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The Opium Paradox Opening Night!

Personal

Senior Thesis

I started my project by looking deeply into the quote from Karl Marx “Religion is the opium of the people.” In my mind, religion has always been a paradox, serving as an evolutionary drug to calm the minds of the masses, while creating side effects such as racism, hatred, manipulation, and war. I feel there is a need to look deeper into this paradox, exploring both sides of the topic from an objective perspective. In this project I focused on Western religions, showcasing both sides of the story through photography and frank interviews with a large variety of persons. In the end, I have illustrated that at the social and psychological level, organized religion has as many negative influences on humanity as positives; a seemingly paradox situation.

For now I will show you the photographs used in my final display, but unless you see the final display they really only tell you part of the story. That being said, I plan to post next week with some photos of my final display so you DO have the story. But until then, ponder upon the following image taken of the individuals I interviewed this past year on their thoughts relating to religion.

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About the Author

Nicholas Klein

Founder and visual artist, specializing in all aspects of a businesses presence from imagery and video to graphics and web. A graduate of IPFW with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Concentration Photography as well as an Associates Degree in Business. His personal photography works are focused on landscape, travel, and aerial photography.