Blog on Expressions of Religions through Art

Mary Greco, Fall 2015

This file is a pdf document of the academic blog https://expressionsofreligions.wordpress.com/ composed for Introduction to World Religions (REL1300) at Florida State University. This blog is primarily looking at the different ways religion and the arts interact. Religion is represented through art as jewelry, paintings, tattoos, dances, festivals, and so on. These blog posts discuss different themes within this topic from how different religions express themselves through art to how different groups of people use religious symbols. The religions most discussed in this blog are Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism which are all large world religions that many people can relate to. This blog discusses how, why, and when art is used in religion and also discusses how non-religious people use religious symbols such as crosses or hamsas. It also looks at why the relationship between religion and art is so important in our society.  

After composing this blog and researching these different religions, I have noticed that most religions use art in very similar ways. Some religions tend to be stricter in their use of the arts, however, every religion I have researched has used art in some shape or form. I also realized that more orthodox religions have less variety and openness in the arts they allow of their followers than laid back religions. The use of arts are present in every religion, however, and have become an essential part of worship and community. This blog closes by discussing why both the arts and religion are so important and the ways they work together to create an amazing force.