Dear Angelica,StuartG, DougLand RFK Thank you for you welcome! I have to admit that one of my worries coming into the Church has been , will I meet Catholics who really Love the Lord? This site has helped me see that there are such people. This worry is really because i don’t know many Catholics as yet.
RFK, I completely agree with you. It is the old churches that most lift me to God. Five hundred years ago, if you wanted to hear the greatest music ever composed, hear the greatest words ever spoken, see the greatest sculptures and the greatest paintings … you went to church. This was true because the Church hired great artists and great artists wanted to work for the Church. In the meantime, something has gone very wrong. Today, very few artists are inclined to do religious work and only a few churches are interested in commissioning works. This is especially true of evangelical churches, and yet, what is the first thing an evangelical does when he or she gets to Europe? He or she hot-foots-it to the nearest cathedral. Why? Because, something is missing at home - art which glorifies God.
Like a beautifully illustrated book, the walls of those old churches continue tell the story of the gospel. Old cathedrals use every opportunity and every one of our five senses to point the observer to God and to tell of his wonderful deeds.
All of our senses are avenues for communication. This was not lost on the ancient Catholics who built the cathedrals. In most of my Evangelical churches I only got to worship with my ears. We listen and we sing. But there was in times past (in addition to music and scripture to sing and recite) incense to smell, the Euchrist to taste, and many paintings and sculptures to see and touch. All these said something about God.
t isn’t that new churches want to look Protestant, but that the expectation of the people building ( the Architect, Commettee, and Pastor) have changed. The Modern style of the 1920’s changed all architecture ,including Church Architecture. I have seen new structures which are beautiful and do the job as well as the old but not many.
We have only a few instructions in scripture about art used in worship. God says (contrary to popular belief ) to fill His sanctuary with art. The old Temple was art , wall to wall. ( Read the 6th, 7th and 8th chapters of 1 Kings to hear more about this.)
MOREOVER, HUMAN BEINGS HAVE ALWAYS MADE ART ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK IS IMPORTANT. In fact, much of the reason we think one thing or another is important is because someone has taken the time to make art about it. Movies and books about historical figures, the architecture of your local court house, the statue of a local hero in the park, all reinforce a communities sense of their subjects importance.
I think Our Lord is important. I make art about Him.
JohnCarroll
but I would love to learn whatever you may have to teach.
