[Pining_4_TX]

Thirdly, he shows that we do not worship icons, for worship belongs to God alone, but we venerate or show honor to them, for the image is one thing, and the thing depicted is another,"

You are playing with words here. One should never venerate or honor an object. All honor, veneration, glory, and worship belong to God alone. Icons are a violation of the second commandment.

[Destro]

Icons in our churches and homes are, in the words of St. John "opened books to remind us of God." (indeed ,an icon is a painted image of Christ just as Scripture is a written image of the Saviour.)

When the Second Coming happens and Jesus descends from the heavens and I snap his picture and venerate it did I just sin?

I wonder why God asked images of Angels to be made? and for the Arc to be venerated then? "under the Old Covenant God commanded images to be made: first the tabernacle, and then everything in it"--which included images of angels surmounting the Ark. These images were not idols because they were not worshipped.

[No Truce With Kings]

"You are playing with words here. One should never venerate or honor an object. All honor, veneration, glory, and worship belong to God alone. Icons are a violation of the second commandment."

I honor the American flag, and feel no shame in calling it Old Glory. I honor the Texas flag. I honor my mother and father (as God himself commands). I honor the men and women who founded this great country, and I also honor and venerate the martyrs of the Orthodox Church for the example they set. I think it is not Destro playing with words. I think it is you.