The body and object in evolutionary realism

The function of great art is to bring the lower to the higher, to evolve to Godhood. The body represents becoming-being, object, as contrasted with thought, or abstract thought. When God is an object, a superior body, then the body can come forward as a sacred symbol.

When the “soul” is opposed to the body then the body is demeaned. If we are opposed to the animal nature, then we downplay human nature.

The classical nudes are redeemed in the projected sacred art of theological materialism (TM), unlike traditional sacred art where clothing tends to be “opposed to nakedness as the soul is opposed to the body.” ( Frithjof Schuon). TM is not opposed to the body and the priest is not opposed to the animal nature. Evolution is the process of civilizing the beast, the animal evolves to Godhood.

In the projected sacred art of TM art can be centered on the bearer of evolution, the man-God, the superman and beyond. The ancient Greeks seemed to have used man and woman Gods, even though traditionalist priest's think Greek art was not enough informed by the sacred.

In TM we need not speak of resignation to the will of God but of the evolutionary assent toward Godhood, along with the ups and downs of natural selection and evolution. In The Twofold Path, inward art marks the descent to the will or Tirips, outward art marks the assent of Tirips and the body to Godhood.

God cannot be represented realistically because we do not know how God looks, and we probably will not know until we attain Godhood in evolution. But we can represent Beauty and Goodness and Truth in their highest human and superhuman forms and expressions---the Greeks did.

When we “exteriorize a metaphysic” or show “an image of infinity,” we need not leave materialism or the body out of the picture, because material evolution is the sacred path to ascending levels of Godhood.