Sunday, April 11, 2010

Of Sunday Certitudes and Doubts . . .

Sunday afternoon here . . . I guess Sunday is as a good a day as any to think about religion a bit. If one must. Well, it's not entirely my fault, there's been some damn good writing going on over at Jimmy Bastard's place in the past day or two which couldn't help but get me started, given how he mentions religion in one way or another.
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Now listen, I don't mean to offend anyone, I know religion is a touchy subject to some, and others quickly swing into tempestuous vitriolic humours should anybody dare to question, or worse cast doubt upon certain sacred certitudes of which they are sure of. Are blogs like dinner tables then, where religion and politics should never be mentioned ?
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Well, whatever. While travelling on Reunion Island in February, I was somewhat fascinated by how visible certain symbols of people's religious beliefs were in many places. And couldn't help but photograph some such manifestations of spiritual beliefs.
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The Catholic church is quite alive and active both in France and on Reunion Island, with all its superstition and mythic certainty of its inalienable right to proclaim itself the most righteous of oracles for the voice of divine power on Earth. But the Catholic church has been getting alot of bad press of late. It would seem, if one can believe the allegations, that rather alot of Catholic priests in various places around the world have been helping themselves over the years to sexual favors from the young and innocent among the flocks they were supposedly guiding to higher levels of spiritual enlightenment. Sad, tragic even, but hardly surprising from an organisation that expects healthy male human beings to practice celibacy throughout their adult lives. The current Pope came out publicly stating (yet again) that the vows of celibacy and the fact that Catholic priests are forbidden to marry are not the reason for all the cases of sexual abuse practiced by some priests upon young members of their congregations. I would find that rather laughable, were the whole story not so reprehensible. Why is it then that we are not seeing an equal number of similar stories about other Christian religion's priests who are allowed to marry ? Go figure.
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Anyway, the whole entire subject of religion is one that I have little patience for. That people can be so entirely convinced that they are 100% right while all the others are dead wrong; and worse, try to impress upon me why I should adhere to their sect and no other, quickly blows my fuses. Heaven help the Mormons and 7th Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses or whatever other bible thumpers may come knocking at my door. Our dog has very sharp teeth and hates to be bothered during his afternoon nap.
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I will end my rant here and get on to the photos. For me, religion is mainly an empty vessel, devoid of any real sustenance, other than a small amount of moral guidance, which for the most part should be common sense to any thinking individual. What chagrins me most about religions today is how much violence and hatred they still seem to spawn. And for some of them, one can't even joke about them without risking one's life. Whatever happened to the messages of tolerance and peace that supposedly were at the heart of such bodies ?
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An empty vessel, pillaged, tired, forlorn. Time to scrap it for something new . . .
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I wonder what prayer someone made when they left their bracelet on this figure in a mountain shrine ? As Leonard Cohen said, "When they said repent, repent, repent, I wonder what they meant?"
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This broken face of a Christ figure is the perfect embodiment to me of the current state of affairs in religion today . . . in need of considerable repairs. But like Humpty Dumpty, can the pieces be put back together again ? Should they be ???
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On the twisting and tortuous road that climbs from Saint Louis to Cilaos, this stark, forbidding church stood in a small village, just under the clouds. A verse from Matthew Arnold's lovely poem "Dover Beach" came to mind here :
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"The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl'd
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world . . ."
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Fortunately there was a telephone and a fire hydrant in case anyone needed any help. The figure standing over the door of this church was one of the most fearsome I've ever seen of any religious art, those skeletal eye sockets could strike fear into the stoutest of hearts . . .
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These next two were inside the church in Saint Louis . . . a few lightbulbs out . . .
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Flowery roadside shrines were frequent . . .
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A shrine along the cliff face on a trail overlooking the Cirque de Mafate. I can see how people might think of religion in such places . . . from where this was taken, the fall could be long and the landing fatal. The fall is always looming I suppose, along the straight and narrow path . . .
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51 comments:

CiCi said...

There are so many grottos in front of homes here in the area we moved to two years ago. There are mostly statues of Mary in them and all sorts of decorations around them. I had not seen these things before we moved here. You have some very good photos of the religious statues over there.

Deborah said...

Well, Owen, you won't find any disagreement from me. I picked up a book not long ago, one that I hoped would supply me with some snappy comebacks for the next time I found myself in conversation with a born-again Christian, and you might just enjoy it too. Called 'Irreligion - a mathematician explains why the arguments for God just don't add up' it is full of impeccably logical (as befits a mathematician) rebuttals/refutations of the existence of God. Wittily penned by John Allen Paulos, a priestly name by any score.

I recently un-followed a blog that I had initially thought could be an interesting one to follow, despite the very Christian leanings of its author. In the end I couldn't cope with the constant references to 'giving oneself up to God' and the writer's anticipation of spiritual return from an investment in prayer. Robert Thurman, the American Buddhist, rather baldly calls such faith irrational, and I don't disagree. So who is most guilty of believing in his/her rightness - the believer or the non-?

Tami Weingartner said...

Thanks for sharing these pictures of roadside shrines...they are great.

As far as religious members and sex abuse. If you look on the net you can pull up numbers paid out by insurance companies on behalf of liability suits involving sexual deviance and protestant preachers. Of course there are gag orders so your not going to hear about it. So I'm not sure what abusing minors has to do w/adult marriage? But maybe that's just me.

I can say that as a member of the Roman Catholic Church...that the 'sex scandal' does not make me doubt my faith....it does reinforce the fact that we are not to confuse our faith in God w/our faith in man. Regardless of the robes the man wears he is still just a man.

Good post and interesting comments. I'm always happy to 'meet' new people and hear/read there beliefs. Fascinating!

Lynne with an e said...

Amen, Bro!

I LOVE the photo of that church with phone booth and fire hydrant! Indeed, I love that photo. That is one good photo in every apect. IMHO. I doff my halo to you.

Not being religious in any way shape or form, I have a real weakness for the paraphernalia of different belief systems...rosaries, shrines, prayer bracelets, badges, cards, voodoo trinkets, etc. etc. Gift shops at cathedrals thrill me.

I sort of envy people with strong, unshakable, religious convictions as such an unquestioning attitude seems to bring the believers great comfort and confidence in life, no matter what shit goes down. (sorry for saying sh** on your blog). However, it freaks me out when I hear people talking about going to church, or mentioning the power of prayer or Jesus in their conversations or on their blogs. I'm like, "seriously, dude?" as I try to inconspicuously sidle away from them.

However, in keeping with my policy to refrain from having any sort of meaningful exchange in the land of blogging, please excuse me as I cast my eyes about shiftily now as I sidle away now.

:-)

BTW: You came very close indeed to finding a bathtub Madonna, BrOwen. The shrines you did document are delightful, though. Blessings upon you, Brother Owen.

Ann said...

I love your photos .
Isn't it sad that people use religion to cause so much pain to others.Believe or don't believe...I just get sick of people who want to shove their view down my throat. How many have died because of religion ? wars?
what happened to do unto others and all the other bible stuff? I think the problem is not religion,it's the people who are interpreting it to fit their needs/wants/causes. I don't know about others, but my God isn't mean and hurtful.nor vengeful. Look around...God has a wicked sense of humor, don't you think?!
one's belief in God should bring happiness,comfort,a sense of well-being.

Unknown said...

Owen! A truly inspired post with the skeletal eyes being the icing on the cake. Thanks for sharing, as always, and I'm vowing to make it back to a graveyard sooner than later.

While I mention it; what's the difference between a graveyard and a cemetery anyway?

Amy said...

Regardless of my feelings about religion, I can appreciate the beauty of these photos and shrines. My favorite is the last. The combination of the location with those textures and colors. It makes it a very special nook indeed.

Priya Sebastian said...

Hi Owen, I am in the last chapter of Richard Dawkin's 'The God Delusion'. Have you read it? I am recommending it to all my friends. Should be made compulsory reading in schools I think.

Priya Sebastian said...

But these little shrines and grottoes make for charming pictures. Those burst of gaudy colour bearing the entreaties of so many people...

Lynne with an e said...

"The fall is always looming I suppose, along the straight and narrow path."

poetry. sheer. just the way I like it. tossed off. over the shoulder. oracular and succinct. I missed it on my first stumble along this path, being bedazzled by the shrinage. Glad I found this buried gem on my return trip at midnight.

French Fancy... said...

We are in one mind you and I of this dreadful thing called religion. The myths of a bronze age people that so many believe is actually true. I just do not understand how people can believe such rubbish.

As for the catholic church - please don't get me started.

Adam said...

I feel your anger Owen!

I have no religion at all myself, and yet I have made many posts about the various churches of Paris and love the atmosphere of these places. What would art and architecture be today without religion I wonder?

Cildemer said...

Hello Owen!
That's very courageous to express your feelings about religion and I totally agree with you!
It makes me think of a very nice song by John Lennon, "Imagine"

"Imagine there's no heaven,

It's easy if you try,

No hell below us,

Above us it's only sky,

Imagine all the people

living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,

It isn't hard to do,

Nothing to kill or die for,

And no religions too,

Imagine all the people

living life in peace..."


***
Have a nice week*******

Stickup Artist said...

Hi Owen,

I'm in love with the images on this post. Religious art, architecture, icons, imagery, symbolism, etc. is something I enjoy and respond to from folk art to high Renaissance, t-shirts to Tabernacles, I love it all. That black and white with the skull eye sockets is priceless. Even the POV helps accentuate the aura and mood.

I have a lot of nuns in my family and they have a different attitude. They are happy to agree that no one has a lockdown on truth and that maybe all faiths have just a piece of it. I guess they are rare?

The priests guilty of perpetrating those horrible crimes is beyond my understanding and heart breaking for the victims and their families.

Plum' said...

Dear Owen,
Sorry for not having blogged for a while with you.
Sometimes the silence is a good thing. But I'm still following your stories with pleasure.
Take care,
K'line

Steve said...

Religion is great. Religion is fine. It is the religious who mess it all up. ;-)

jeff said...

J'aime beaucoup le petit sanctuaire au milieu des feuilles !
La grande chapelle ou église, je la trouve bien grande ! ! !
Mais tu sais moi, pour ce que j'en dis !

Ciao amigo !
A plus !
'Suis à court ce soir Owen...:(

PeterParis said...

To make it short, I would only say that I adhere completely to what you say and I would add Adam's remark. It's clear that religions of all kinds have given us what we have as best as art of all kinds.

I respect that people have their beliefs, but I don't want to have them imposed on myself. I don't believe in any God myself (at least for the moment), but whoever does has the right to.

... and finally, yes, I don't know why we couldn't talk religion or politics on our blogs. Once again, it's a question of repecting each others, accepting that we may not all think alike... and especially to be tolerant!

Nevine Sultan said...

Owen, I would hate to think that the original purpose of any religion was to breed evil. In fact, I think religions were originally begun with quite good intentions in mind, as people during those times did, perhaps, need that sort of guidance. But in today's world, we do have a bigger awareness (I think, I hope) and we do know what is right and what is wrong... in our conscience.

I am not a religious person, but like to think of myself as a spiritual being... Still, because I lack that religious aspect, I am intrigued by religion and the religious. I am particularly taken by religious symbolism, and I even often use it in my writing. There is something about the words in scriptures that does resonate in one's conscience... I think it's because we know that that is how things are SUPPOSED to be.

Your photos of a helpless-looking Christ against whitewashed backgrounds and peeling paint bring the whole thought process crumbling... or perhaps they support it. I don't know

BTW, I did go back and read your car wreck poem. Amazing how we consider our mortality when we are faced by such situations. I've been thinking about something I read from Plato: "To philosophize is to learn how to die." Maybe we are learning, every day, in preparation for our day. We are learning by experiencing small glimpses, and trying to make of them what we can.

Owen, your posts lodge inside my gut, for many reasons. I try to tell you as much as I can, the why and the how, but how we feel can sometimes only be expressed inside the psyche, and never in mere words. I feel your posts, because they are true life.

Nevine

Nevine Sultan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nevine Sultan said...

I'm having a bit of a time with comments, Owen. I'm not sure if this one will make it or not. I published it twice... might have a repeat. But I'm still not seeing it. Blogger is playing tricks with me, again!

Anonymous said...

An outstanding and important entry of yours.
Please have a nice Tuesday.

Owen said...

Hi TechnoB, it is amazing the variety of forms that religious decorations take... not long ago I heard about a phenomenon of bathtub madonnas where old bathtubs are stood on end half buried in the ground to make a niche to house a statue... symbolic cleansing ???
:-)

Owen said...

Hi Deborah...
Many thanks for the references, I'll have to take a look, the "Don't Add Up" one sounds interesting. And a very good question you raise at the end, about who is more guilty. I guess one critical difference is that the "non-believers" aren't defending anything. What really bothers me I guess is the in-your-face attitude of so much of what passes for religion these days... like advertising, we get a large number of messages more often than we may realize, just out driving around, or reading the press, etc... A strange world we live in...

Owen said...

Tami,
Thanks for dropping in here. I'm not saying the Catholic church is the only psychologically unhealthy religious organisation around, just one of them. But nevertheless, the notion of ordering men to remain celibate their entire lives just doesn't seem realistic to me, and many others I've heard comments from on the subject. I studied enough psychology, including "abnormal", to at least understand that repressed sexuality, sexuality laced with major guilt trips, is probably a bad idea. At least some faith's preachers are allowed to marry, and find in matrimony a sexual existence that is "legitimate" in the eyes of their church and their peers. Less repression, less likelihood of deviance resulting. No doubt there have been cases of other religious groups besides the Catholics having sexual scandal. But I don't buy the argument about gag orders being the reason we just haven't heard much about them in the press. Why wouldn't the Catholics with their huge financial and legal resources do the same thing, and use gag orders to stop the stories from circulating. No, there has been too much damning evidence presented in the press, in books, in films, in documentaries... the Catholic church has a very dark underbelly. And I also can only shake my head in disbelief about the way they relegate women in their organization to a second class existence. Aren't women fit to preach or hold positions of power in the Church ?

But I'm an equal opportunity religion dis-liker. My goodness, don't get me started on the Mormons, for example. Just start by reading "Under the Banner of Heaven", by Jon Krakauer. Or the Scientologists. Holy cow !

But anyway, thanks for your compliments on the photos. I will admit that religions have driven alot of very fine artistic creation... just look at the cathedrals around France, for starters. Or the Bam-yan Buddhas, which so sadly disappeared, again due to religious mental illness. I love the results of those efforts, just not the philosophy behind them...

Owen said...

Dear Louciao Madlynn,
What a pleasure to have your company around ! Even if you're slipping off, to head back to find Saj at the bar, it's ok...

And it's ok to say "shit" on my blog, I mean, after all the human oriented shit that's gone down in the history of our little planet, why not call a rose a rose, and call bullshit bullshit, should the spirit move ya ? It just seems so strange to me, so strange and sick, that the human race could dream up something so wonderfully idealistic as gods and religions and build beautiful churches and cathedrals and write the loftiest of lyrical moral instruction to go with it all, and then we turn around from all that theoretical beauty and grace to find that there is rather a lot of money driving these groups, and that some of them have large numbers of their management staff actually out raping children on a regular basis, and then the leaders of the group do nothing more but transfer them away from town when things get too hot, so they can start again elsewhere ? A sad world we live in... but that's not new. Just seems things get more grotesque as time goes by. Where will the next disturbing scandal break ? Stay tuned...

In the meanwhile, sorry for laying some heavy shit on the line, when usually we are so lighthearted here... I tend to think about such things from time to time, and then just tune them out when the disgust factor gets too high.

And I do love the artwork... like you, I love to poke around churches, and gift shops, and I seriously love to visit monasteries, and feel the quiet beauty of such places... sort of a contradiction in terms I am I guess...

Now where's my beer ??? Am getting thirsty here already...
:-)

Owen said...

Hi Ann, amen to you, I couldn't agree more... religion has in too many places been derailed and hi-jacked to serve other purposes. I sort of liked the notion of some of the early ascetics who wanted to give up the riches of the church and get back to the basics... but they became outcasts for the most part... I spent a certain number of hours in my youth sitting in a Quaker Meeting hall, in silence, in a circle, with no authority figure "preaching" to the community... that seemed alright to me... But even better in my eyes are the spiritual beliefs of native Americans... natural deities around us in the wind, sun, mountains, animals...
Peace to you...

Owen said...

Hey Tom... the only difference I've ever heard of between the two concerns proximity to a church... graveyards around churches, cemeteries not necessarily. True, false, I don't know. My American Heritage Dictionnary defines "Graveyard" as... a cemetery. And defines "Cemetery" as... you guessed it : a graveyard !

And yeah, that sculpted near skeletal face was just incredible... anorexic... deathly...

I visited quite a few cemeteries (or were they graveyards) on La Reunion Island... will have to do some posts about them. Just have too much to do of late ! Will get there. Haven't forgotten an abandonned building or two for you...

Owen said...

Oh, and TomB., just went over and checked out your photos from Detroit on Tublr... wow, fantastic ! and larger format... But how does one leave a comment there ??? Or is sending email the only way to give feedback ? Love those photos, but man, was it safe there ??? Isn't Detroit like one of the most violent cities on Earth ???

Owen said...

Hi Amy, am really happy then if you like the photos, and again, as said at the outset, my intention is not to offend anyone, there are just some aspects of life on this planet that seem a little too strange for my taste... but there is no accounting for taste...

Owen said...

Hi Priya,
A thousand thanks for the reading suggestion, I will take a look for it... cheers !

Owen said...

Hey Lynn, I'm flattered that you come back at all, let alone to look at the same post twice... you are a trooper. :-)

I can't help but appreciate the poetic turns that some religiously oriented language takes at times...

Like the tour group from a Baptist church that got locked in a large walk-in freezer unit by accident at the meat plant they were visiting. The headline on the newspaper said, "Many are cold but few are frozen."

Owen said...

Dear FF,
Amen sister ! I will try to avoid winding you up then... I need to wind myself down now after this stint on the soapbox...
;-)

Owen said...

Hey Adam,
Not really anger, just disgruntlement or frustration...

I keep getting the feeling a little too often these days that the human race had this really amazing opportunity here on Earth, and that slowly but surely we are blowing it. At 7 billion and counting things are growing beyond all reason. And among those 7 billion the most amazing forms of mental illness are prevalent. Is there hope ? I hope so.

And totally agree with you about the art. I love visiting cathedrals and monasteries and graveyards around churches for the breathtaking art that can be found hiding in such places... Stained glass and icons... we have much to thank the various churches for. And much to not thank them for.

Owen said...

Dear Cildemer;
Lennon was a giant among men. So sad he had to leave early. Many thanks for the song quote, have loved that one for a long time. Another quote from a song of his I love is :

"They keep you doped with religion and sex and t.v.
And you think you're so clever and classless and free,
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see..."

Owen said...

Dear StickUp,
Your thoughtfulness and depth is apparent in everything you say and even further revealed in your photos. I know for many many people belonging to an organized religion fills a very important need for community and guidance and security. I just wish to hell we could stop hearing about trusting people having their trust violated.

And I'm with you (and Louciao and Adam above) on the art... so much inspiration garnered around faith to create art... can't be all bad, eh ?
:-)

Owen said...

Hi K'line,
Not to worry, certainly not to say sorry, and just know that I'm always happy when you turn up... all those months of lovely exchanges, often over at Jeff's place, build bridges that would be hard to erase. I appreciate your company, your incredible culture, your sensitivity, and that you are a friend of Loulou's... there is good energy there that can't help but make one smile...
:-)

Owen said...

Steve,
You are a caution ! Short but sweet... couldn't agree with you more...

Owen said...

Salut Jeff...

C'est touchant que des gens s'arrêtent au bord de la route pour prier un coup... j'aime bien les traces visibles de telles croyances... même si je ne les partage pas forcément.

J'espère que tu vas super bien, avec un tas de projets qui bouillonnent...

Toujours content de te voir, après tous ces mois de bavardages, et de... oooooppps, doit pas le dire...

Owen said...

Hey Peter,
I'm with you !

Am all for respecting others, on the condition that the others in question also respect others, including myself, and don't try to tell me what I should or shouldn't think...

As for the art, see above answers, couldn't agree more, and who could not be moved by spending an afternoon in Notre Dame or Chartres or etc etc... (as you so kindly reminded us with your recent beautiful post about Notre Dame)

Owen said...

Nevine,
I don't know why I am often moved close to tears while reading what you write... Love your thoughts about Plato here.

A favorite quote of mine, which I no doubt pull out a little too often, is from a film called Breaker Morant, which takes place in South Africa during the Boer War. Harry Morant says at one point something to the effect of, "You should live each day as though it were your last, because one day, you are bound to be right."

May your days be long and luminous Nevine, the better to write by, in the attic room of that long narrow house there, with the windows on the dead end street.

And as you can see, your comment came through finally. I too have been noticing delays in comments going through lately. Is Google running out of server space ?

Owen said...

Hi Robert, you are kind... very kind... but not as in kinder...

I wish you all happiness, day in and day out...

Nathalie H.D. said...

Boo hoo hoo I can see that the comment I left here yesterday has gone. Is it the one that was deleted? Was it incorrect? :-))

Considering that the views expressed therein were very similar to yours except that since I don't have a dog with sharp teeth I use my fourth floor without a lift as a deterrent for would-be converters, I assume that you didn't delete my comment and that it was just cyberspace playing tricks on me.

Anyway, just wanted to say again how much I enjoyed your collection of tropical shrines, even though the minister's skeletal eye sockets gave me the creeps.

Owen said...

Hi Nathalie,
No, I definitely did not delete your comment, would never do that to you, on the contrary, am always "ravi" when you drop by... Well hopefully those four floors will keep the proseletyzers away... And hear you loud and clear about the eye sockets on that sculpture... it was really quite scary. Especially with the sky coming down on top of us. Just after those pictures were taken a torrential rain storm broke loose, which we had to drive through to get the rest of the way to Cilaos, along the road of "trois cents virages...

sorry for the lost comment, I've been seeing some trouble too of late trying to save comments... hopefully Google hasn't gotten so big that it's going to implode on us...
:-)

-K- said...

Wow - totally fascinating photos. Glad to see you're getting so many comments on such a well done project. As for religion, I agree with one of your comments about it being just a little bit too strange for your (and my) taste.

Roxana said...

such a great post, Owen. i can't stop admiring the rhetorical construction, how you used your arguments and backed them up with photos, strategies of emotionally seducing the reader :-) and in the end your point emerges crystal clear and so strong that one cannot do anything other but agree. and again i am fascinated by your eye for the meaningful, symbolic detail which concentrates the essential of a story, a gesture, an attitude...

j'applaudis!

a sunny hug from me...

Roxana said...

hey, did you get my comment here? i have just posted it, but it said: waiting for the blog owner's approval - yet now this warning has disappeared and the other comment i posted appeared instantly - hmmm.

Owen said...

Hi K.,
Indeed, indeed, too many strange stories all over the map related to these themes for my liking... a subject which should bring peace of mind just brings unease... I guess perhaps I'm a bit too much of an idealist for living in tranquility while surrounded by irrationality on all sides... that's why I keep seeking my dream house... a place of retreat...
:-)

Owen said...

Dear Roxana,
As you can see now, your comment did inded come through. I have always had the comment moderation turned on for comments coming in on posts more than three days old so that I hopefully won't miss any comments on slightly older posts if I'm not fast enough to go back and check days later... and I don't want to miss anyone's thoughts about this crazy little exercise here...

Am basking in sunshine then from sunny hugs ! (just have to be careful not to burn, as I did on the second to last day on the island when I forgot the time while watching fish in the water floating there with a mask and snorkel tube... the fish were beautiful though!)

I think I will perhaps address you as Professor Roxana, for you clearly reason at a level I would expect from an excellent professor at university... and I say that with the utmost respect, given that my father was a university professor, and my mother was a university librarian...

I must perhaps politely disagree however with the assertion that "one cannot do anything other but agree", as agreement or the contrary in this case would be heavily conditioned by one's longstanding religious feelings and beliefs, which my little piece here would be unlikely to sway in any way, shape, or form. People of unshakable "faith" would probably find a hundred ways to dismiss the statements made here as the mere frothing at the mouth of yet another religion basher; and relegate me to the line of people waiting for admission to that long (eternal?) session of roasting over an open fire.

But that's ok, I'll take my chances...

And in the meanwhile, I am bowing with the utmost humility as the echoes of your applaudissements résonnent ici dans la chambre blanche des commentaires...

Take care Professor, à bientôt...
:-)

Annie Bear said...

Hi Owen. Great photos as always. I'm not sure what the purpose of religious figures are but they look cool. I try to stay away from religion and politics when I blog. I realize that some and maybe lots of my blog friends are 180 degrees away from me when it comes to religion and politics but I'm fine with it. Although I wouldn't wan't to constantly read posts that are the antithesis of my beliefs and values.

James said...

Sorry Owen I forgot to logout my wife. "Lucy the Cat" was me. :)