Desecration (also called desacralization or desanctification) is the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful, contemptuous, or destructive treatment of that which is held to be sacred or holy by a group or individual.
Many consider acts of desecration to be sacrilegious acts. This can include desecration of sacred books, sacred places or sacred objects. Desecration generally may be considered from the perspective of a particular religion or spiritual activity. Desecration may be applied to natural systems or components, particularly if those systems are part of naturalistic spiritual religion.
To respectfully remove the sacred character of a place or an object is deconsecration, and is distinct from desecration.
Some religions, such as the Roman Catholic Church have specific rules as to what constitutes desecration and what should be done in these circumstances.
Examples of the destruction of pagan temples in the late fourth century, as recorded in surviving texts, describe Martin of Tours' attacks on holy sites in Gaul, the destruction of temples in Syria by Marcellus the destruction of temples and images in, and surrounding, Carthage, the Patriarch Theophilus who seized and destroyed pagan temples in Alexandria, the levelling of all the temples in Gaza and the wider destruction of holy sites that spread rapidly throughout Egypt. This is supplemented in abundance by archaeological evidence in the northern provinces exposing broken and burnt out buildings and hastily buried objects of piety. The leader of the Egyptian monks who participated in the sack of temples replied to the victims who demanded back their sacred icons:
Desecration is a British death metal band formed in Newport, south Wales in 1992.
Formed in 1992, and releasing their first demo in 1993, the band caused controversy in 1995 when their debut album Gore and Perversion (original version on Anoxic Records) was infamously seized and incinerated by the local police due to the album's offensive content, for what they deemed to be its obscene nature, and banned upon release. The printers of the original artwork and lyrics, after taking the money for the pressing and without sending any copies to the band, sent the albums to the police authorities and were subsequently incinerated. Band members were arrested. The ensuing court case and media furore firmly established the name Desecration in the South Wales scene and beyond. The album was later released with a black cover featuring the statement "SORRY! Censored by the authorities. Original artwork can be obtained from Arctic Serenades. Send an IRC.", now out of print, by Arctic Serenades.
Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne is the ninth book in the Left Behind series. It was published on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 by Tyndale House. It was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 19 weeks, and was the best selling novel in the world in 2001. It takes place 42–43 months into the Tribulation and 25 days to a month into the Great Tribulation.
Nicolae Carpathia stages a gruesome and evil desecration of the temple. Hattie publicly confronts him and is burned to death by Leon, the False Prophet. As millions take the Mark of the Beast, the first Bowl Judgment rains down as foul and loathsome sores appear on the bodies of all who have taken the mark, including Nicolae's inner circle. When the temple is defiled, millions of Jews and Gentiles rebel against Nicolae and many of them become believers.
The Tribulation Force launches "Operation Eagle", a mass exodus of the believers to the refuge city of Petra. Leading them is none other than Dr. Chaim Rozensweig turned into a modern-day Moses, who, calling himself Micah, and along with Buck Williams, confronts Nicolae and leads the faithful to refuge. Meanwhile, David Hassid, the first to arrive at Petra, is murdered by two renegade GC soldiers left over from a confrontation between the Trib. Force and the GC. The second Bowl Judgment hits as all the oceans and seas turn into blood.
"Obsessions" is the second single from the album A New Morning by Suede, released on November 18, 2002 on Columbia Records.
Though the single was another disappointment on the charts, reaching only 29 on the UK singles chart, the song is considered a favourite from this era among fans. The single had various producers: "Obsessions", "Cool Thing" and "ABC Song" were produced by Stephen Street, "Instant Sunshine" was produced by Suede and Alex Silva, "UFO" was produced by Suede and Cameron Craig, "Rainy Day Girl" was produced by Suede and Sean Genockey while "Hard Candy" was produced by Tony Hoffer.
The up-tempo song, whose lyrics focus on a relationship is somewhat reminiscent of Suede's biggest selling single "Trash".
"Obsessions" is a fan favourite of the later Suede and is notable as the only song from A New Morning that Suede performed at their 2010 reunion gigs. It was also the only addition from A New Morning to appear on the 2010 compilation The Best of Suede.
The video for the title song was directed by Grant Gee. The lead guitarist's brother, Stephen Oakes, worked as a runner on this video too. Suede invited fans to appear in the video shoot, which took place at the Marquee, now known as the O2 Academy Islington.
Obsessions is a subsidiary of Black Sun Empire Recordings.
The Family Jewels is the debut studio album by Welsh singer Marina Diamandis, professionally known as Marina and the Diamonds. It was released on 15 February 2010 by 679 Recordings and Atlantic Records. Diamandis collaborated with producers including Pascal Gabriel, Liam Howe, Greg Kurstin, Richard "Biff" Stannard, and Starsmith during its recording. Their efforts resulted in a primarily indie pop and new wave record, with lyrical themes that Diamandis identifies as "the seduction of commercialism, modern social values, family and female sexuality."
Contemporary music critics spoke favourably of The Family Jewels, and welcomed its diverse production. The record debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 27,618 copies. The album was eventually certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry and has sold 195,358 units in the United Kingdom. The Family Jewels performed moderately on international record charts; it peaked at number 138 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
