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One week and I go to India. I'm really excited about visiting these old temples and hearing the stories. It's so odd to be this excited about mythological sites, but I am. It's been 24 years since I've been there, so all I remember is the heat and the smell and that odd wonder at the scale of some of these ancient things and the people that worship them. Do you guys still have an appreciation for religious art and architecture? Do you find art and architecture of some religions to be more palatable/appealing than others?

DJVJ311 7 Jan 29
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That's so cool! Get lots of pics please!

I absolutely love mythology. The art is always interesting and the architecture is inspiring. Viking art is probably my favorite. I went on a Catholic pilgrimage when I was 14 to see the cathedrals in Quebec. I had officially denounced my faith three years prior. I don't think the church was supposed to let me go, but my dad was a youth minister at the time. I was respectful the whole time and even went through the motions at mass, though I abstained from the sacraments. It was kind of a historical recreation experience for me. I'm sure my being 14 and surrounded by cute Catholic school girls had nothing to do with my decision. Lol

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history is simply that good or bad

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Architecture, art, music, and history are not religion, even though it may have been done for or inspired by some religious nonsense. I appreciate anything that shows the imagination and skill of the human endeavor.

One of my favorite examples of temple architecture and art are the Taoist temples with their incredible displays of human talents.

Picture 1 is the temple in Cebu. 2 is Qing Yang Palace, Sichuan Sheng, China. Number 3 is detail of temple Songshan Ciyou, Taipei, Songshan District, Taiwan. The fourth is the temple at Lukang, Taiwan not too far from where I lived for about a year. We had a marvelous temple about 10 kilometers north of the plant in Tainan City, Jiangjun District, but I haven't converted any pictures of it to electronic format.

A story about the temple near the plant. Every year they build a beautiful boat decorated with statues of all the temple priests and other personalities that have been important to the temple. They set it afloat in the sea and burn it. All that work, all that talent input just to burn it.

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@DJVJ311 I hope that you will be giving us copious photos / video / commentary of your great sounding trip so that we can all enhance your trip with our oohs, aghs and plain gratitude?

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I went to the Mayan sites, and man did that ever touch me. I would really like to go again.

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Some of them are real gems. But, so are other art forms.

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I grew up in a town that sprung up around a Roman Catholic Church being built. (It's cathedral sized). Craftspeople from all over came with their families and settled. So a real mix in my hometown. Love a good Gothic Church to this day. Spent many a Sunday staring up at the paintings on the ceiling. (When I was young enough to get away with that). Love the architecture of old buildings no matter how they came about. Stained glass windows are a favorite. Take some pictures for the rest of us! 😉

I have just committed the sin of envy!

@DavidLaDeau Here's a link with a pic: [en.wikipedia.org]

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yes and no, are we worshiping the religion, or the art and architecture, that man has designed? your last comment, regarding which religious art is more palatable or appealing than others has no credence as its a personal OPINION , there is a lot of great religious art, but it does not define that religion, but merely projects one mans vision of it

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I like some "religous" stuff for the historical significance. I don't know if it is more appealing, I like some of the Asian and Middle Eastern because it is so different, but I like European because of the ties to my ancestry.

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I'm a history buff. Even though religion is bunk, religion is part of our human history. Religion has also produced amazing architecture. I like to visit sites to "get into the mind" of our predecessors. Enjoy and tell us some stories!

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I had some scruples about them being built by slaves. I think I'm over that because theres no written proof. I think these mighty structures are breath taking. I have a wonderment of how They were built. When i look at these works of art ... i am amazed how complex it is and the leavers used to build them. It tells me the ancients were way smarter then us. Have a great time .. have fun

5

That sounds exciting for you!

Thailand has glittering temples, but here it's clean, there's good infrastructure, no begging, no yelling after or bothering foreigners, almost everyone is kind, honest and polite, never stare or point.

I've forgotten my change, or left my purse or Samsung tablet behind many times, but someone always ran after me or tracked me down on the internet to return it.
In most countries, that would be the last I'd see of my stuff.

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