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Why Is Idolatry a Sin to Abrahamic Religions?

Terese

Mangalam Pundarikakshah
Staff member
Premium Member
As the title says. I've never gotten why it is reprehensible to worship a physical object as an image/manifestation of God or gods. While this is a debate, i am not denouncing people who see idolatry as a sin. I would only like to understand why :)
 

Enoch07

It's all a sick freaking joke.
Premium Member
As the title says. I've never gotten why it is reprehensible to worship a physical object as an image/manifestation of God or gods. While this is a debate, i am not denouncing people who see idolatry as a sin. I would only like to understand why :)

Because the item/image/whatevs is nothing more than what it is, an item/image. It should not be worshipped. As it has no power or significance on it own.

An example. Let's say your kid only talks to a photo of you. They do not talk to you or hug you, it instead they talk and hug the picture of you. This is not ok.
 

danieldemol

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I don’t know of any Baha’i writings relating to graven images which explains why it is wrong but I suspect it is because man becomes attached to the products of his imagination and people can be blinded by these imaginations about what they think the Manifestation of God should look or be like and thus deny the Manifestation of their own time if He doesn’t fit how they imagined Him to be.
 
As the title says. I've never gotten why it is reprehensible to worship a physical object as an image/manifestation of God or gods. While this is a debate, i am not denouncing people who see idolatry as a sin. I would only like to understand why :)

I imagine it evolved as a marker of differentiation. One who kept their old idols was not commiting fully to the community.

Theological justifications presumably emerged to justify the practical real world issue.

Lots of these kind of rules relate to community cohesion and visible commitment.
 

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
Properly understood, idolatry is not the mere worship of a physical object as a representation of deity. Rather, it is the substitution of a physical object for deity. In other words, it is a sin because you are no longer in any way whatsoever worshiping deity -- you have substituted the physical object for deity.

Hindus are not idolatrous in so far as they understand their "idols" are not deities in themselves. It is a misunderstanding to claim that they are idolatrous.
 

Terese

Mangalam Pundarikakshah
Staff member
Premium Member
Properly understood, idolatry is not the mere worship of a physical object as a representation of deity. Rather, it is the substitution of a physical object for deity. In other words, it is a sin because you are no longer in any way whatsoever worshiping deity -- you have substituted the physical object for deity.

Hindus are not idolatrous in so far as they understand their "idols" are not deities in themselves. It is a misunderstanding to claim that they are idolatrous.
Actually we have a belief called "archa murti" which is God taking the form (avatar) of a murti (object of devotion). This happens when one worships a murti with an abundance of love. In fact, to call a murti a mere statue or wood is aparada, or offense in Vaishnavism. So yes, we are very idolatrous :D
 
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sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
As the title says. I've never gotten why it is reprehensible to worship a physical object as an image/manifestation of God or gods. While this is a debate, i am not denouncing people who see idolatry as a sin. I would only like to understand why :)
Because the Bible/Quran says so?
 

Terese

Mangalam Pundarikakshah
Staff member
Premium Member
Because the item/image/whatevs is nothing more than what it is, an item/image. It should not be worshipped. As it has no power or significance on it own.

An example. Let's say your kid only talks to a photo of you. They do not talk to you or hug you, it instead they talk and hug the picture of you. This is not ok.
What of those who have Jesus on a cross in their house or an image of Mary? Do they have no power or significance?
 

Glaurung

Denizen of Niflheim
In the Catholic tradition, one commits idolatry when worship is given to anyone or anything but the true God. (The creature over the creator). Idolatry is thus a sin against the first commandment.

Hindus are not idolatrous in so far as they understand their "idols" are not deities in themselves. It is a misunderstanding to claim that they are idolatrous.
Under a traditional Christian view, all pagan worship is idolatrous as God alone is entitled to worship as God. Isaiah 45:5

The exact properties associated with idols are beside the point.
 
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Srivijaya

Active Member
What of those who have Jesus on a cross in their house or an image of Mary? Do they have no power or significance?
This was a big debate in the Orthodox Church with all those holy icons. To what extent did they represent that which was holy and to what extent were those objects themselves holy?

Idolatry for me is the act of reducing the divine to knowable proportions. Fundamentalist Christians are just as guilty of it as someone worshiping a statue. They reduce God to a 'being' in heaven who gets angry and tells them what he's thinking. They've got a pocket edition of God which they produce to berate their opponents with.
 

Terese

Mangalam Pundarikakshah
Staff member
Premium Member
This was a big debate in the Orthodox Church with all those holy icons. To what extent did they represent that which was holy and to what extent were those objects themselves holy?

Idolatry for me is the act of reducing the divine to knowable proportions. Fundamentalist Christians are just as guilty of it as someone worshiping a statue. They reduce God to a 'being' in heaven who gets angry and tells them what he's thinking. They've got a pocket edition of God which they produce to berate their opponents with.
Interesting! What do you believe are "knowable proportions"? Is one who believes in a personal God reducing the divine? :)
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
As the title says. I've never gotten why it is reprehensible to worship a physical object as an image/manifestation of God or gods. While this is a debate, i am not denouncing people who see idolatry as a sin. I would only like to understand why :)

They feel there is no physical nature of the spirit of god. As such, any thing and person (except jesus for christians and bahaullah for bahai) that represents god or talks for him to most is considered idolism.

Worshiping anyone but god is wrong. Heirarchy authority relationship rather than balanced one that eastern faiths tend to have.
 

Srivijaya

Active Member
Interesting! What do you believe are "knowable proportions"? Is one who believes in a personal God reducing the divine? :)
Knowable proportions are what the discursive intellect can grasp. With the discriminating intellect we assign attributes, likes, dislikes etc. Buddha dharma teaches a follower to break through that barrier. As I understand it, Hinduism does the same with respect to Brahman.

I don't know what a personal God is, so I can't comment on the second question.
 

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
Actually we have a belief called "archa murti" which is God taking the form (avatar) of a murti (object of devotion). This happens when one worships a murti with an abundance of love. In fact, to call a murti a mere statue or wood is aparada, or offense in Vaishnavism. So yes, we are very idolatrous :D

Thanks! I stand corrected, you vile sinner!
 

ajay0

Well-Known Member
Even in monotheistic dharmic faiths like Sikhism and monotheistic Hindu sects like the Brahmo samaj, Arya samaj, Prajapita brahmakumaris, Lingayats there is no idol worship. However to their credit, they have not enforced their beliefs on others through coercion. In Advaita of course, duality is frowned upon.


Christianity clearly practices idol worship as shown through the numerous idols of Christ, Mary in the church which are worshipped and that of saints as well in the Catholic tradition.

The rationale behind idol worship in most sects of Bhakti yoga can be understood in the below explanation by Swami Narayananda...

"While learning to shoot, a soldier uses quite big objects or marks as targets to begin with. When he succeeds in aiming at them, he is given smaller and finer targets to practice on till he becomes a dead shot. In a like manner,does a novice who is unable to think of God in Its Formless aspect, takes up a certain Image,Photo or Symbol as an aid. And to that Image, Photo or Symbol he ascribes all the Divine qualities and loves it, adores it and worships it with full faith. And when he is able to make headway spiritually, his mind becomes pure, subtle and one-pointed, his meditation and the object of his meditation become subtler and finer and finally, when he attains Samadhi, he perceives and conceives the Formless aspect of God. This Symbol — the god or goddess that he uses as an aid in Upasana (spiritual practice) is known as Ishta - Devata."


All these gods and goddesses are also emphasized in Hinduism to be the manifesations of the One Brahman.

Great indeed are the devas (gods) who have sprung out of Brahman. — Atharva Veda.

 
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Terese

Mangalam Pundarikakshah
Staff member
Premium Member
Knowable proportions are what the discursive intellect can grasp. With the discriminating intellect we assign attributes, likes, dislikes etc. Buddha dharma teaches a follower to break through that barrier. As I understand it, Hinduism does the same with respect to Brahman.

I don't know what a personal God is, so I can't comment on the second question.
A personal God is simply a God with a personality. He has attributes like mercy, gracefulness, intelligence, radiant, etc.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
As the title says. I've never gotten why it is reprehensible to worship a physical object as an image/manifestation of God or gods. While this is a debate, i am not denouncing people who see idolatry as a sin. I would only like to understand why :)

The Bible commands it. Exodus 34:14 says it all.

See also Exodus 20:3-6.
 
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Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
As the title says. I've never gotten why it is reprehensible to worship a physical object as an image/manifestation of God or gods. While this is a debate, i am not denouncing people who see idolatry as a sin. I would only like to understand why :)
For a long time I did think that this was related to statues and to images, and I wondered why it was Ok for Christians to have photographs and to have statues. I was completely mislead, and I even encountered scary claims about statues and about objects manufactured in other places. A famous TV evangelist taught that you could accidentally buy cursed objects, and my parents believed him and destroyed some such things. It was untrue, however life was a cacophony of sounds such that we walked uncertainly. For a very long time I never knew anything about the condemnation of idolatry -- except superstition. Superstition is what you have encountered and no explanations about idolatry. Superstition fills the air and chokes us, and it quiets our questions. No one can take a step forward without exerting. We are like sheep just looking for a fuzzy butt to follow or a kind voice.

You probably are not involved in idolatry. Are you attempting to gather followers to command? Are you pretending to have powers or to be a channel of the gods for others? Are you making yourself into a super human? Are you collecting influence? Are you making yourself the center of worship or the prime minister of something that is? Are you manipulating statistics to control the populace? Do people surround you to hear holy words? No I do not think you are involved in idolatry.
 

Srivijaya

Active Member
A personal God is simply a God with a personality. He has attributes like mercy, gracefulness, intelligence, radiant, etc.
Would you say that the attributes are ones you project, or existing from the side of the God, irrespective of what you think?

I'm always aware that the 'ultimate' is without attributes and that anything I mentally project upon it necessarily places a veil over it. I guess that is what makes Buddha's teachings what they are. Buddha never left room for projection of any kind.

Ironic then that even Buddhists get accused of idolatry.
 

Terese

Mangalam Pundarikakshah
Staff member
Premium Member
Would you say that the attributes are ones you project, or existing from the side of the God, irrespective of what you think?

I'm always aware that the 'ultimate' is without attributes and that anything I mentally project upon it necessarily places a veil over it. I guess that is what makes Buddha's teachings what they are. Buddha never left room for projection of any kind.

Ironic then that even Buddhists get accused of idolatry.
I'd like to think they exist irrespective of what i think. I believe God to be both personal and impersonal.
 
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