J
juliamajor
Guest
Idols have lost their original meaning have become compared to simple images. if images of any kind were forbidden we should all be like the Amish who don’t allow photos or images of any kind - even relatives- because if you have a photo- you have a graven image. In their mind that is correct and if you believed statues were graven images you would have to be honest with yourself and not have photos. Since the majority of Protestants have photos I think that they should reread the injunction since it says any kind of image.That includes that picture of mama and uncle Ed!but if you know what an idol really is in it’s early understanding you would understand that an idol was worshipped as the god. It was imbued by rituals to be a container for the god and was treated as such. Hindus at puja feed the statue of the god Ganesha with milk and the pretty much believe that they are feeding Ganesh. Egyptians kept their gods in their temples hidden from the eyes of everyone except pharaoh and the priests and once a year they were give a view of the god as it was carrried around on a barque one the nile. To look upon the idol was to look on god. The only thing that comes close to that in catholic thought and theology is the Eucharist because we know it to be Jesus’ body and blood.there is nothing else that we hold with such reverence. We don’t have to kneel or anything if the Eucharist is not on the altar .so the similarities to statues or icons to idols is negligible at best. If some people do something stupid it’s not the church’s fault.It’s like comparing snake handlers and poison drinkers as mainstream Protestants. Oh, and snakes are a huge pagan symbol with ties to NE fertility rites- so are they worshiping snakes when they touch them? as far as synagogues and images I refer you to a synagogue in Dura Europa and other early Diaspora Synagogues. See under google images.