exchemist
Veteran Member
No. We have statues and pictures there. We also sing and play music.
These forms of art are aids to devotion. One focuses on what is represented, and thereby empties one's mind of competing thoughts.
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idolatry
- Thread starter LiveByFaithNotSight
- Start date
These forms of art are aids to devotion. One focuses on what is represented, and thereby empties one's mind of competing thoughts.
exchemist
Veteran Member
Well there you go. It is an ancient and very useful practice, clearly.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
John 5:39 speaks of idolatry.
Not all meanings need to have the word idolatry in it.
King James Bible
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
The Word is Christ not scripture. Christ gives eternal life not scripture. Once you replace the bible as if it were gods Word, you are idolizing.
It's the exact same thing as a christian idolizing christ. Instead of the physical christ you worship the physical bible.
That's why when you speak from god you speak from the holy spirit. Your words and his guidence. It mentions guidence of righteous through the believer here.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me
Once you stay from that and assuming the bible is what you find the passion in you miss the point. You are crucified in "christ" not the bible.
If you feel scripture bypasses resources of christ it is used as an idol. When it's considered sacred and align with god replaced as christ it's an idol.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
sucking up to the boss
Well, I think wearing or showing crucifixes with the image of dead Jesus is under suspicion of idolatry. Like all images of Jesus. Especially for those Christians who believe that Jesus is God, since it conflicts with one of the commandments,
Ciao
- viole
sealchan
Well-Known Member
That's exactly the problem...if you believe that the Bible, against all good evidence, is merely the words of God forced through the imperfect hand of the author to be perfect in spite of themselves, then you have put the Bible in place of God.
Now God can speak directly to us. Should not that be the emphasis of one's worship and understanding...to pray to God with the Bible as a guide but not one superior to God Himself?
Some people speak as if they have no personal opinion but only consider what the Bible says as truth. These people always strike me as mindless robots because one could program AI to do the same. There is little to no understanding of how that individual's own, personal understanding and experience participates in their faith. That, to me, is idolatry.
sealchan
Well-Known Member
Yes, it is just like sci-fi and fantasy fans who collect action figures or other toys so that they can be put back into mind of the experience that the movie gave them. Excessive (materialistic) collection thereof would constitute a form of idolatry. Better would be to watch the movie again or to study on how that movie inspired you, study why it was so meaningful and important and seek to find ways of producing that meaning for yourself.
But anytime a person allows an interaction with a physical object to systematically substitute for a personal experience of spiritual truth, to substitute for the challenge of knowing yourself more deeply and growing mentally and emotionally, that is a form of idolatry.
Religion in practice contains and protects sheep. Religion is designed however to train up shepherds.
Worshipping their interpretations of the Bible as the word of God. Worshipping and clinging to their beliefs no matter what and calling that faith, rather than listening to the Spirit of God with an opened heart and mind. Viewing God as their sugar daddy for answered prayers to benefit themselves. And the list goes on. All of these and more masquerade as faith, whereas it is self-worship.
Milton Platt
Well-Known Member
Worshiping a torture device, or a dead man hanging on a torture device.
exchemist
Veteran Member
In theory, that makes sense. The practical problem for most sheep, however, is that they struggle to attain that personal experience of spiritual truth on a regular basis. This is where a scaffolding of practice and ritual comes in, to help keep the sheep faithful and give them more chances of those moments than they would have without these props.
For we like sheep, have gone astray:
Later footnote: I'd forgotten how moving the change of mood at the end is. An aid to devotion? Or idolatry?
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Nationalism. For instance, swearing allegiance to a country and a flag.
I view going to church to listen to sermons from one or two paid ministers as idolatrous and not just the paid ones. That minister is required to pretend to be more spiritual, and the people tend to think that listening to sermons is a spiritual practice when it is barely so if at all. I also consider worship leaders to be idols, because people consider them to be spiritual leaders.
idolatry of christianity, self-aggrandizing one's faith.
The Penguin has the right idea (#32). Consecrating a symbol or an idea is a sort of idolatry.
If you sanctify a particular country, if a national anthem makes your heart swell -- you might be an idolator.
If you become incensed when someone disrespects, or appears to disrespect, a symbol of a country, like a flag -- you might be an idolator.
If you idolize a 'celebrity' -- you might be an idolator.
If you sanctify a particular country, if a national anthem makes your heart swell -- you might be an idolator.
If you become incensed when someone disrespects, or appears to disrespect, a symbol of a country, like a flag -- you might be an idolator.
If you idolize a 'celebrity' -- you might be an idolator.
Jumi
Well-Known Member
I think it's considered a representation of the resurrection.
LiveByFaithNotSight
The Art Of Conversing
Not at my place of worship were big on no forms of idolatry but churches that do have those do commit idolatry
LiveByFaithNotSight
The Art Of Conversing
agreed
LiveByFaithNotSight
The Art Of Conversing
your absolutely right in today culture Celebrity is worship as a God unknowingly to many.People will follow there every move try to look and emulate them. anything that places more importance on said idol over god. Money is The most popular god today in my opinion. They will sacrifice everything for money time,family,Love and so on. Can you explain further your point on money?