Donald Kimball

Advanced Creative Nonfiction

Dr. Jeremiah Webster
3/30/15
The Core of Faith and Aesthetic
People who lean only on logic and philosophy and rational exposition
starve the best part of their mind.
W.B. Yeats

Measuring aesthetics is, perhaps, one of the most difficult tasks for mankind. Beauty is
acknowledged from the start of life, yet it is difficult to quantify. We see beauty because we feel
it, but it isnt a feeling alone. There is a striking parallel between this model of universal
subjectivity and faith - so often individuals feel there must be a purpose to life, but these
interpretations vary. I see this as no coincidence, as the two stem from the same root: meaning.
Aesthetic and faith are linked at their core, and one is necessary for the other to exist. By looking
at each and the understandings behind them, we can see they are intrinsically linked.
Even some of the earliest considerations of the nature of art which have been recorded
involve the necessity of faith to have a role in its existence. Both Aristotle and Plato point to
beauty as imitating the truest form, or the ideal. As Plato notes, Beauty & Justice are ideals,
universal forms, and all art strives to seek their truest nature. Such an interpretation relies on
faith of a kind, for though each interprets art to his or her liking differently, each work of art
strives to convey a universal experience.1 Indeed, it is for this reason that Plato is very wary of
art, as its power to move individuals can be more convincing than reason and logic. Longinus too
talks about the power of the Sublime, To believe or not is usually in our own power; but the
Sublime, acting with an imperious and irresistible force, sways every reader whether he will or

Richter, Peyton E. Perspectives in Aesthetics: Plato to Camus. New York: Odyssey, 1967. Print.

no.2 Modern philosophers have come to different conclusions, but even so cannot wholly escape
the necessity of a higher reality or shared experience. Twentieth century philosopher John
Deweys theory of art and aesthetics emphasizes an emotional shift and experience within the
individual consuming the art, but in order to achieve this there must be elements of the art which
connect the viewer to the message. In doing so, individuals not only connect to the environment
shown, but interact with it and in this way, when we interact with our environment, we resolve
tensions and conflict achieving harmony and creating a higher purpose.3
This link is essential to his theory, for if the purpose is only to connect the viewer to the
experience, the unique attribute of aesthetic and beauty is substituted for mere understanding.
Similarly, if we only take the emotional shift, then we could reduce the definition of art from
anything causing a violent shift of emotion: anything from a medical pill which changes ones
chemical balance to ones base enjoyment of animal cruelty. Without the resolution of tensions,
without the engaging within the environment to create a higher meaning, art is not art. Though
Dewey does not tie this higher purpose to religion, it indeed necessitates a kind of faith rejected
by pure naturalists. Even at base, the emphasis of the resolution of tensions which Dewey
provides necessitates a very primitive faith in the universal constructs of peace and tension, the
contrast of good and bad.
That which we consider art conveys beauty that can irrationally give us hope or joy for no
reason evoking this feeling is a product of faith. Without this kind of understanding, there can
be little real meaning given to aesthetic. Ultimately, to accept the concept of aesthetics is to
realize that perhaps not everything can be boiled down to pure observable reason, numbers, or

2
3

Longinus, and D. A. Russell. 'Longinus' on the Sublime. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964.
Dewey, John. Art as Experience. New York: Minton, Balch, 1934. Print.

quantifiable solutions. The premise of art is a kind of faith of a higher meaning, whether this
meaning comes through transcendent experience or an almighty creator. To reject any sort of
faith, one must accept the utter meaninglessness of art, and see it only as a catalyst to shift an
individual from one emotion to the next without purpose.
If this is accepted, then we must also suppose that art plays an essential role in faith too.
Though faith can be a multitude of things, for the sake of clarity well pare it down to religiously
based faith, or at least one vested in a higher power.
St. Augustine provides a methodical approach to the existence of God, based on logical
reasoning through levels of existence. In showing this, he reasons that reason alone is an
insufficient value comparative to truth, and as humans do not control or create truth, there must
be a higher plane of existence from which truth comes.4 When we accept this, even at the basic
level of planes of distinction, we build the underlying assumption that any power or God higher
than ourselves understands things which we do not. This isnt to say we are unaffected animals
which cannot reason themselves are still affected by the laws of reason, for the reason they seek
out food is instinct, despite their comprehension of this or not.
In this same way, beauty and art act as a glimpse into the mystery of a higher power or
God. That which we are unable to comprehend conveys itself upon us through aesthetic.
Theologian N.T. Wright says:
The arts are not the pretty but irrelevant bits around the border of reality. They are
highways into the center of a reality which cannot be glimpsed, let alone grasped, any
other way. The present world is good, but broken and in any case incomplete; art of all
kinds enables us to understand that paradox in its many dimensions.5

4
5

Augustine. De Libero Arbitrio. Turnhout: Brepols, 2010. Print.

Wright, N. T. Simply Christian. London: SPCK, 2006. Print.

A complete understanding of faith requires one to realize that there are realms of reality which
we cannot comprehend, but in order to see a fuller picture of life we must engage with art. It is
no coincidence that historically, cultures and religions worldwide integrate art into their worship.
Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism all contributed to the artistry in India,6 texts in the Torah are
filled with poetry, and Catholic cathedrals are built to inspire awe. This connection to art
becomes a central part of faith, as those who truly hold to a faith must acknowledge the glimpse
it offers into the higher realm.
To Christendom, however, art must play an even more prominent role. Not only must we
acknowledge aesthetics, but directly produce and associate our purpose with it. The Bible is rife
with verses associating Gods characteristics with beauty7 8 9, and thus we must strive toward
emulating beauty. Often this can entail using gifts given to us to participate in art10, especially as
we are designed to create. Not only are we called to make a joyful noise to the Lord, but He
has commanded excellence in crafting on robes for Aaron and in the construction of his temple.
This can be seen as a fulfillment of purpose, or even a comparative role as the easing of tensions
to which Dewey refers. When we, as Christians, ignore beauty, we lose one of the functions of
our purpose on earth.
Modern Christianity too often not only fails to produce art, but engage in the surrounding
beauty created by those outside the Church. When children are not allowed to listen to any music

"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Daoism and Daoist Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
Chronicles 16:29. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV), Containing the Old and New Testaments.
Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print.
8
Psalms 50:2. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV), Containing the Old and New Testaments. Wheaton,
IL: Crossway, 2011. Print.
9
Psalms 29:2. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV), Containing the Old and New Testaments. Wheaton,
IL: Crossway, 2011. Print.
10
Exodus 31:2-5. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV), Containing the Old and New Testaments.
Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print.
7

outside what is produced by Christians, a harmful disconnect of faith and aesthetic truth is
wrought. A division between what is good art becomes the arbitrary notion of the artists
themselves alone, and no truth is to be gained from the actual piece itself. Instead of
acknowledging that all truth is indeed Gods truth, we shut out avenues by which we can see the
mystery of God. Such insulation prevents us from seeing unique glimpses of God which would
otherwise enlighten our faith.
When I sit in my car, listening to the personal lyrics of Sufjan Stevens lamenting the
death of his mother in Fourth of July, the struggles of his faith in life at all, I am moved. Moved
beyond simple emotions, but in a deeper way. His words highlight turmoil and cause me to
grapple with harsh realities, yet see the beauty of life intimately. No experience can be had
without a close brush with reality beyond our comprehension, and no faith can be fully satisfied
without this glimpse. If the strumming of his guitar were to fall on faithless ears, they become
nothing more than echoes into a void. If the truth of his words are missed by those seeking the
highest form of reality, they become partially blind. Neither aesthetic nor faith can be fully
complete without each other.

"The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know. We feel it in a thousand things. It is the
heart which experiences God, and not the reason. This, then, is faith: God felt by the heart, not by
the reason."11

11

Pascal, Blaise. Thoughts on Religion Translated from the French ... New Edition. Oxford and London: n.p., 1851.
Print.