For example, when Jesus said “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments," (Matthew 22:37-40), I took him at His word. I actually believe that doing that, alone, makes me a Christian. I believe everything else He taught - all of it - is secondary to that.
Why? Because Jesus said so, and very plainly.
So if some people find it helpful to gaze at a picture of Jesus, to help them focus their minds and souls on Him, to give them comfort during times of hardship, and to ease their hearts and help them pray, who are you to interfere with that? Who are you to reject that? Who are you to judge that? Who are you to pour in the filth of your your own imaginings of their imperfections? Who are you to come between Jesus and His children?
Jesus spoke of people like you, when He said, "“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven... Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:3,5-6)
You want to pursue your perfect way of serving Jesus, go right ahead. But beware - perfect Christians often develop a scorn and contempt, even to the level of presuming to damn, people who don't follow their egos. And the forget that jesus didn't come for those as strong and pure and noble and clean and perfect as them - no, those shining stars don't need him. In fact, there's no rom for him in the perfection of their lives.
No, Jesus came for everyone else. The imperfect, the frightened, the confused, the weak, the lonely, and the rejected. And I think, quite frankly, if He were around today and he saw you take a picture of HIm out of one of His children's hands, He'd knock your teeth in.
Told ya I'm not in line with anyone else.
Let me get this straight - you are saying that everything else in scripture is secondary to this passage? Really?
So, you are saying that the word used for hang in Matthew 22:40 means of primary importance? Are you "hanging" this interpretation on the word "hang"? If so, you might want to read some of the other 6 verses that the word for hang is found - Matthew 18:6; Luke 22:39; Acts 5:30, 10:39, 28:4' and Gal 3:13. If that is what you are saying, then you are saying that Christ hanging on the cross is secondary to the cross.
I am sure you don't relieve believe that. Instead, the other commandments of scripture describe HOW we are to love God with all our heart and soul and might; and our neighbor as ourselves. Looking at the 10 commandments makes that pretty clear. So does the whole of God's Word. (Which became flesh). Take a ride through some of the profits if you think it is ok to worship God however one wants and what "works for them." That didn't work out so well.
Taking one or a select handful of verses as more important than any other verses of scripture always leads down a bad path.