| Out of all western religions,
Judaism is the oldest one, originating from the nomadic
Hebrew tribes around 1200 BC. The books of the Jewish
Bible known as The Old Testament to Christians and The
Law and The Prophets to the Jews, are based on a number
of sources dating from before 2000 BC to around 250 BC.
Christianity, the religion with the largest audience
in the Western World, has developed from Judaism, being
mentioned for the first time in historical documents
at the end of 1st Century AD. The Christian Bible is
composed by the Jewish part, The Old Testament and newer
part, called The New Testament, written originally in
Greek.
Islam (the word "islam" means to surrender)
has appeared in the Arabian Peninsula during the 7th
century AD and it combines elements from Judaism and
Christianity. The Islam believes that Allah is God and
Mohammed is the prophet, while Christians believe in
one God which came down to earth as Jesus Christ. The
Jews worship one god, whose Hebrew name is JHWH.
Hinduism dates back from 3000 BC; it is a polytheistic
religion and it is based on the belief system and rites
from all over the Indian Subcontinent. Out of Hinduism
grew Buddhism around 300 BC as a system of beliefs which
promoted the idea of cycle of birth, death and rebirth
as infinite values. One can break out of the cycle of
life and reach Nirvana, the highest state of enlightenment.
Buddhists worship Buddha who in earthly life was an
Indian prince.
These are the five religions presented in the "Plug'n'
Pray" kits, and by taking a quick overlook at the
history of religions, one can see that although they
were conceived differently and at different times, they
seem to share the same ideology: they all suggest a
strong relation between the human and the cosmic world,
the presence of good and evil, light and dark. The difference
is that all these concepts are interpreted in different
ways.
Although many of the world's great religions base their
beliefs upon ancient sacred texts, historical records
show that change does occur and that religious groups
use various methods to modify their beliefs. Sometimes
the texts which support the old beliefs are translated
in an obscure manner or simply ignored; other times
they are reinterpreted symbolically or are regarded
as having been valid in the era or the society in which
they were written. Every age has had at least one public
religious debate which made changes in the human history.
Religion has and will also have a negative effect
on humanity, by emphasizing differences in culture,
social and political views. While surfing "Plug'n'
Pray", the audience does not penetrate serious
issues the world is currently dealing with; the artists
succeed in taking a lighter and more humorous approach,
by giving everyone the opportunity to rather 'Plug'n'Play".
The art piece itself creates a world of open possibilities,
where anyone can cross their social and cultural boundaries
and choose their own religion, their own god. Is this
the key to a new social order, a political harmony of
the New World, the key to world peace? Lionello Borean
and his collaborators propose a "digital religion",
a contradictory concept which creates a virtual space
where everyone's identity and religious choices are
safe and private. No one needs to know what kit you
chose to buy, whether it was Buddhist or Christian.
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