I intend to explore a part of mankind's special relationship with religion, some of the magnificent art that has been created in the name of God. I will try to cover the world's major religions and their art, as well as the influences on each. Please note, and this is very important, this page in no way advocates or promotes any religion and there will be no analysis, judgment or anything else that in any way claims the superiority or inferiority of any religion, philosophy, moral values, cultural traditions or way of life. I am neither an art historian nor a theologian and any errors of fact or interpretation remain my responsibility.

Art has had an important role in all of the world

When an artist is free to create their own work and determine its content, one has to wonder how far they can go in portraying their personal vision. A good example is Dali's Crucifixion, which created a furor in his native Spain and throughout the art world. One might also imagine an implicit restriction on art that might somehow portray a deity or religious icon in a less "holy" way, a way less worthy of worship.

Religion has used art in its many forms to create images of their deities, images which take on a form that the ordinary person can understand. One question has to be, realistically, "how much freedom of artistic expression existed when portraying religious subjects?" When artists were working directly for the Church or religious institution or a monarch, that right was quite limited. In Egypt, for example, ther

Some common words found in the essay are:
Christianity Islam, Roman Civilization, Islam Judaism, Dali's Crucifixion, Prophet Mohammad, Russian Orthodox, idol worship, painting sculpture, human civilization,
Approximate Word count = 559
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)