- this bit... - H@shim A ™
- and this bit... intentional?
i like when corners converge in corners... implies some care in the composition.
did i infer correctly? - H@shim A ™ - yep, that was intentional. :-)
- i find that very cool... - H@shim A ™
did charles darwin believe in god?
i am not a religious person. at all. in fact, i have very strong feelings of distaste when it comes to organized religion (a feeling summed up by this window in an old church in downtown manhattan). that said, i envy people -- intelligent, questioning people -- who can suspend their brains and simply believe, finding solace in that very suspension.
but i can't. and yet, when traveling in places that are not my home, i find myself drawn to places of worship, as if i'm a scientest, trying to better understand how and why people believe.
then i go back to the car or the hotel or the train station, and i look at the pictures i've taken, and i look out the window at a bird or an abandoned building or an old woman's face, and i find my own solace.
Comments and faves
daniel gerber ©, NickyBe, Lollie Dot Com, P Doodle, and 19 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Photomotion [deleted] (71 months ago | reply)
great structure and color, instant fave!
I am not a religious person either, nonetheless I believe, to me that is a difference.
your title is a good example for belief without suspending the brain because darwins "survival of the fittest" or evolution theory in general at least to me is not enough for an explanation of the world we live in. For myself I believe in something else that must have helped to create life, nature and the universe simply because even a few billion years are not enough for evolution alone to bring up something like this.
...and let's not call it coincidence either - as Einstein said: "God does not gamble". ("Gott würfelt nicht" - I actually know the German term only)
In my eyes belief and solace are two different stories too. Belief must not necessarily lead to solace.
JKönig (71 months ago | reply)
thanks for the thoughtful comment, ulrich! it amazes me how personal a thing religion is. i have to admit, while i myself am not a proponent of intelligent design, i tend to believe in coincidence and chaos, which may seem oxymoronic, but they make sense to me. and i tend to call on "fate" when it's convenient (meeting florian in that youth hostel, etc.).
but ultimately, in my opinion anyways, we're all specks of dust who happen to've come from sludge, and we're headed back that way.
(but that's just me.)
ricmcarthur (71 months ago | reply)
I'm not into organized religion.
I prefer nature’s cathedrals, like a forest in the calm of early morning.
I'll leave the arguments and rules on how to worship to others.
pmarella (71 months ago | reply)
fantastic shot!!
annabellafranc [deleted] (71 months ago | reply)
It's a beautiful image...
and I fancy some chocolate chip ice cream right now....
faria! (71 months ago | reply)
From what I've seen, many of the science schools (Caltech/MIT/etc) have strong religious groups on campus. There is no shortage of budding scientists who have faith in some sort of higher power. They must not see it as a conflict of ideas or interest. When they are practicising science they are dealing with the physical world, when they are practicising faith, they are considering the spiritual world which follows a different set of rules. It's curious, but it seems to work for many people. I prefer 'nature's cathedrals' too , like ricmcarthur.
Nice colors, btw :)
S1W (71 months ago | reply)
Nice pic and a very interesting discussion! I don't really have anything to add but I will keep checking back. I'm sort of lost in this debate but I like hearing what others have to say.
the dreaming tree (71 months ago | reply)
well stated Jen - also, some very wonderful & thought provoking comments - not to mention a beautiful image. Excellent comp, nice lites and colors too.
mofo (71 months ago | reply)
Absolutely beautiful, photo and sentiments. And this image is now "paired up" with the one sitting directly next to it in my contacts photo page today:
Lollie Dot Com (71 months ago | reply)
I've been an athiest and an agnostic. I am a strong believer that God created evolution and that it was a stroke of pure ultra-genius.
And all that said, no matter... beautiful picture!
regularjoe (71 months ago | reply)
You are all going to burn in hell. You know that don't you?
Buncha' tag whoring hethens....
H@shim A ™ (71 months ago | reply)
8 and 16, tagz that is...
see note.
the monk (71 months ago | reply)
he did and i think you need to start a blog
other than that things went very well today
daligt (71 months ago | reply)
Very interesting text, when i saw the thumbnail with the cross i knew that it had the be something written down by you.
I guess not only your photos attract me, i always enjoy reading what you have to say also!
Have nice day!
--
Seen in my contacts's photos. (?)
JKönig (71 months ago | reply)
hey everybody, thanks for all the comments and thoughts. :-)
@ric: "nature's cathedrals" -- amen, brotha!
@regularjoe: what flavor ice cream did you want, bizotch?
@monk: YAY! and funny you say that, i used toblog, then flickr happened. but you know what? it's time to pick that up again, i think. so stay tuned...
Big Gig Photography (71 months ago | reply)
A wonderful shot Jen with the text being thought provoking too.I knew I liked you for a reason. :o)
P Doodle (71 months ago | reply)
Of this there is no doubt: you did one a job on this picture. The composition is superbly crafted.
bootpainter (71 months ago | reply)
Nice image, and one that has delight for the believer and non-believer alike. The universe asked me a very specific question a while back, about what religion I followed. I still haven't got a sure and confident answer to give.
I do think that the design of a spiral seashell, or the growth of florets on a plant, which follow the same sort of numerical sequence; or the fact that we have opposable thumb and forefinger; these are evidence of order that, if it's random, I'd have to say that the deity I hope I believe in, glories in randomness, and mystery, and occasional flashes of clarity.
Fotofever (71 months ago | reply)
Nature's cathedrals....I'd like to quadruple that. There's something awe-inspiring about the vast ocean or the beauty of the forest, or mountains, or sky. Many paths, one destination.
Oh, and nice image Jen, as usual!
madalyne53 (71 months ago | reply)
Nice image, I've tried the religious road, too much faith not enough in the way of answers. As has been often said "how many people have been killed (murdered) in the name of God?"
But a bit O ice cream sounds fabby (flabby?)
Peter you've lost the news (71 months ago | reply)
I too am attracted to churches despite being a firm atheist. I'm not sure why I like them. It could be in part due to their architectural merits, or the fact that they are often tranquil and peaceful places, or that the spaces they create can be pretty awesome. But my mind boggles at the thought of what religious people do in there. But each to their own.
Nature is pretty incredible and I can kind of see why some people believe that a god had to have created things but, for me, that's just a too easy and convenient way of explaining things.
Peter you've lost the news (71 months ago | reply)
Oh, and nice photo btw :-)
AmUnivers (71 months ago | reply)
Very nice image, and I thought I read my own thoughts and feelings in your description. Was a strange, but nice thing :)
I am also attracted by places of worship because in Europe, they are often the earliest monuments we have, so they are a testimony of the beautiful things humans have built, in times when they didn't have all the big tools we have now.
As for nature cathedral, I am as much in awe in fromt of a huge tree, the ocean, or a tiny flower, all are so incredible, in their variety, and in the way each natural thing has its place and role on Earth.
saintbob (71 months ago | reply)
Nice stream of comments from a thought inducing image, I agree that when we are confused, or tired, or stressed, these places of contemplation naturally inspire a sense of spiritual calm, all our cultures try to explain this with Dieties and Multi-headed animal Gods and Voodoo and mumbo jumbo and walking on water and Space-men and Jimi hendrix and Science and all these valid and unvalid options,
I appreciate this silence and joyfulness inside of me but I look out at a cruel and sickening world, of overdoses, and children living on the streets with rats eating their toes, and fat guys driving Ferrari, and machete's, and junk, and bleeping tv, and nose jobs, and so on and so forth, so much for evolution, but maybe there is an order in that stuff too, maybe, but at least I feel some connection, even if it's just a little solace in JKonigs world briefly touching mine, and hey! that's a miracle of a kind.
cattycamehome (71 months ago | reply)
Your distaste alongside fascination is shared! Great image!
Lady Vervaine (71 months ago | reply)
Yeah, I know what you mean, and I know what Catty means.... It's a strange mixture, but hey, that's how we are...
couleurs gm (71 months ago | reply)
très beau !
Scott Foy (71 months ago | reply)
Nice composition and colour!
beebo wallace (71 months ago | reply)
science rocks ...
egg. (71 months ago | reply)
yes, churches.
they are attractive aren't they?
hmmm...
Sometime around when I was 13, "the X files" was a religion for me... but now not so much ...
well, you know where I stand....
yes. churches have an odd magentism don't they?
regularjoe (71 months ago | reply)
Blasphemers!!!!
Incoming lightining bolt in 5...4...3...2...
/teasing
honey3bun (71 months ago | reply)
I love this photo, the colours are fantastic!
ciemor (71 months ago | reply)
Stained glass is beautiful--great angle.
ricmcarthur (71 months ago | reply)
Well, you certainly stirred the mud puddle didn't you. :-)
Came across a saying that is probably true:
No matter what your religion is the majority of the world disagrees.
Another one is:
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side & a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
unbearable lightness (71 months ago | reply)
Semi-religious thought for the day:
Knowledge
is the recognition that you get but one free choice in life.
Serenity
is accepting that you've already made it.
Happiness
is getting the joke,
normaljean (71 months ago | reply)
Music has always been my religion. :)
Alex Vinter (aka Wam Mosely) (71 months ago | reply)
For me, people believe in what they want to and what they need to... whether those beliefs are real or not is upto them.... (= I guess that why they call it faith...
To understnad where you find solace is so important, and I love your idea for it!
Lovely feeling here, love the strong symbol and background around it.
Colin Purrington (64 months ago | reply)
To answer the question in photo's title: "no". But there is an urban myth that he changed his mind on his death bed. For many people, especially those with a fondness for myths, this story has greater truthiness.
Toulouse (56 months ago | reply)
Of course he did.
Warm regards,
lucidcats (53 months ago | reply)
:-D
ElissaSCA (27 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Medieval NYC, and we'd love to have this added to the group!