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Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

smithsonianmag.com

41–50 of 202 posts

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#41
post #31
post #30

The Paris catacombs, while lacking the Catholic aspect really resonated with me. There is something so incredibly humbling in looking at literally million of skulls and realizing that we are ultimately as insignificant as they were.

Not being able to comprehend their significance is not the same as them being insignificant.

... missing the point entirely.

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#42

Catholics believe in "incorruptibility" as a sign of potential sainthood. This is where the body does not decompose. You can see the bodies on display https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorruptibility Catholics also believe in demonic possession, hell, and exorcism. Not the first things a priest will tell you though :)

> Catholics also believe in demonic possession, hell, and exorcism. Not the first things a priest will tell you though :)

Because the first thing anyone will tell you is almost always a greeting, their name, or "excuse me."

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#43

The previous skeletons, which were rendered in traditional HD, have been moved to a less expensive media market.

Related tip for submitters: When HN's title processing inadvertently adds ambiguity, you can edit it immediately after to improve it.

(Original title is, "Decorated With 4,000 Skeletons, This Roman Church Will Have You Pondering Your Own Mortality", too long for HN)

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#44

Catholics believe in "incorruptibility" as a sign of potential sainthood. This is where the body does not decompose. You can see the bodies on display https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorruptibility Catholics also believe in demonic possession, hell, and exorcism. Not the first things a priest will tell you though :)

> Catholics also believe in demonic possession, hell, and exorcism. Not the first things a priest will tell you though :) Because the first thing anyone will tell you is almost always a greeting, their name, or "excuse me."

There is also the classic "what are you doing in my home!"

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#45
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, the Trinity is never referenced in the Bible - God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always treated as separate entities. The doctrine was made up by the Church to avoid the obvious polytheistic implications in the straightforward interpretation of canon.

Jesus and the Father are equated in the very first verse of John.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" isn't exactly straightforward.

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#47

[flagged]

> I find it uncomfortable because the point is to not just embrace death, but look forward to a better life afterwards. A death cult exposition. Does a child looking forward to adulthood make you uncomfortable, too?

>>Does a child looking forward to adulthood make you uncomfortable, too?

Adulthood is a known and documented expectation of childhood.

Life after death is not. Not sure what analogy you think you're making here.

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#48

46. Keep death daily before your eyes. Rule of St Benedict https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50040/pg50040-images.html#c...

Personally, I hang a "memento mori" near every mirror in the house, to remind him who would regard himself that what he sees will one day inevitably return to the earth.

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#49

[flagged]

> I find it uncomfortable because the point is to not just embrace death, but look forward to a better life afterwards. A death cult exposition. Does a child looking forward to adulthood make you uncomfortable, too?

To add to your unmentioned editing, since you rewrote it completely:

>>Does a student looking forward to graduation and their life afterward make you uncomfortable, too?

Same answer as below.

Re: Roman church decorated with 4k skeletons

#50
The article presents so much mystique around the origin of the artful arrangement.

All I could think while reading is this is what happens when the head friar tells the new kid, “the crypt has become a complete mess, can you head down there and make it nice?” And then doesn’t check in on his progress.

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