Being Religious

[poliphilo]

It is said of one of the London bombers that he had recently "become more religious."

I grew up in a society where "religious" was always a praise word.

Going to church a lot, being a pal of the vicar's, helping to run some militaristic church youth group- these were all, in and of themselves, things worthy of praise. They were moral. They were good.

Morality and religion were all scrambled together. You could be sour, nasty, intolerant, ignorant, snobbish, small-minded, cruel, power-mad, not to be trusted round children, but if you were also "religious" you were automatically on the side of the angels.

It has taken me most of my life to undo this early conditioning.

And to realise that "being religious" is just a compulsion, taste or hobby like any other- and that "religious" people are no more to be counted on for moral behaviour than football supporters or stamp collectors or any other gang or group.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It is possible for a Nazi to be cultured, but impossible for a Nazi to be a great artist.

Is this true? I should very much like it to be.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Dali supported Franco. But I don't think he was exactly a Nazi. A lot of artists flirted with fascism in the 20s and 30s but I don't know of any
good ones who became card carrying party members.

Re: Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Pound was mad for Muss- which wasn't quite the same as being avid for Adolf. I've studied accounts of Wodehouse's Berlin broadcasts and the verdict seems to be that the man was simply apolitical and naive.

My candidate for Great Nazi Artist would be Leni Riefenstahl. Her Olympics film is awesome. But of course she argued that she never really supported Hitler, and the propaganda films she made for him were just another gig.

Re: Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've always been fascinated by Riefenstahl. She was a terrific director. Serves her right that no-one wanted to employ her after the war, but I regret the loss of all the astonishing movies she might have made.

I think she was fonder of Hitler than she was later prepared to admit, but, to be fair, which of us in her shoes would have said "no" to the chance to make those movies.

Eisenstein and the other Russian greats- who made propaganda films for Stalin- don't draw nearly as much criticism.

I think you're right about denial. I seem to remember a speech that Himmler gave the SS, telling them what heroes they were for taking on such distressing but necessary work....

Re: Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"I think human nature, as usual, is more complex and baffling and disappointing and interesting than that."

Yes. The Nazi leadership wasn't all Prussian duelling scars and monocles. There was a documentary about Goebbels the other day, with Kenneth Branagh reading from the man's diary. And what came across was how like anyone else's diary it was. Goebbels enjoyed country walks and thought Churchill was a wicked and pathetic liar and took real pride in his own achievements as a public servant. What struck me most forcibly was the utter lack of imagination.

Re: Enlightenment and Propaganda

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes- that's exactly the tone of it.

As the Russians closed in on Berlin, Goebbels seemed to lose all contact with reality- understandable perhaps.

I'm struck by the low calibre of the Nazi leadership. The only one of that crew who had something about him- so far as I can see- was Goering. The rest were ineluctably second-rate.