All posts tagged: sin

A More Interesting Original Sin | Erin Maglaque

A More Interesting Original Sin | Erin Maglaque

Published by Jenni Sidey

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid Hans Baldung Grien: Adam and Eve, 1531 They were debating the nature of original sin in an apotheca in Naples. “We discussed a lot of things,” Giovanni Casaburo told the inquisitors in 1598 when they asked him what exactly was said in the apothecary’s shop. “Among them that if Adam hadn’t sinned, eating the forbidden fruit, we wouldn’t have sinned as well.” So far, so orthodox. But then the apothecary Marcello Impicciato joined in. “What apple?” he asked. “Adam and Eve fucked in the ass, and that’s why they were rejected from Paradise.” What apple? In 1588 Violante Scaglione testified: “Adam’s apple was Eve’s butt, not the pit of the fruit that got stuck in his throat when he was called by God.” They debated it in a tobacconist’s shop in Tuscany in 1702. Did Adam eat an apple, or was it a fig, or a pear? Giuseppe Cinatti said it was no fruit at all—Adam’s sin was “sticking it [his penis] into her ass” instead of “putting it into her …

Maurizio Cattelan Opens Up About Sin, Silence, and Stealing: ‘I’m Guilty Too’

Maurizio Cattelan Opens Up About Sin, Silence, and Stealing: ‘I’m Guilty Too’

Published by José Betancourt

If you have been in the art world for a minute, you have probably attended a benefit gala or two for an art nonprofit. The expectations for these events are pretty well established. After a cocktail hour, attendees get their seat assignments and dine on fine cuisine while they get acquainted and exchange gossip with their neighbors. Remarks are addressed to a restive crowd. Photographers record flashy outfits for the society pages. Perhaps a celebrity auctioneer takes bids on artworks or experiences to raise funds. But artists are often great at subverting expectations, and the Renaissance Society, a beloved arts venue at the University of Chicago known for its brainy exhibitions, has for several years now invited artists to direct its annual benefit, known around town as the RenBen. In 2025, Meriem Bennani was the emcee, and the event was held at a working commercial helicopter facility, where aircraft landed and took off during the event.  Related Articles Perhaps no one is better at defying expectations than Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. On Wednesday, April 8, …

Communion by Jon Doyle review – a charged debut about sin and solace | Fiction

Communion by Jon Doyle review – a charged debut about sin and solace | Fiction

Published by Sam Flores

Jon Doyle’s debut novel tells the story of Mack O’Brien, a young man who went to a seminary to study for the priesthood but was asked to leave because he had no real calling, and has therefore returned to his family home in Wales to work out what to do with his life. Cheek by jowl with his ailing, deeply religious mother, and a father struggling to process the grief of his own parents’ recent deaths, he finds himself drawn into participating in a local theatre production – playing a disciple in Owen Sheers’s now-legendary Passion of Port Talbot, an immersive community-led re-enactment of the crucifixion that took place over several days in Port Talbot in 2012, starring Michael Sheen. Mack is recruited after a steelworker from the plant where he works as a security guard drops out of the show. Material enough for a novel already, one might think, but all this becomes more or less background noise when, on the same night he agrees to be in the play, Mack bumps into Siwan, a young woman he was close to at school. Siwan’s mother was an environmental …

Original Sin by Kathryn Paige Harden review – are criminals born or made? | Science and nature books

Original Sin by Kathryn Paige Harden review – are criminals born or made? | Science and nature books

Published by Sam Flores

In 2021, the psychologist and writer Kathryn Paige Harden co-authored a paper outlining her research into the genetic patterns linked to a higher risk of developing substance abuse problems or engaging in risk-taking behaviour, such as having unprotected sex or committing crime. The paper referred to the genetics of “traits related to self-regulation and addiction”, but Harden thought of herself as studying the genetics of sin. Harden is a professor at the University of Texas and the author of a previous book, The Genetic Lottery, on how our knowledge of genetics should shape our views on meritocracy. She once received a letter from a man who has been in prison since he was 16 for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman. “What would drive a boy to do such a thing?” he asked her. Her new book is a heartfelt, subtly argued response to his question, an attempt to outline how our expanding knowledge of what makes people do bad things – the interplay of our inherited tendencies and our life circumstances – should influence how …

Hit Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin to be adapted for the stage by Russell T Davies

Hit Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin to be adapted for the stage by Russell T Davies

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Channel 4’s award-winning drama It’s A Sin is set to be adapted into a dance production, with legendary pop duo Pet Shop Boys involved in the project. Released in 2021, Russell T Davies’s emotional five-part drama followed a group of gay men and their friends as they navigated life in London as the HIV and Aids crisis hit in the 1980s. Davies will serve as executive producer on the stage show, as will Sink The Pink founder Glyn Fussell and Pet Shop Boys, whose 1978 single gave the TV series its title. Composer Roman GianArthur will create the music, with the support of duo Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. The set and video design will be masterminded by Luke Halls Studio, who have previously worked on tours for the Pet Shop Boys, Adele, Dua Lipa and Take That. Rambert, the UK’s …

Vegas Casino To Accept Canadian Dollars At Par In Bid To Lure Northerners Back To Sin City

Vegas Casino To Accept Canadian Dollars At Par In Bid To Lure Northerners Back To Sin City

Published by Jenni Sidey

Las Vegas casino owner Derek Stevens is offering Canadian visitors a major incentive by accepting Canadian dollars at par with U.S. currency at his three downtown properties—Circa, D Las Vegas, and Golden Gate—through August 31, according to Bloomberg. Because the Canadian dollar currently trades at about 1.38 to the U.S. dollar, the promotion gives Canadians an effective discount of more than 30 percent. The deal applies to hotel stays, bar tabs, and up to $500 in casino play. The move comes as Las Vegas continues to struggle with declining tourism. Visitor numbers have fallen for 11 consecutive months, leaving the city heading into 2026 with weakened momentum. High travel costs, economic uncertainty, and strained U.S.-Canada relations have all contributed to softer demand. Local tourism officials say fewer Canadian travelers—traditionally a key market—have been a major factor. Recent political and trade tensions have fueled calls in Canada to avoid American goods and travel, further reducing cross-border tourism. Under normal exchange rates, a Canadian bringing C$1,000 to Las Vegas would have only about $725 to spend, making …