When one thinks of the faith that they hold, what do they imagine with their mind’s eye? The strongest Christian image, the Cross, holds great magnitude and depth for the believer. For the nonbeliever, the very image of the cross may cause offense, cringe, or (rarely) indifference, yet in the mind of those with eyes to see, this image possesses power that our words alone cannot fully contain and express.
The Crucifixion for many centuries has gripped the imaginations of Christian artists and patrons of the arts, hence its prevalence through Christendom as a work of art. The events surrounding the Crucifixion such as the Pieta enrapture the viewer with its pure artistry and poignant, heart rending imagery. If one were to try to describe Christ Crucified by Diego Velázquez with words, he might note how realistic Christ has been painted. The light and shadow have been masterfully woven into the art; the stark image and background presentation adds a haunting tone to the whole picture. Yet, these descriptions cannot fully express the experience of the viewer’s own imaginative experience.
Both True Faith and True Art have this property of being unbound by words alone; words cannot sum up either thing fully. Conceptual art or kitschy art often can be fully summed up with words alone. Dogs Playing Poker, the series of paintings shows us exactly what the title suggests and not much more. If I describe to you in detail the dogs sitting around a poker table with various accoutrement, you have the complete picture. Yet while these dog paintings are cheesy and used ironically, sometimes with comical skill, they are at least decently made and one can try to find some humor in it. With art that is ugly or profane, words explain all that they can be even more so.
Artist’s Shit which I shall not deign to post again on this blog except with words alone can be fully understood and visualized with the title alone. The art offers a statement of “look at me!” and a feeling of disgust rather than anything beyond the materials themselves. Excrement may be entertaining to monkeys and children (and the well timed toilet humorist.) However, for the artist, using this material degenerates the subject matter or in the case of the aforementioned Shit, is the subject matter entirely with the additional bonus a concealing container.
Likewise cheap Faith or Religion can likewise be summed up with words alone. The Easter/Christmas Catholic has no depth to his beliefs and his empty prayer life does not prompt an experience beyond the obligatory visit to Mass twice a year. A pretend Buddhist does not deny any attachments that they really value, but instead he values the aesthetic of appearing to have zen, seeming to be spiritual, and having a good excuse to smoke DMT if he prefers. The Jew who ignores or circumvents the Torah’s view of morality and ceremonial law likewise can be described as someone who desires to appear a certain way without engaging with the substance. These examples reject the existential and mysterious aspects of Faith that go beyond that which language can encompass.
Regeneration in the Christian context refers to the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. The Holy Spirit changes the very fabric of one’s soul and puts to death the flesh and sin within man. Like an artist, He takes the raw material of what we are as men and creates something out of it much grander than the pieces themselves in their natural form. The fruit of this transformation may be described semantically: “I drink less often.” ”I am more patient with my wife.” “I love my neighbor better than I used to.” Yet, the transformation one experiences from True faith is enormous.
The Scriptures describe regeneration as becoming a living being, rather than a dead one. This difference could be described as something like an infinitely better position to be in. What ratio is one to zero? It is “undefined”, mathematically speaking. We lack other words to describe this ratio in mathematics. Yet we know from spiritual experience and wisdom that there is something massively different happening here. Words and mathematics cannot fully contain it.
As one is Regenerate, he also begins to see the world differently. His intuitions and sensibilities shift even as the flesh still pricks at his conscience and imagination. The raw material of his being has been changed into something greater even than the angels in heaven. True transformation in this regard grants us a much larger gift than something we can merely describe. Instead, we must experience and take joy in it and through the practice of True Faith we may begin to understand the depth and breadth of the amazing gift we have, even if we can only approach it and never have complete understanding of it.
The True Artist has a parallel function to the Spirit in that he must take the materials of life, things that are just objects, colors, and tools, and transform them to become much more than the sum of their parts. As beautiful as marble is on its own, it becomes something entirely different when a skilled artist takes on the role of creator and molds it to be much more than it was as a pillar of stone. For the person who has not had their eyes opened to the vast beauty of art, this may seem like such a senseless use of time. “I just want a picture on that wall, the space is too empty. Anything will do, really.” It is a poor man indeed who has not had their eyes opened to an experience of art that moves beyond the semantic or conceptual into the experiential realm of awe.
Just as a portrait is not just paint on a canvas, people are not just meat-things with a meat-computer in their heads. The more we can explain things with words alone, the less beautiful they become, and the less beautiful things become, the more willing we are to ignore them. If we ignore important things that make life meaningful, how can we be surprised when all of the light of our imagination of the world becomes stunted with the mundane worries of everyday life? It is this reason that we must keep our sense of awe for the vastness of the human experience and our desire to know God and all of the Beautiful things he has given to us to enjoy and create.