What is an Idol?

[Sevenseas]

A graven image would be, from what I have come to understand, a misrepresentation of God created to represent Him..God does not want

any sort of physical object to represent Him is what I understand when I take a serious look at the scriptures that deal with this subject

ok...when I wrote this, I was not thinking of or meaning art, statues or even a creche. I don't see those things as sinful...

now statuary in Catholic churches might fit into the 'thou shalt not' if they are prayed to or considered in some way a

meaningful representation

Regardless of what you were thinking or not thinking, you hit the nail on the head with that statement.........because it's true.

One other observation........why are the standards for catholics and noncatholics different when the behavior is the same? It's ok for one but not the other.

I am aware man, but even so, I think I get something different out of those words than you do

Regarding C vs NC, are the standards different? I don't think the standards are different

I grew up in the Montreal area and Quebec is chock full of Catholic churches and yet I was raised Protestant and was saved when I was 5,

and we went to a lovely little church...called it the chapel actually...no statues no virgins no crosses...go into a Catholic church and

they are replete with statuary in all directions and candles burning under them (lit candle representing prayers)

So, there is no difference in the command...obviously, but I think it would be very unlikely to think that the statues with candles are not idols

AS Paul stated regarding eating meat offered to idols...eating it was not a sin, eating in front of a weak brother in Christ was a sin,

(in the eyes of the weak brother) it was not the meat or even the idol, but the spirit behind the idol and the spirit in which the meat was offered

Where did you get that off topic smiley? It's really cute!

[nebula]

In the Midieval period, Biblical stories were depicted in stained glass to assist the uneducated in knowing them. Would you consider these idols, Man, even though the purpose of human images was for story-telling not reverence?

[Guest man]

In the Midieval period, Biblical stories were depicted in stained glass to assist the uneducated in knowing them. Would you consider these idols, Man, even though the purpose of human images was for story-telling not reverence?

My personal belief's are irrelevant. What does the bible say concerning those images? If it says not too, then we shouldn't.......regardless of how we feel. However, if there is something in the Word that countermands those verses that say "do not", I am willing to listen.

[Fez]

A graven image would be, from what I have come to understand, a misrepresentation of God created to represent Him..God does not want

any sort of physical object to represent Him is what I understand when I take a serious look at the scriptures that deal with this subject

ok...when I wrote this, I was not thinking of or meaning art, statues or even a creche. I don't see those things as sinful...

now statuary in Catholic churches might fit into the 'thou shalt not' if they are prayed to or considered in some way a

meaningful representation

I don't think an artists' rendition is necessarily an idol...but then I am not even into religious art but I had some very heavy

doses of art theory and history in college, so I am pretty aware of what is out there

Most religious art will depict Jesus...as far as actually representing God goes, the only thing that comes immediately to mind

is the Sistine chapel and Michelangelo's God reaching out to touch Adam

Speaking of nude, most of the figures in that work were originality depicted in the altogether....there was the pope who

went around fig leafing and painting over all the au naturel elements in statuary and paintings in a around the Vatican...

forget his name

forget his name

That would have been Pope Prude the First.........

[Matthitjah]

Let's discuss art for a moment. A picture of Jesus, an artists rendition of what He may have looked like, is idolatry, and a grave sin?

Let's discuss this through the Word.

If God commands us to do something and we go against His Word, is that sin?

We are to Live by the Spirit and not the Letter of the Law.

Lu 14:5

And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have a donkey or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?

Is that a sin?

Nice artful dodge.

[Sevenseas]

That would have been Pope Prude the First.........

[Guest man]

Let's discuss art for a moment. A picture of Jesus, an artists rendition of what He may have looked like, is idolatry, and a grave sin?

Let's discuss this through the Word.

If God commands us to do something and we go against His Word, is that sin?

We are to Live by the Spirit and not the Letter of the Law.

Lu 14:5

And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have a donkey or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?

Is that a sin?

Nice artful dodge.

Your question is off topic and has nothing to do with the OP. Let's try to stay focused here.

Perhaps you could start your own thread.

Just a thought.

[Fez]

Let's discuss art for a moment. A picture of Jesus, an artists rendition of what He may have looked like, is idolatry, and a grave sin?

Let's discuss this through the Word.

If God commands us to do something and we go against His Word, is that sin?

We are to Live by the Spirit and not the Letter of the Law.

Lu 14:5

And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have a donkey or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?

Is that a sin?

Nice artful dodge.

Your question is off topic and has nothing to do with the OP. Let's try to stay focused here.

Perhaps you could start your own thread.

Just a thought.

Not really off thread. I can see the donkey Mattitjah is about to pull out of the pit. Can't you?

[Guest man]

Not really off thread. I can see the donkey Mattitjah is about to pull out of the pit. Can't you?

I know exactly what he's getting at, but it has no bearing on this issue.

[Matthitjah]

Not really off thread. I can see the donkey Mattitjah is about to pull out of the pit. Can't you?

I know exactly what he's getting at, but it has no bearing on this issue.

Sure it does, but you don't want to acknowledge it because it shatters your argument about representations and Idols rather than worship which is really what the topic is about. The object of an Idol is your worship and you can't worship a picture of Jesus because it can't encompass the totality of who He really is.That is why God prohibits it. However, that does not mean that the Sistene Chapel is a sin and a grevious error against God and His Word. Neither do I bow down to the classic European representation of Jesus that hangs in my living room.

When God states that "He is God and that Thou shalt have no other Gods before Him." He doesn't mean little wooden man fashioned worthless tokens that pagans worship. He wasn't even s[peaking to pagans when He wrote the Law with His finger. He means that you shouldn't worship what they represent and that if you Loved Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength that you'd likely not have that despicable thing in your home or temple to begin with.

You see, the Royal Law sums up the whole of the Law.

I do hope that you are following the exact Letter of all of the Law, if not, you're headed for trouble because you appear to advocate a strict and legalistic interpretation of it.