[Quix]

I have a capacity to appreciate such as beautiful art.

I have a . . . fierce aversion

to consider any image sort of thing re God or anything close to God in any sort of spiritual/religious way.

I take the prohibitions against such in Scripture fiercely literally and wholesale as statements of God's sentiments about such and seek to abide well on God's side of that line . . . exceedingly, no doubt, on God's side of that line.

I have a simple cross. I don't wear it often. I never consider nor relate to it as any sort of focus of my spiritual meditations. It is merely a statement of who I am--a Christian.

I believe that God said what He meant and meant what He said on the issue of images and that rationalizations to the contrary are greatly spiritually hazardous.

As a human being and as a psychologist I'm keenly aware of humans' need and tendency to have something tangible to focus worship on. God proscribed that in the strongest terms repeatedly in Scripture. I don't want to stammer around, when facing Him in eternity, with only the weak claim that I was too dense to understand.

I want to show Him in thought and deed that I received His commandments and responded to them as a loving son to a loving Father faithfully and thoroughly and WELL, FAR ON HIS SIDE OF THAT LINE.

I'm also keenly aware that probably SOMEWHAT comparable proportions of Protesty's are as guilty of idolatry as any RC's or Orthy's. Though I also suspect that the percentages are likely somewhat to significantly less on the Protesty side since such is proscribed overtly and taught against vs being covertly sanctioned and encouraged by many overt doublt talk sorts of things.

At least Protesty's worshipping their TV's, cars, homes, hobbies, spouses, children, jobs . . . are NOT fooling themselves about such REALLY representing God Almighty in tangible form.

At least I haven't heard of any such writing veneration poetry to their DIRECT-TV service or plasma screens.

At the same token, I don't want to sit in any shred of haughty judgment of anyone about anything.

We are called to walk in the light we have been given. But this issue is well lit in Scripture, imho. And Traditions of men NEVER trump Scripture in my theology and prayerfully in my practice.

If I left something out, please ask again.

Thanks for the honor of your question.

[Kolokotronis]

"If I left something out, please ask again.

Thanks for the honor of your question."

You left out nothing that I can see and I appreciate your answer. As an aside, icons are not properly "art" at all. They are objects of veneration.

Modern Christian iconoclasm fascinates me. As you know, the last bout The Church had with iconoclasts was in the 8th century for a relatively short period of time and it was condemned by the 7th Ecumenical Council. In those days it seems likely that the iconoclasts were influenced by the iconoclasm of the Mohammedans. I take it modern iconoclasm bases itself in the OT? That, at any rate, was the argument used by the 8th century crowd (which included the Emperor and his court). The council fathers pretty much demolished the argument. Here is what they said:

"As the prophets beheld, as the Apostles have taught, as the Church has received, as the Teachers have dogmatised, as the Universe has agreed, as Grace has shown forth, as Truth has revealed, as falsehood has been dissolved, as Wisdom has presented, as Christ awarded, thus we declare; thus we assert, thus we preach Christ our true God, and honour His Saints in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in Churches, in Holy Icons; on the one hand worshiping and reverencing Christ as God and Lord; and on the other hand honouring as true servants of the same Lord of all and accordingly offering them veneration.

"This is the Faith of the Apostles, this is the Faith of the Fathers, this is the Faith of the Orthodox, this is the Faith which has established the Universe!"

Iconoclasm was dead until after the start of the Reformation and, as you point out, not all Protestants ascribe to it.

Am I correct in assuming that you reject the dogmatic decrees of the 7th Ecumenical Council? If so, do you accept any of the decrees of any of the earlier Ecumenical Councils?