15.9k views
1 vote
In his lecture "Dirty words Profane Art", Prof. Rearick says that the Scriptures do not support the idea that there are profane and slanderous words. To say any work of art is "profane" is entirely a cultural development. True or False?

User Vmanjz
by
7.2k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The idea that Scriptures do not support the concept of profane and slanderous words is false. Historical religious texts, like those from Tertullian and discussions on Islamic art, indicate an awareness of certain artistic expressions as impure or profane, though there is also acknowledgment that art can play a progressive and socially reformative role.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the excerpts provided, it is false that the Scriptures entirely lack support for the idea of profane and slanderous words; historical perspectives from religious texts do suggest a disapproval of certain forms of art and speech as profane or impure. The writings of Tertullian, for instance, reflect an early Christian view that rejects bloody, wanton, impious, and prodigal forms of spectacles, implying that such content is not only objectionable in deed but also in word. Cultural developments, according to some religious thinkers, such as those from Christianity and even as noted in Islamic art discourses, have created distinctions in how sacred and profane elements are perceived within art and literature.

Furthermore, the works of anthropologists like Dame Mary Douglas highlight how cultural ideas of pure and impure influence religious beliefs, reinforcing the concept that profanity is not merely a cultural construct but is also grounded in religious doctrine. However, the argument that art and literature can have a redemptive, reformative quality—as demonstrated by artists like Chopin, Jackson, Clinton, Teigen, and Miller—supports a complex view of what constitutes the 'profane,' potentially suggesting that cultural understandings of profanity evolve over time and are not stagnant within scriptural admonishments.

User Cquillen
by
7.7k points