Do you believe that human decency precedes religion? Perhaps you’d like to use the comment option here to discuss it. Mostly I just thought this was an interesting image, one that took someone a long time and much effort to create; one that most of you would never get a chance to see if I did not show it to you. As for Christopher Hitchens, I’m sorry he is dead, and so, surely, I too hope he rests in peace.
8 comments:
Ed,
Love this though it is a bit off-putting, the stare mostly, but thanks for sharing it I would not have seen it otherwise. To be honest I never really heard much of christopher hitchens before but I do agree with the quote painted beside him--kind of like a graffiti headstone, literally, figuratively. It's good to leave a mark on the world. A scratch that no doubt someone will "heal" soon.
Best,
--Peter
I agree it is a bit off-putting.
The stare encapsulates Hitchen's fearsome intellect, that did not suffer fools gladly, and brooked no woolly flimflam. You can feel it in this image, can't you?
The word "precedes" might be open for a technical discussion. But, absolutely certainly, human decency is separate from, and in no way dependent upon, religion.
you know, the first time I saw this mural I had a snap response, but the more I thought about it, the more complex I realized it was. Very thought-provoking.
religion is not a prerequisite for decency .... and without decency, we are lost.
Religion can be practiced by both decent and indecent persons. Would you join a religion practiced by decent persons? Or would you prefer to join a religion practiced by indecent persons? It is interesting that Jesus spent most of his time (and we know he had "all the time in the world") with "the indecent" people of the day: whores, tax collectors, sick people, rabble rousers; And it is interesting that "the decent" people of the day: religious authorities, political authorities, The monied, the deal makers----all of these gave Jesus trouble for being decent to the irreligious By defending their indecency to the same irreligious. So, what has changed in 2000 years?
P.S. Jesus said It is not what goes into a person that makes the person whole (read: decent), It's what comes out of a person that determines decency/indecency. Was Jesus the "first psychologist" who saw that acting on one's intentions is the Character that one is: Decent or Indecent?
Let the congregation say: HalleBerry! and Awomen!
I couldn't agree more and Hitch will be sorely missed on this planet.
Surely human efforts are directed to be 1st decent then religious. In fact; religion follows. In fact religion; no matter what faith, helps such effort to be a more decent human being. This quote, though presented harshly, is a strong statement. The force is delivered by strong stare which adds to the impact. A super graphic for super quote!!
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