So the cherubim made of gold in the temple... No looking, no touching, not there to inspire any particular thought?
How does that make sense?
“So the cherubim made of gold in the temple... No looking, no touching, not there to inspire any particular thought?”
Images are permitted, but not when they are used as idols which includes bowing to them. I never said anything about looking, touching or thinking. I said EXACTLY what the Bible condemns which is bowing down to these images. Israel did it and was judged. Hezekiah destroyed the brass serpents BECAUSE of this specific act of disobedience by the Jews.
The only symbols Christ and the apostles instructed us to use were water for baptism, and the bread and the cup for remembering Christ in His death. Because these symbols are disposed of, they do not have the risks that the objects in the Jewish worship did. The beautiful, visible images and design of the temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. as Christ said they would be. Neither He nor the apostles ever commanded the making of or use of images in worship, prayer or other service to God. But they did universally warn against idolatry.
But rather than destroy the idols the Catholic church has made, they continue to teach followers to bow to them, pray to them and make offerings such as flowers and incense to them.
If you don’t want to be condemned for these things, then stop doing them and stop teaching people to do them. The more you argue that it is okay to do these things, the greater judgment you bring on yourself.
The Bible is very clear that an idol is a cursed thing and those who commit idolatry become cursed also.
Those who confess and forsake their sins will find mercy, but not those who remain obstinate and unrepentant.