M
MysticMissMisty
Guest
Salvete, omnes!
As I understand it, in early (and possibly present-day) Judaism and in both present-day and early Islam, images of various kinds or, in some sects, of any kind, are very often frowned upon. As I understand it, this is, by the minds of some, because they may cause idolatrous worship by those even simply laying eyes upon them either for the briefest of times or continuously seeing them.
So, are Christians today (or were they ever) guilty of scandalizing Mulsims and Jews who hold to these views by enjoying artistic images either for religious or secular purposes either publicly or privately?
Even if we hold that simply viewing images (whether sacred or secular) does not in itself lead to idolatrous worship on the part of the one viewing them, because there may be those who do believe this, even though it may not ultimately happen to them, should we even still avoid any association with images because there are those who feel that images, whether sacred or secular, lead to idolatrous worship?
Let us take an ancient example of Judaism. Say I was a (pre-Christian) Jew living in Jerusalem. I believed it was permissible under the Law to use images, so long as they were not idolatrous, for artistic enjoyment. Would it be permissible for me, even if I knew that there were other Jews who rejected images either of any kind of of living things (as many did), to enjoy artistic images in any circumstance? Would it be permissible under God for me, even publicly, to admire images or even to keep images in my house? What if there were some who rejected images, thinking they would lead them into idolatry, though I held that there was no evidence that this was the case? Would my actions still be permissible? What if they were to enter my house and see my images? If I believed that there was no real risk of them bowing down to them, but if they themselves believed this to be the opposite case, would I be required, for their sake, to give up my images because they mrely thought that they would be led into idolatry?
Or, rather, would I only be required to give up my images if I knew that they, in fact, did cause a brother to fall into idolatry when he saw them?
Would the other person’s (wrong as it may be) belief that they might fall into idolatry be enough to cause my own having of images in my house to be considered a scandalous sin?
Let us take another example from antiquity, Christianized (and Christianizing) Rome. Surely there were still Jews even when Rome was majority Christian, who considered images, to varying degrees, as sinful, either because they believed they automatically led to idolatry or because they, for whatever reason, considered them contrary to God’s Law. I see no evidence, though, that Christians either frowned on sacred or secular artistic expression as sinful, even though it may have caused some Jews scandal. Even in early Christianizing, as I call it, Rome, there seems little to no evidence that early Christians frowned on imagery for either pruely artistic or religious purposes. Indeed, surely there were at least some Jewish converts who initially frowned on images because they either thought it was contrary to God’s Law in some way or specifically thought that viewing images of any kind would lead to idolatry? Still, this seems not to have been an issue of scandal for the early Church to have images for artistic or other reasons.
In a more modern very hypothetical situation, let us say that I live in a majority Christian town and that a majority Christian town board wishes to erect a beautiful sculpture or even a statue in honor of a public official, past or present. Ye there may either be Muslcims or Jews in my town who might think that, by merely seeing these images, they might be led into idolatry. However, I think that the Christian community would benefit from the erection of a sculpture by its beauty or by the erection of a statue which would inspire emulation of the person honored’s example. Would I and the town board be required NOT to erect either of these images because it may cause scandal, wronghenaded as we believe their beliefs may be, to the Muslim or the Jew who believes that simply viewing tha image could lead to idolatry or to either that, for some other reason, considers it contrary to theri religious Law?
I would definitely appreicate folks addressing any or all of these specific examples. Even if you wish to address the more abstract issues behind this, I would appreciate it greatly.
Gratias vobis plurimas.
As I understand it, in early (and possibly present-day) Judaism and in both present-day and early Islam, images of various kinds or, in some sects, of any kind, are very often frowned upon. As I understand it, this is, by the minds of some, because they may cause idolatrous worship by those even simply laying eyes upon them either for the briefest of times or continuously seeing them.
So, are Christians today (or were they ever) guilty of scandalizing Mulsims and Jews who hold to these views by enjoying artistic images either for religious or secular purposes either publicly or privately?
Even if we hold that simply viewing images (whether sacred or secular) does not in itself lead to idolatrous worship on the part of the one viewing them, because there may be those who do believe this, even though it may not ultimately happen to them, should we even still avoid any association with images because there are those who feel that images, whether sacred or secular, lead to idolatrous worship?
Let us take an ancient example of Judaism. Say I was a (pre-Christian) Jew living in Jerusalem. I believed it was permissible under the Law to use images, so long as they were not idolatrous, for artistic enjoyment. Would it be permissible for me, even if I knew that there were other Jews who rejected images either of any kind of of living things (as many did), to enjoy artistic images in any circumstance? Would it be permissible under God for me, even publicly, to admire images or even to keep images in my house? What if there were some who rejected images, thinking they would lead them into idolatry, though I held that there was no evidence that this was the case? Would my actions still be permissible? What if they were to enter my house and see my images? If I believed that there was no real risk of them bowing down to them, but if they themselves believed this to be the opposite case, would I be required, for their sake, to give up my images because they mrely thought that they would be led into idolatry?
Or, rather, would I only be required to give up my images if I knew that they, in fact, did cause a brother to fall into idolatry when he saw them?
Would the other person’s (wrong as it may be) belief that they might fall into idolatry be enough to cause my own having of images in my house to be considered a scandalous sin?
Let us take another example from antiquity, Christianized (and Christianizing) Rome. Surely there were still Jews even when Rome was majority Christian, who considered images, to varying degrees, as sinful, either because they believed they automatically led to idolatry or because they, for whatever reason, considered them contrary to God’s Law. I see no evidence, though, that Christians either frowned on sacred or secular artistic expression as sinful, even though it may have caused some Jews scandal. Even in early Christianizing, as I call it, Rome, there seems little to no evidence that early Christians frowned on imagery for either pruely artistic or religious purposes. Indeed, surely there were at least some Jewish converts who initially frowned on images because they either thought it was contrary to God’s Law in some way or specifically thought that viewing images of any kind would lead to idolatry? Still, this seems not to have been an issue of scandal for the early Church to have images for artistic or other reasons.
In a more modern very hypothetical situation, let us say that I live in a majority Christian town and that a majority Christian town board wishes to erect a beautiful sculpture or even a statue in honor of a public official, past or present. Ye there may either be Muslcims or Jews in my town who might think that, by merely seeing these images, they might be led into idolatry. However, I think that the Christian community would benefit from the erection of a sculpture by its beauty or by the erection of a statue which would inspire emulation of the person honored’s example. Would I and the town board be required NOT to erect either of these images because it may cause scandal, wronghenaded as we believe their beliefs may be, to the Muslim or the Jew who believes that simply viewing tha image could lead to idolatry or to either that, for some other reason, considers it contrary to theri religious Law?
I would definitely appreicate folks addressing any or all of these specific examples. Even if you wish to address the more abstract issues behind this, I would appreciate it greatly.
Gratias vobis plurimas.
