tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458688.post3412264790894061006..comments2023-09-20T07:06:52.105-04:00Comments on Beatus Est: Novelty vs. BeautyErik Bootsmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03749834088028424348noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458688.post-72305645397670416532009-09-07T14:07:10.530-04:002009-09-07T14:07:10.530-04:00Erik,
Nice article. You might be interested in re...Erik,<br /><br />Nice article. You might be interested in reading this bilingual review published in Chiesa Oggi, and I would love to have your own comments on it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dibaio.com/chiesaoggi/chiesaoggi087/CH-087-37.htm" rel="nofollow">Oakland versus Houston: two cathedrals, two styles</a><br /><br />Best wishes,<br />Nikosgrupposalingaroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06913736792837812217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458688.post-85688927848346952722009-09-05T09:39:53.291-04:002009-09-05T09:39:53.291-04:00Hello. I'd like to leave some (hopefully cons...Hello. I'd like to leave some (hopefully constructive) criticism.<br /><br />First of all, I love your blog, and your overall message. I would love to see a return of real art and architecture. We're nowhere near there yet, but we now have a voice, and in general, the vast majority of buildings going up now are at least better than they were in the 1960s and 1970s. Let's hope that we can continue the fight long enough to completely beat back modernism (this would be difficult, though, as it clashes with modern capitalism to some extent - give me a building at the cheapest cost). One place where the market might not apply, though, is religion. If the people want it enough (in the form of donating and volunteering), it can be done.<br /><br />Now, to my criticism. I'm an atheist. I have read the book "The Return of Sacred Architecture" by Herbert Bangs, and I completely agreed with him for the first few pages, but then I began to realize that book was more and more becoming an anti-atheist rant. This was a big turn-off.<br /><br />The fact is, atheists can feel the same about good art as Christians or anyone else. Let us not forget that classicism started with worshippers of Greek gods and secularists - not Christians. And let us not forget that their "absolute truth" included many gods without any specific "10 commandments". I have a morality that is non-negotiable. I don't believe in cultural relativity. Indeed, atheism does not presuppose that (though some atheists might subscribe to that). I hate modernism as much as you...I'm pretty sure about that. I just wanted to make sure you don't end up turning off people who would gladly help you in your task.<br /><br />Freethought, including atheism, agnosticism, and Deism, as you perhaps know, is one of the fastest growing ways of thinking in the U.S. In the Wikipedia article "Demographics of the United States" (and including a reference), it shows that from 1990 to 2008, the percentage of Christians in the U.S. decreased from 86% to 76% while the percentage of nonreligious people increased from 8% to 15%. In most of Europe, the percentage of Christians is lower than in the U.S. Objectively speaking, if you can only base a return to "sacred" architecture on religion, your prospects for success do not look too good. If, however, you can band people from different religious and nonreligious outlooks together, your prospects look much better. (Also interesting is the fact that the more recent growth of nonreligion has taken place at the same time that architecture has undoubtedly improved from its 1960s-1970s low.)<br /><br />You might have heard about the "Akshardham" Hindu Temples in Ahmedabad and New Delhi. I visited the one in Delhi (which was built all of 4 years ago). Please look it up if you haven't. This was built by Hindus...or infidels, if you like, but they really believed in something and they accomplished something. Even atheists believe in something (although we don't all agree what it is, it can range from justice to equality, and depends on the person, not that I accept other's ideas of morality as equal to my own. I do not). If you relay your message so that atheists hear, they might very well listen to you. If you say that good architecture is natually religious, then some atheists might prefer modern architecture only because they think it's a form of rebellion (which would be a shame).<br /><br />It's also worth knowing that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a pantheist and humanist (that is, a freethinker) was enamored of Andrea Palladio.<br /><br />Keep up the good work. I hope to help out the cause of good architecture.<br /><br />-RickyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458688.post-68786489970633662912009-09-04T00:34:56.608-04:002009-09-04T00:34:56.608-04:00I'm not a Catholic, but I am a Christian, and ...I'm not a Catholic, but I am a Christian, and feel the same way about the churches that I attend and interact with. Here is an interesting study that I came across recently dealing with sacred architecture and its appeal (or lack thereof) to the unchurched.<br /><br />http://www.churchsolutionsmag.com/hotnews/cathedral-church-design-unchurched-lifeway.htmlSamuel John Limahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10564084368277778423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458688.post-13884845889491421652009-09-04T00:32:37.375-04:002009-09-04T00:32:37.375-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Samuel John Limahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10564084368277778423noreply@blogger.com