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Greek Mythology worshipping Romans fed Christians to lions. And the Catholic's Vatican proudly displays Greek Mythological statues of Zeus, Apollo, and Muses.

2007-05-22 10:22:13 · 16 answers · asked by a bush family member 7 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

This question in no way is meant to bash the Catholic Church.

2007-05-30 09:17:23 · update #1

16 answers

dont worry about statues...theyre not hurting anyone...maybe they want to say we took over the roman crap so there NO MORE PAGANS WNTED HERE
humans did the killing not the beliefs...

2007-05-22 10:25:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3 5

The Vatican Museum displays works of art that have been given to the Church as gifts. Some, very few actually, hail from mythology, yes - but the Church's acceptance of these gifts does not constitute an endorsement of those mythological belief systems.

The Vatican does proudly display the gifts it has received from artisans in the last 20 centuries. Why not share these beautiful works with anyone who wishes to go see them?

I have been to the Vatican Museum and seen many of these works.

With regard to your comments concerning the Romans having fed Christians to the lions - get over it. Jesus preached forgiveness - unlimited forgiveness. As time passes, His teachings on forgiveness become more poignant and relevant.

There has never been a time or an age when at least some elements of the Church were not being persecuted, violently too.

How can the Chuch survive, and Catholic Christians rightfully consider themselves Catholic Christians if the Church holds grudge for every persecution?

Jesus' own words when Romans were nailing Him to a cross said, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do."

The Church is teaching forgiveness in displaying artwork that is not necessarilly Christian in origin.

2007-05-23 01:39:29 · answer #2 · answered by Daver 7 · 0 0

So now that the answers on here have turned into a Catholic-bashing session ... sooooo mature, mind you, soooo very mature....

Having a statue of Zeus in a museum does no more honor the ancient Roman pantheon than does showing World War II movies honor Naziism.

This is the problem with people who read too much into a statue. If you had your way, there'd be no public art. Yes the Romans killed Christians ... and received a just reward, did they not? Yet their art is beautiful and enjoyable and reminds us of our history.

Now if it were statues of lions eating Christians, that I would say is offensive and unnecessary. But statues are art, especially for those of us who know that Zeus, Apollo, and the Muses are just stories, shadows and flickers of an old and dead religion attempting in an error-stricken way to understand the God that we know to be true.

2007-05-30 08:27:51 · answer #3 · answered by Veritatum17 6 · 0 0

History and art are important. They teach lessons that have to be (re)learned by every generation.

The Catholic Church teaches the truth and does not try to rewrite history.

Ancient Rome was real, it happened. Many Christians were martyred. We do not want to forget this sacrifice.

Take, for example, the Egyptian obelisk in the middle of Saint Peter's square that was part the Roman Circus where Christians were put to death:

Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) directed the obelisk to be re-erected at the center of the square in 1586, in front of the "new" Basilica of Saint Peter, which was being built at that time.

The Egyptologist Labib Habachi gives the most accepted reason in his book, "The Obelisk of Egypt" (1977 Charles Scribner's Sons):

"Legend has it that in the Vatican Circus innumerable Christians, including St. Peter, were put to death and that the reason this obelisk was not later overturned as were all the others in Rome was that it was looked upon as the last witness to the martyrdom of St. Peter."

To think that this obelisk, this exact piece of stone, may have been the last thing that Saint Peter looked upon before his death while being crucified upside down is awe inspiring.

With love in Christ.

2007-05-22 18:10:44 · answer #4 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1 0

It is what is it...mythology. You want the Catholic church to forbid these pieces of art because Romans thousands of years ago use to worship Greek Gods and threw Christians to the Lion. What's next? Where not gonna display native art in museums cause 500 years ago they scalped British settlers. Don't you think you're promoting intolerance.

2007-05-22 10:40:14 · answer #5 · answered by Jane Marple 7 · 4 0

Probably because the Romans never, and I mean never fed any christians to the lions. This is a horrible myth deliberately created from a very real historical act.

(580 CE) Members of Antioch Temple of Zeus sect are thrown to lions or crucified by Christians before their bodies are dragged through Constantinople streets and thrown in city dump.
See: The Almanac of Evil for other examples of christian barbarity
http://one-faith-of-god.org/final_testament/end_of_darkness/evil/evil_0060.htm

2007-05-22 20:45:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

the catholic church doesn't wasn't built to care about matters of conscience... it was built to be a world power... built on the fears and superstitions of that day... it worships that which conquers... violence meant nothing... what it didn't count on is people making it accountable to it's word... the catholic church is an extention of old Rome trying to conquer the world anyway it can... and the pope is nothing more than a roman emperor trying to get by with all the political correctness that exists in the world today.

2007-05-28 18:21:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

No, the Vatican does not display statues of Greek Mythology.

The Vatican museums have statues pertaining to Greek Mythology, they are art, as most museums do display ancient art of all kinds.

2007-05-22 10:30:57 · answer #8 · answered by Misty 7 · 7 1

The Vatican appreciates art unlike many fundamentalist groups

2007-05-30 09:13:15 · answer #9 · answered by James O 7 · 0 0

Art

2007-05-30 06:43:06 · answer #10 · answered by viv 3 · 0 0

According to the Bible...

God deliberately killed every living thing on Earth.

Genesis 7:20-24 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

Lot had sexual intercourse with his daughters.

Genesis 19: 33-36 33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay* with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay* yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie* with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. [*lie/lay: to have sex with]


God ordered Abraham to murder his son Isaac.

Genesis 22:2 2 And [God] said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

God murdered innocent children.

Exodus 12:29 29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote* all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. [*smote: to kill]

2007-05-29 04:29:37 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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