Is life more satisfying as an atheist or religionist?

[Istvan]

I've seen people argue on this forum (or maybe one like it) that they enjoy religious art works from past by ignoring the meanings and enjoying the color and line. But to me, this is like listening to a poetry reading in a language you don't understand.

It doesn't seem that weird to me. Most times we're appreciating aspects of the art that don't involve religion. We can acknowledge the religious context of Chartres Cathedral or Josquin's settings of the Mass, but what we're appreciating is almost wholly aesthetic. Even when we're affected by religious artwork on an emotional or "spiritual" level, it's not usually because of religious devotion. I saw Michelangelo's Pietà in Rome this summer and was stunned by its depiction of the human condition: the real suffering of real people. The Big G, as usual, was neither here nor there.