# Religious statues - why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 24, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775 "2016-09-24T22:26:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/121 "2016-10-03T12:25:39Z")
He doesn’t think it’s anti-semitic. Same as Trump thinks that talking about “blood coming out of her wherever” isn’t misogynistic. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/122 "2016-10-03T12:36:53Z")
Enough, folks. **dougie\_monty** and all those participating in the debate about anti-Semitism, drop it or take it elsewhere. We have gotten far afield of the topic in the OP. This is an official instruction to all thread participants to end the thread hijack. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/123 "2016-10-03T15:50:11Z")
Getting back to the OP - I’m not Roman Catholic, but we do have a statue of St. Francis in our garden very similar to [this](http://images.hayneedle.com/mgen/imagebywidth.ms?w=500&minh=300&maxh=600&img=master:CIB114.jpg). He’s got a little bird on his shoulder and his holding an open bowl which serves as a little birdbath. I like it. First, because I like to be reminded of heroes of the faith, and St. Francis was a particularly remarkable saint best known for his special concern with God’s creation as revealed by nature and the animal kingdom - so a little garden spot with plenty of birds and butterflies is delightfully appropriate. It’s also, from an aesthetic perspective, a pleasing piece of art IMO - like other people might enjoy a dragon or troll statue. It’s not an object of reverence or worship, and I have no concerns that it crosses any boundary into “graven image.” On the other hand, we also have a statue of an angel, which was a gift from a beloved neighbor. However, we’re not as… _fond_ of the angel statue, and it sits semi-hidden in the corner by the fence, partially obscured by a hibiscus. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/124 "2016-10-03T17:01:55Z")
Oops; just saw mod message; nm. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/125 "2016-10-03T21:00:55Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I think it’s safe to assume that anyone I quote it to, will know what moccasins are, and will understand my point. Well yes, but you are also culturally appropriating Native American culture which people don’t cotton to much these days and it is actually looked down upon as socially unacceptable. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/126 "2016-10-03T21:39:13Z")
I adopted St Francis of Assisi as my patron saint many years ago. I wore a very nice silver medal in his honor for years until it was lost in a tragic surfing incident. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/127 "2016-10-04T06:18:38Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Well yes, but you are also culturally appropriating Native American culture which people don’t cotton to much these days and it is actually looked down upon as socially unacceptable. Considering that the vocational counselor herself included this culture in her own ancestry, and was proud to say so, I considered it proper, as one of her clients, to adopt the adage and phrasing myself. If you know an equivalent term independent of that culture, by all means adduce it. Otherwise drop the subject; I could not find a metaphor that better describes the matter. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/128 "2016-10-04T10:13:11Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > If you know an equivalent term independent of that culture, by all means adduce it. “Shoes”, maybe you’ve heard of them? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/129 "2016-10-04T10:32:32Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I adopted St Francis of Assisi as my patron saint many years ago. I wore a very nice silver medal in his honor for years until it was lost in a tragic surfing incident. Well, I’m glad the only tragic loss appears to have been the medal. _stares suspiciously at Fidelius’ location_ ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/130 "2016-10-04T16:04:01Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Otherwise drop the subject; Don’t you dare Junior Mod me. :mad: And yes as The Great Kayaker said, “shoes”. Maybe you have a book from the 1950s that talks about them that you could research. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/131 "2016-10-04T18:55:51Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Don’t you dare Junior Mod me. :mad: > > And yes as The Great Kayaker said, “shoes”. Maybe you have a book from the 1950s that talks about them that you could research. So I’ve heard. I assume you read the part of my post in which I mentioned the wall hanging in the counselor’s office; I might have preferred the poetic to the prosaic in this instance. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/132 "2016-10-04T19:36:50Z")
Let me try to be clearer. All thread participants are to cease any and all hijacks of this thread. This includes, but is not limited to, the current discussion between **dougie\_monty** and **Drunky Smurf**. If you want to continue that, take it to another thread. Further straying will lead to warnings. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/133 "2016-10-04T19:47:21Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Let me try to be clearer. All thread participants are to cease any and all hijacks of this thread. This includes, but is not limited to, the current discussion between **dougie\_monty** and **Drunky Smurf**. If you want to continue that, take it to another thread. > > Further straying will lead to warnings. Notice acknowledged. If other people posting to this thread are interested, I will start a thread on this matter–in The BBQ Pit if that seems suitable. Or if someone else wants to start a pertinent thread, fine. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/134 "2016-10-04T21:40:18Z")
I apologize for my part in the hijack. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/135 "2016-10-04T22:15:29Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I apologize for my part in the hijack. I’ll only add that you are no sorrier than I, my esteemed friend. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/136 "2016-10-05T17:09:34Z")
Well, what do we do now? We should start another post, perhaps even in another forum. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/137 "2016-10-05T17:25:59Z")
Let’s ride bikes! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/138 "2016-10-05T17:40:06Z")
Statues are made from rock. Rock comes from quarries. I guess you lot could all go… ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/139 "2016-10-06T03:20:32Z")
I have a Jesus action figure. Does that count as a religious statue? (The funniest part is that the mold-marks from the injection-molding process are – among other places – in the palms of his hands, mimicking – I think coincidentally – the holy stigmata.) I also have a very nice small-scale replica of the “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” the original probably being of religious origin. Another question: is Michaelangelo’s “David” a religious statue, or a humanist one? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775/140 "2016-10-06T05:51:52Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I have a Jesus action figure. Does that count as a religious statue? > > (The funniest part is that the mold-marks from the injection-molding process are – among other places – in the palms of his hands, mimicking – I think coincidentally – the holy stigmata.) > > I also have a very nice small-scale replica of the “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” the original probably being of religious origin. > > Another question: is Michaelangelo’s “David” a religious statue, or a humanist one? Well, look at it this way. Do you think David actually went around naked? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-statues-why/766775.md?page=8)