had that experience with Van Gogh's "Starry Night" - not a religious piece, but that experience of coming across a favorite work of art in person. Saw it at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and was just blown away.

1

A lot of Beethoven, for example. A Love Supreme by Coltrane. 10,000 Days by Tool. A lot of churches have amazing architecture.

5

I love the songs "Hallelujah" and "Amazing Grace".

8

I sing in a large concert choir, and we do the old masters - Mozart, Brahms, Verdi, Faure (etc) requiems, Beethoven's Ode to Joy & Missa Solemnis, many Glorias, Stabat Maters, and Magnificats, many Bach cantatas and several Passions. It is about the music, always. The patrons who attend our concerts are not necessarily there for a religious experience - at this point, most of these works are "art" - we create music to create beauty against today's darkness (to paraphrase Leonard Bernstein, who himself wrote a beautiful Mass that is just glorious). Our choir has many different religious viewpoints represented: Buddhist, Jewish, Xian, agnostic, atheist. We come together for community and song.

Sounds lovely. And Leonard Bernstein, a nice Jewish boy, wrote a mass? Awesome.

@bleurowz He did indeed! You'll find numerous versions of it, along with another beautiful work, his Chichester Psalms, on YouTube.

4

I know one thing that has religious overtones that I still find very interesting is the architecture of church buildings. I guess it still remains with me from the time when I was a christian. I just love looking at old church buildings and also the different modern church designs. One church I enjoy visiting is the National Cathedral.

My favorite church is Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. It's awe-inspiring.

1

To quote Tim Minchin, "Some of the songs that they sing have nice chords, but the lyrics are dodgy."

I love a lot of religious music, architecture, art, etc. Cause here's the thing. I think believing is a bit silly, but one can't understate that some people do pour their heart into faith sometimes and the results can be beautiful.

Something doesn't have to be TRUE, to be beautiful. Consider any great work of fiction.

1

Saint Matthew's Passion, and all J.S. Bach music. It truly makes me feel that there is a divine spirit who inspired his music.

3

Dogma. Even though it is completely ridiculous I much enjoyed it.
Life the Universe and Everything bookset. Though really only touching on any religion very marginally.
Exorcist - because holyshitOMG...nononono

1

Not into the myth either but it does explore human traits and longings and failings more than most things about the character.

More relateable than the perfect boy/man/god who never ever sinned or had sex.

2

Schubert's Ave Maria.

1

Love this song. But the singer refers to "him", a veiled reference to Jesus I'm pretty certain, as he eventually became born again. The lines between 2:50-3:09 show great humanity & warmth.

1

I don't know if this counts but I love the tomb of the unknown warrior in Westminster Abbey on poppy day it is covered in red poppies and I always try to get someone to put some white peace poppies on it for me buying them from the Peace Pledge Union - They always get picked up and thrown out but they stay awhile.

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