Lately I have been wondering alot about how all of this should be viewed from a Christian perspective. Is beauty, and appreciation of beauty, important to Christians? I admit that it may seem irrelevent to the Christian life. The Bible never tells us to "go out and appreciate beauty." The Bible never labels the ignorance of beauty as a sin. In fact, the Bible does not really tell us anything about how Christians should respond to beauty at all. So then, does this mean beauty does not matter at all to God? I disagree. There are many things in this world that the Bible never specifically mentions, but I think that Biblical principles can and should be applied to all aspects of life, even the aspects that the Bible does not mention. There is no part of our thinking that our Christian worldview should not have some kind of influence on. Beauty is such a huge aspect of everyone's life that I can't help but wonder what the correct Christian attitude towards it should be.
What do we know about beauty? Like everything else in life, it was created by God. It was one of the many gifts that He gave to us, and I think that it is not only an awesome reflection of His power and genius, but of His kindness and love. God didn't have to give us such a pretty world to live in. He didn't have to give us the vastness of the sleek, black night sky adorneded with stars and a moon. He didn't have to give us the changing of seasons- the soft pinks and lush greens of the spring, or the glittering snow and glassy blue ice of the winter. He could have made a drab, unchanging world of only one color, but He did not. He gave us so, so many things to enjoy: the singing of birds, the wide open meadows and the stately forests. These things are a reflection of the great, glorious Creator who made them. The whole Earth seems to cry out the fact that there is a God in Heaven who gave all of this beauty to us. Shouldn't Christians, of all people, be the ones to appreciate these gifts? Other people think that the complexities of the universe came into being by chance. They may notice the beauty of a stunning landscape, but it is really nothing to them but a pretty picture. To the Christian, however, the beauty of the created world is not just something pleasant to look at, but is a reminder of the all powerful, majestic Creator whom we love. Because God gave us such a good gift as beauty, I really do think His children should take the time to appreciate it and thank Him for it. Imagine that you spent time working on a card for your friend. You really didn't have to make the card all that special, because it wasn't the main gift. The main gift was the money inside. Nevertheless, you spent hours choosing the colors and cutting the paper to make the card perfect. Wouldn't you want your friend to appreciate the beauty of the card rather than tearing it open to get to the most important part- the money? I think it is similar with the beauty God gave us. It is not the main focus of our lives, nor should it be. It is just one aspect of the gift of life that He gave us, but it is a very wonderful aspect that we should not take for granted.
Just as Christians should appreciate the beauty of the created world, they should recognize the gifts of creativity that God gives to others. While all of us are creative to some extent, there are some people in this world to whom God has given remarkable artistic abilities. In the world's eyes, these abilities are reasons to admire and worship the artist. The Christian, however, looks at amazing works of art and knows that all of this talent is a gift from God. The abilities in humans to create beauty is just a manifestation of the fact that we are made in the image of the Creator. Christians should be able to look at, (or listen to) a great work of art and be able to recognize the incredible talent needed to make it. When walking through an art museum, we shouldn't rush through with no consideration whatsoever. We shouldn't think, "These paintings are too boring, too dark, too old, etc." Even if they are not the sort of paintings we would prefer to hang in our own house, I think that we should look deeply at them, and consider the details and complexities of the artwork. We should realize what an incredible amount of God-given talent was needed to create it. We should appreciate it for the reflection that it is of God's own creativity.
It is the same with music, architecture, sculpture, and other forms of art. We should enjoy the gifts of beauty that God gave to us. He could have made our lives dull and void of art, but instead He decided to give pleasing sights and sounds for the enjoyment of all people. Christians should recognize the beauty in life for what it is- a gift from God- and should learn to appreciate it.
This brings me to some very difficult questions, ones that will take a great deal of reasearch before I feel able to write about them: Do we have to appreciate ALL art? Are there such things as good and bad art? And what is it exactly that defines art and beauty? Are there absolutes to them, or is it all relative- "in the eye of the beholder"- as it were? Hopefully after much study I will be able to give some sort of answer.
~Susan
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