THE president of American Atheists reportedly wants his fellow non-believers to link up with Satanists, Scientologists, Muslims, Jews and Hindus to fight a US Supreme Court decision this week to allow sectarian prayers at public meetings.
In a move clearly aimed specifically at Christian prayers, David Silverman – who famously once described all religion as “poison” – called on minority religious groups to join with atheists against the Supreme Court ruling.
Speaking to a group of nonbelievers at Stanford University. Silverman said: “That’s what we have to do, not only organize the atheists, but the Satanists, the Scientologists,” . In a conversation before his talk, he added Muslims, Jews and Hindus. “We as atheists have the responsibility to urge them and push them and get them in there to get their prayers” said at public meetings.
Silverman’s call obviously will puzzle and dismay some of his fellow non believers who want all theistic ritual practices removed from public discourse.
The American Atheists also announced this week the launch of Atheist TV, an internet channel that will run atheist content seven days a week, 24 hours a day, including atheist events, such as footage from past American Atheist conventions. Sounds thrilling.
Bryan Patterson's Faithworks 
Zzzzzzzzzzz…
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….a snorer, huh Kate?
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I find atheists terribly boring and pedantic (except you Dabs 🙂 )
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Oh Kathleen,
If you can rouse yourself from the slumbers, I’m interested to learn if you managed to locate and study the Raphael painting School of Athens? It has been a great favourite of mine for many years; and it featured in one of my lectures that I delivered a number of times some years back.
I recall many years back, there was a popular Hollywood movie about the later career of Michaelangelo, along with his stormy relationship with the Pope. Called The Agony and the Ecstasy. In one scene we got a brief look at a reconstruction of the Stanza de la Segnatura,with Raphael at work painting the Frescos on the walls of the same.
One wall depicted Parnassus, and was expressing the glories of Poetry. Another one is incorrectly titled The Disputa (or the dispute over the sacraments), and it shows God and the Angels along with the Apostles and Fathers of the Church hovering above and around an Altar with the Host in a Monstrance. Another wall shows the Cardinal Virtues, while the fourth is the School of Athens. Each is a huge lunette or semi-circular shape.
cheers, Rian.
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Oh Kathleen,
If you can rouse yourself from the slumbers, I’m interested to learn if you managed to locate and study the Raphael painting School of Athens? It has been a great favourite of mine for many years; and it featured in one of my lectures that I delivered a number of times some years back.
I recall many years back, there was a popular Hollywood movie about the later career of Michaelangelo, along with his stormy relationship with the Pope. Called The Agony and the Ecstasy. In one scene we got a brief look at a reconstruction of the Stanza de la Segnatura,with Raphael at work painting the Frescos on the walls of the same.
One wall depicted Parnassus, and was expressing the glories of Poetry. Another one is incorrectly titled The Disputa (or the dispute over the sacraments), and it shows God and the Angels along with the Apostles and Fathers of the Church hovering above and around an Altar with the Host in a Monstrance. Another wall shows the Cardinal Virtues, while the fourth is the School of Athens. Each is a huge lunette or semi-circular shape.
cheers, Rian.
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I did look and they are clearly beautiful, especially Stanza and Parnassus – but I’m going to sound incredibly uncultured (which I am lol) – paintings of that era don’t move me. I find the people in them soulless. There is no facial expression of joy, anger, fear, love etc.
What were we talking about in regards to these paintings, I’ve forgotten (doh).
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Kathleen,
Yep I can see what you mean. Actually of course, the spiritual or symbolic paintings of the Renaissance and late Middle Ages were not designed or intended to represent ‘real’ people. They are – how can I put it? – they are types, spiritual images and ideas.
Reminds me that when you look at the old paintings of heaven, they all look just a bit too perfect and removed. Heaven tends to appear boring. All the faces look much the same, and bearing nothing that is particularly human. Serenity can look tedious. There was something of a suggestion or intention that these great artists were not depicting earthly scenes; but were almost breaking through the barrier between the earthly and the spiritual to reveal the heavenly realities. But that brings us to the concepts of Plato which were regarded of such huge importance during the Renaissance period.
Now when you look at the paintings the old artists did, of hell.on the other hand, – well the faces just come to life, and carry all sorts of emotions. I guess one might work out some sort of rationalization for that. Some sermon ideas might well come to mind! Anyway, I’d better leave it at that, otherwise I could all too easily launch into a lecture.
Ah now, just what was it that triggered off the topic? Well, it was when I described the robes and gestures of the dominating figures of Plato and Aristotle from the ‘upstage’ position in the School of Athens. The study of Symbols and Subject matter in works of art represent a passion of mine, that is known as Iconography. And the great figures of the High Renaissance like Raphael, Michaelangelo and Leonardo reached incredible heights in their amazing paintings. Add to that trio perhaps some others like Botticelli and Titian. Although that infamous novel The Da Vinci Code went miles overboard in its theories and suggestions, nevertheless it is true that those old painters did include secrets and special messages in their works that have inspired lots of writers and researchers.
Looking forward to meeting you one day,
Rian.
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Thanks Rian, it’s always interesting to listen to someone who knows a bit of the history of art and people.
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oops,
Sorry, dont know how I managed send my posting in twice.
Rian
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Isn’t it funny how traditional enemies are now considering banding together against Christians? A friend of mine in the Seventh Day Adventist movement tells me that their prophet actually predicted a confederacy of religions against God’s people. It didn’t make sense to me, given that Jews hate the rest, the rest hate each other and atheists hate them all. Now it starts to make sense.
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