[Frapster]

I genuinely have no quarrel with your religious practices. I am merely commenting upon the human condition and our ability to idolize anything and everything. There is not a single denomination/flavor of the faith that has escaped the propensity to unfortunately idolize those icons/resources which they believe draw them closer to God. I guess the admonition is that we should periodically examine our practices and determine if our relationship with God would still stand were we not able to interact with Him in context of said practices/icons/resources.

[FormerLib]

...escaped the propensity to unfortunately idolize those icons/resources...

I'm sorry, but what you are describing is, quite literally, idolatry and I must protest any implication, even unintentional, that the Orthodox Church idolizes icons or practices idolatry in any form.

[MarMema]

I guess the admonition is that we should periodically examine our practices and determine if our relationship with God would still stand were we not able to interact with Him in context of said practices/icons/resources.

Of course our theologies are completely different to begin with, but for us, the Eastern Orthodox, we strive to create a place of worship which is foriegn and otherworldly precisely in order to better worship God. We use our senses, all of them, in an effort to better worship God.

The question for us would be, how can you truly leave this world and enter into serious prayer with God, in a place which looks, smells, and sounds exactly like the world?