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Statues ans Symbols
Hello everyone, thanks for accepting me in this community and I'd like, for my first post, to get some help on religious symbols and how to deal with them.
I live in Brazil, where most of people declare themselves catholics, but just a few of them really attend church. As I can see all over the country, there are too many religious images and symbols spread all around.
Fisrt, and the most important of them is Christ the redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. The statue itself is a really beautiful piece of art (Altough I prefer the city's view best) and, nowadays it'd weird to see Rio without its most famous monument. But, what do you think of this kind of art?
But, the thing is, almost everywhere you go, you see a catholic symbol, and I'm not talking about private places, but public ones, like hospitals, schools, post offices...
There's a complex of hospitals here in Sao Paulo (and public) where I drop by sometimes and at the waiting room of one of the buildings there's a HUGE cathlic Saint, surrounded by flowers (once I even saw candles).
The State, here in Brazil has already been separeted from The Church since 1988 with the New Constitution, so, I ask myself: "Why the heck are these things all over the places?? Shouldn't there be a proper "room" for these things to be??"
And this is really my doubt: Shouldn't these symbols be in an apropriate place, like a church?? And, is there anything we can do to change it? Is it worth it??
Thanks in advance and I'll try to upload a pic of the Saint (Nossa Senhora Aparecida),
Alexandre
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Nossa_Senhora_Aparecida.jpg, 100 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nory on -
Thanks for posting the photo. To my eyes, it is a very strange looking thing. I'd hate to see those creepy idols everywhere.
There are multiple reasons to object to religious statues and symbols in public and especially on public property.
1. The display is paid for and maintained by tax dollars, including that of atheists.
2. The display sends a constant message of judging, condemning, and threatening atheists with violent eternal torture, as well as 2nd class status.
3. The display is a sick glorification of death. I am not just talking about the crucifix, which an obvious replica of a tool of torture. Consider the statues of the character Mary, who is blissful and full of contentment that her son is butchered.
Christianity and Islam are death cults. They revere suffering, "righteous" violence, and blood sacrifice/death. At the beginning of the bible: God chose Abel's blood sacrifice and rejected Cain's grain sacrifice. At the end of the bible: God requires a blood sacrifice of his own son Jesus.
It makes no sense to traumatize children and offend peaceful adults with these statues and nightmarish crucifixes.
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Permalink Reply by Alexandre Giacomo Junior on -
Oh, Nory, you understand me perfectly.
The Saint can be found almost anywhere, although some institutions don't display them anymore due to some support we had 10 years ago. Like, the Correios (post office), which is something united all over the country and controlled by Brasília, so it's Federal, does not display any symbols anymore because Mr. Cardoso (former president from 1994-2002) did some great things on these matters on the late 90's. But, the problem is specially with public schools and hospitals, in almost all of them you can see a cross with the christ and many other symbols. I think this is disgusting; I think the bilble is a book which should be read only by adults; it's a CRIME to give this book to a child, for me, it's as horrible as pedophilia.
You said everything, thanks for sharing your ideas...
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Permalink Reply by Nory on
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I agree.
Check out this clip from Bill Maher's film Religulous. It shows a theme park in the United States that features reenactments of the brutality of the bible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4d6hIOnWng&feature=player_detai...
People pay money for this. They force their young children to watch. I call it abuse. Yet the same people who participate in this won't let their children listen to different types of music because of possible violent lyrics. The government regulates the sale of violent video games to children, but ignores realistic crucifixion.
I hope Brasília doesn't have anything like this theme park.
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