Religion
Related: About this forumThe 10 religious sites every atheist should see
Koya San, Japan
Ben Groundwater
Sep 7 2016
Here's a question: if you don't believe in the religion, should you be allowed to gawk at its places of worship?
I've always felt just the tiniest bit uncomfortable when touring religious sites churches, temples, synagogues and the like knowing I'm not a believer. It gives those visits an air of voyeurism, that I'm peering in at something I'll never be part of, and maybe it's not welcome.
For all atheistic travellers, that must be something of a problem. But still, there's huge value in visiting these sites. Some have helped to shape the history of the world; others are just amazing artworks or testaments to spiritual devotion. Even for non-believers, these religious sites are must-sees.
La Sagrada Familia, Spain
This is probably the most impressive religious structure in the entire world, and it isn't even finished yet. Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece is stunning both inside and out, from its creepy melted-wax exteriors to its soaring ceiling that looks like the canopy of a concrete forest. You don't have to be religious in any way to appreciate the mastery and beauty of La Sagrada Familia.
La Sagrada Familia: St Peter's Basilica and Notre Dame might hog most of the attention, but by far the most impressive church you'll ever see in fact maybe even the most impressive building you'll ever see, full stop is La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Gaudi's masterpiece is stunning from the outside, and even more amazing on the inside.
http://www.traveller.com.au/the-10-religious-sites-every-atheist-should-see-gr9ox4
anoNY42
(670 posts)too bad the guy who lives there is a looney toon...
rug
(82,333 posts)anoNY42
(670 posts)I'm not saying Francis is all bad (he is way better than Benedict), but one has to be a bit looney to believe there is an all-powerful god (or gods, or spirits, or whatever) who loves us all except those children to whom He gives cancer...
And don't get me started on the special craziness that is Catholic doctrine...
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)rug
(82,333 posts)If they don't, whence evil?
Missn-Hitch
(1,383 posts)I don't want to trespass on the author's response but I would say "the idea of God". Now this absolutely exists. Hamas provides charity as well. Cheers to both for helping people.
rug
(82,333 posts)Or numerous other ideologies that exist.
In any event, if the ideology arises from humans, spending time blaming a god is pretty foolish.
Brettongarcia
(2,262 posts)The altar no less?
Benini's baldachin; the high altar over the reported grave of St. Peter himself.
Cartoonist
(7,326 posts)To see the magnificent hypocrisy of wealth.
rug
(82,333 posts)Brettongarcia
(2,262 posts)While teaching the people to follow spirit. And functionally to neglect the material sciences, agronomy, that would have fed them far better, and by their own efforts.
Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)Freshly picked!
rug
(82,333 posts)But think you for your very interesting reply.
Cartoonist
(7,326 posts)Why not show the whole building instead of a doorway into some dark alley?
rug
(82,333 posts)St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan. They've done this daily since 1930.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)Jerry442
(1,265 posts)Go look for the real cathedrals such as, Principia Mathematica, Origin of the Species, Relativity: The Special and General Theory, and A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.
rug
(82,333 posts)U.S. President Barack Obama walks from Sim, or main building, which houses a large Buddha statue, with Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs Luang Prabang Mrs. Vanpheng Keopannha, as he tours the Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist Temple in Luang Prabang, Laos, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-09-07/laos-temple-town-excited-its-on-world-map-with-obama-visit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Xieng_Thong
hunter
(38,349 posts)Baseball, I can almost understand; baseball has rhythms similar to many other religious services, although, just like the Catholic Church, women are excluded from playing in the big leagues.
I've attended a few high school football games, but that's it. The structure of the ceremony is not pleasing to me.
Architecturally, the basilicas of baseball are generally more interesting than those of football.
Brettongarcia
(2,262 posts)Encouraged by beautiful female cheerleaders, very male figures work down field like wriggling spermatocytes, trying to score. The strongest display of male virility wins. All male rivals are vanquished.
rug
(82,333 posts)3catwoman3
(24,109 posts)...another guy's crotch has always seemed a bit odd to me.
In the interest of transparency, I find football mind-numbingly boring.
rug
(82,333 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)there was a Reader's Digest article arguing exactly that. It was a spoof, of course, but apparently some took/take it seriously.
rug
(82,333 posts)lark
(23,191 posts)I remember the paintings well, they were stunningly beautiful. The rest of the church was very nice, great condition, tons of detail work, but the paintings were totally amazing.
demosincebirth
(12,551 posts)tropical heat of familiar places.
geardaddy
(24,931 posts)Yong He Gong in Beijing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonghe_Temple
It's one of my faves.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)Solly Mack
(90,800 posts)Love the art. Enjoy the history & beautiful buildings. I find it more than a little silly for anyone to think an atheist wouldn't visit historical buildings simply because they are places of worship. I don't have to buy into a deity to appreciate the beauty of a painting or a building. I don't feel odd or strange about doing so either. Can't think of a rational reason why it would present a problem for an atheist or why anyone would find it problematic.
rug
(82,333 posts)Although as it is, it's more a tribute to a whim of John D. Rockefeller. Jr. than it is to religion.
http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/met-cloisters
Solly Mack
(90,800 posts)The various influences, especially Byzantine & Arab/Islamic, that created most of Venice were beautiful to behold.
A small church in Mannheim, the Jesuitenkirche, where Mozart visited frequently, and there is a in memorial dedication plaque outside the church. Beautiful church. Baroque style/art. I always stopped by when walking about downtown Mannheim. I lived there for almost a decade.
I love old graveyards, too. The older the better. The art and detail work put into gravestones, both humorous and religious, is fascinating.
Nitram
(22,951 posts)presents itself. Michelangelo and hundreds of other artists and master craftsmen have created marvelous architectural designs and other works of art. The church was the center of power and money for so long it is natural that it was the sponsor for many of these. In my mind the fact that a religion paid for the works is irrelevant. The artistry of the artists they employed found full expression under their patronage, and the particular religion involved is tangential. I have no problem admiring the works of art and architecture all over the world that I've had the pleasure to contemplate. I see them as a testament to mankind's incredible creative drive, not to any particular god or religion.