RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

Lord Buddha said, "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world" (Dhammapada). A prophet of Islam, Jesus of Nazareth taught that what is in a person’s heart inevitably comes out of his mouth (Luke 6:45). This week the hearts of men, and women too, flowed like water from a well revealing hearts of fear and hate. When you saw the anti-Islamic film, did you respond with anger or pity for the creator? When you saw the anti-Islamic ads in NYC subways, did you feel hatred or a desire to protect the defenseless? When you heard that the Catholic League organized a protest of 30 people against a gallery showing of "Piss Christ", did you wish you had joined them or did it remind you of what American politics is doing to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth? With religious-themed art, both good art or bad art, we see a reflection of ourselves and not that of the artist. That is why "Piss Christ" (c. 1987) by Andres Serrano is the NEWS OF WEEK.

In other Religious Art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Judaism in Art: Holyday Art for "Yom Kippur" by Ken Goldman. [More News]
• Christianity in Art: Canada's The Moment Factory electrifies crowd with lighting of Gaudi's cathedral. [More News]
• Islam in Art: The 2012 winner of the Blake Prize for Religious Art is Saif al Murayati's "Meat". [More News]
• Hinduism in Art: NY Film Festival audiences were inspired by premiere of Ang Lee's "Life of Pi". [More News]
• Buddhism in Art: Buddhism and Hinduism inspire Leonardo Ulian's beautifully geeky mandala of giant electronic circuits. [More News]
• Others in Art: Religious leaders charged with contributing to the slaughter of elephants to make religious artifacts of ivory. [More News]
• A&O Prize for Religious Art: Nominations for the 2012 Prizes closed. [More A&O Prize]

VOTING DAY IS COMING, on November 1, 2012, vote for the A&O Prize for Contemporary Religious Art of the year: "Register Today". Lastly, for more interfaith art news: join us on Facebook and/or Twitter, or just come back each day. It's another great way to keep up with gatherings of like-minded people who share your interest in Religious Art. After all, who is Religious Art for? Yes, it's for Believers, but also Skeptics too!