Religion and Science
It is evident that the affects of
polytheism and monotheism evolved with human culture from ancient primitive
polytheism to the ethical monotheism its affect was that of good vs. evil and
how there could only be one “God” according to the monotheistic culture, and if
your belief was polytheism you were part of a “cult' in which you were evil and
possibly on behalf of the secular beliefs you were an atheist. These feelings have not changed thought out
the centuries among monotheistic people.
Polytheism and Monotheism have been reflected in our literature, art,
music and architecture and our politics, society, and our economy. In the Hellenic age (sometimes called the golden
ages) Greeks used festivals to celebrate the deities (Gods) this brought
together citizens and with it came civic pride.
They believed their gods were literal gods and were like humans in many
respects “Gods and Goddesses”. They had
many “Gods” but twelve of the gods were most worshiped. They believed that their Gods (deities) lived
underground and were associated with peasant life, the seasons and cycles of
nature, and fertility. There were gods
for Goodness, gods for weather, gods that sat on the mountaintops or in the sky,
Gods for love and wisdom. Hellenic Architecture served as a place for
religious, ceremonial, and governmental purposes. There is an example of such
as place “Altar of Zeus” (Page#110) These beliefs are still practiced today in
Neo-Pagan rituals and festivals. The
monotheistic Christian religion took over because of human morality. Christians wanted goodness and unity and a
belief in just one God. Monotheistic
Cultures contributed to the oppression of other cultures because of their
beliefs in righteousness. Christianity, as a monotheistic religion, paralleled movements
within the cults of the second and third centuries that were blending all
deities into the worship of a single divinity.
“There could be only one God” Despite persecutions from the authorities,
the Christians church drew much sustenance from Roman culture. From an insignificant number of followers at
the end of the first century, the church had attained a membership of perhaps
five million, or about a tenth of the population of the empire, by the end of
the third century. (time line115-117) (Page 174). Today the majority of our world religious
base is Christianity and Islamic.
Christians are skeptical of scientist in our world today telling us how the
evolution of man was not made by God and the bibles stories we have grown up
with are just story's, and that” God did not create Adam and Eve” .... In 1921
Einstein told the world a distributing discovery in the world of science. To touch on a little about Einstein in his
early years he abandons the traditional religion of his youth, he turned to
Western philosophy; and later considered his readings in this area to have
played an important part in the development of both his religious speculations
and his physics. In this article it
talks about how Sir Isaac Newton and Einstein believed differently in
monotheism and polytheism. Newton
believed in a creator who had fashioned the laws of nature and set them in
motion, but Einstein's belief system did not include the existence of a
personal God. In his writings on
religion, Einstein emphasized a "cosmic religious feeling," the
essential beauty and mystery of the universe, and a metaphorical deity "who
reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists." Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein tried to clarify
Einstein views on God because the Christian community was in a uproar and did
not know how to interpret Einstein’s work.
His conclusion was that mankind is a scientific formula of monotheism
according to Einstein. He also does away
with all thoughts of dualism or pluralism and there was no room for any aspect
of polytheism. (http:/pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week839/exclusive.html.) I think in this article it
portrays Einstein out to have a pantheistic
belief of God. He wasn't trying to say there wasn't a God but he believed like
Sir Isaac Newton “That God does not play dice with the universe”
His theory of relativity.
There was many ways of looking at the human body. The ancient Greeks and Romans displayed its beauty and acceptance of human sexuality. The Middle Ages, Renaissance and reformation, views on the human body were of moral issue and nudity threaten civilization and became obscene. I believe Christianity and disease were responsible for the change. Nudity was not considered a moral issue until after the epidemic spread of syphilis during the 16th and 17th centuries and the rise of the middle classes that nudity began to be viewed as obscene. In Greek and Roman antiquity and in the Middle Ages, man considered himself an important part of the world. He was not used to suppressing his feelings or moral concerns, but reacted to everything with his whole personality. He believed not only that he lived at the center of the universe, with the sun, the moon, and all the stars revolving around him, but also that everything in this universe had some personal meaning for him and was somehow related to his fate. There was an open and joyful acceptance of the human body and human sexuality. The nude human body was a familiar sight to the Greeks and Romans. Public and private buildings were decorated with sculptures and paintings of nude men and women. The sexual aspect of nudity was openly recognized. Statues of certain deities, such as Hermes portrayed in the statue Hermes with the Infant Dionysus. Ca. 350-340 B.C.E (Page# 90) In the Renaissance period one notices the Christianity influence in the art of this era. The portraits and statues seem to be more clothed and less sexual. As depict in Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, the left panel shows the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve, plants and animals some normal and some as monsters in the foreground (Original Sin). The center panel focus on the sins of the flesh in lurid and metaphorical detail. In the top of the panel a band of waters of the earth come together to make a fountain. The middle band has naked young women in a poll while a parade of naked youth riding animals partly human and partly fantasy. In the lower band, more naked men and women engaged in sexual acts. There is fruits birds, flowers and fish. (sexual appetite of mans lack of morals) The right panel is a portrait of anger, hell and pains in human beings that they must suffer for their sins. A abstract of horrific, painful and grisly instruments of torture. (hopelessness for humanity) (Page#396) Greek art and architecture has lasting influence with its simplicity and reasonableness on the history of Western civilization and art. Greeks established many themes and attitudes, which help formed the Western culture. Greek artists first established imitation of nature as a main principle for art. The nude human figure in Greek art reflects a belief that "Man is the measure of all things". Greeks really had a passion for art so much beautiful work was done by them and we now benefit from it. During the 4th century B C period, sculpture became more and more naturalistic. Sculptures of common people, women, children, animals and domestic scenes became acceptable subjects to sculpt. Realistic portraits of men and which was commissioned by wealthy families for the adornment of their homes and gardens. Women of all ages were produced and sculptors felt no obligation to depict peoples as ideals of beauty or physical perfections. At the same time, the new ancient Greek times, nude art and sculptures were protraid as men only. It was unheard of to sculpt a women nude. The Statue of Nude Aphrodite Know to us as “Lely's Venus” is Second Century AD, belongs to Sir Peter Lely when he acquired by King Charles 1. It is clearly influenced by the four century BC Greek Sculptor Praxiteles. The nudity symbolizes aturning point in the culture, as previously only male statues were nude. This is a typical Hellenistic style sculpture shown by the elaborate hairstyle and the rendering of the body. An art piece in the 4 century BC, unusually sensual, detailed and feministic. (http:/www.ancientgreece.com)
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