Literally, iconoclasm is the destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political motives. In Christian circles, iconoclasm has generally been motivated by a literal interpretation of the second of the ten commandments, which forbids the making and worshipping of "graven images". It has sometimes been motivated by christological or even political concerns as well.
The first iconoclastic period: 730-787
The second iconoclastic period: 814-842
What ironic is the above periods were brought about because many Christians thought Christian defeats to Muslims were brought on by GOD in what their view was vilolating the second commandment
Reformation iconoclasm
Some of the Protestant reformers encouraged their followers to destroy Catholic art works by insisting that they were idols. Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin promoted this approach to the adaptation of earlier buildings for Protestant worship. In 1562, some Calvinists destroyed the tomb of St. Irenaeus and the relics inside, which are said to have been under the altar of a church since his martyrdom in 202, though iconoclastic riots took place in Zürich (in 1523), Copenhagen (1530), Münster (1534), Geneva (1535), Augsburg (1537) and Scotland (1559).
The Seventeen Provinces (now the Netherlands and Belgium) were hit by a large wave of Protestant iconoclasm in the summer of 1566. This is called the Beeldenstorm and included such acts as the destruction of the statuary of the Monastery of Saint Lawrence in Steenvoorde after a Hagenpreek, or field sermon, by Sebastiaan Matte; and the sacking of the Monastery of Saint Anthony after a sermon by Jacob de Buysere. The Beeldenstorm marked the start of the revolution against the Spanish forces and the Catholic church. See Flanders for more on its history.
In England, Bishop Joseph Hall of Norwich described the events of 1643 when troops and citizens, encouraged by a Parliamentary ordinance against superstition and idolatry, behaved thus:
'Lord what work was here! What clattering of glasses! What beating down of walls! What tearing up of monuments! What pulling down of seats! What wresting out of irons and brass from the windows! What defacing of arms! What demolishing of curious stonework! what tooting and piping upon organ pipes! And what a hideous triumph in the market-place before all the country, when all the mangled organ pipes, vestments, both copes and surplices, together with the leaden cross which had newly been sawn down from the Green-yard pulpit and the service-books and singing books that could be carried to the fire in the public market-place were heaped together'
the above if from the wilipedia but I the Catholic Encyclopedia has a much more indepth article
Wow!!! And all along I thought it was the year before that!
Your comparative analysis of Christians and mohammedans here is unbalanced through lack of context. None of the above was the work of Christ's teachings. Nor was it the work of His Church, which Scripture calls Christ's holy Bride, (Ephesians 5 / Rev. 21:2). The divisions and violence you refer to are the work of the devil and those whom he infected with theological error. Just as Satan managed to snatch away Paradise from Adam and Eve, and take one of Christ's Apostles, Judas, and make him his own, he has managed to infiltrate and divide the Church. All of this was forwarned by the Prophets, by the gospel writers, and by Jesus Christ Himself.
Pointing to divisions and troubles amongst the people who make up Christ's Church means little to the informed person who understands that these things fly in the face of Church teaching. They in fact serve to illustrate what happens when Christ's teachings are ignored or lost to human Pride.
Islam, on the other hand, is violent by its own teachings. Christianity teaches forgiveness, love, mercy, honesty, repentence and peace. Islam teaches death to its enemies, beheadings, subjugation of 'infidels', brutality to women, and it is unrepentent in its perpetual cruelty. ISLAM sanctions lying when it's 'for the sake of islam'. It spreads itself through conquest and blood, while Christianity spread itself over the earth by teaching the gospels.
Today's worldwide violence by muslims is a direct result of the original, orthodox islamic teachings and beliefs. Islam cannot moderate itself because it contains no teaching guides to peace. It's an evil cult, period.
"These days it's hard for an iconoclast to keep up his image."