Tradition(s)
The savy observer will notice a number of different religious artistic traditions imbedded in the design of this drawing. The ones I paid particular attention to were Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Judaism (sorry Voodoo). I recently attended a conference where one of the main topics of conversation was what the future of the church might look like, and why fewer and fewer young people are going to church at all. One of the things this discussion has me thinking about is not necessarily how to get more butts into pews but about how to point a finger towards the spiritual nature of the world. For me, demonstrating that there's more to the universe than just random bouncing atoms and particles, that we have souls that need to be nourished and engaged with, is one of the primary objectives of art. The discussion of what christianity is and why a younger person should be participating with it in a traditional church setting for me comes long after that person has been exposed to the mystery and beauty of the unknowable spiritual element of life. Any religion can reveal this element, and I believe leaving different religious traditions out of the equation of what faith is and what it should be in 2010 is pointless. Truth and beauty exist inside and outside stained glass windows, and it may well be time to begin blurring that distinction.
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