"I was shown where I was anathematized and pretty much without hope in the Orthodox church if I don't accept their icons. To me, this is works based salvation. If I can believe in Christ Jesus as God, his death on Calvary, that He rose again, believe in His sacrifice for my sins, love Him - and yet, be anathematized without hope outside of venerating an icon - that is works."
Funny thing about those anathemas. They were, in many respects, a response to earlier anathemas by the Iconoclasts against the venerators of icons. At base they were against the veneration of icons only because they were against icons themselves. They were no more against the veneration of things, the Cross is a good example, than today's Protestants are aganst, say, showing respect to the American Flag, or, I suppose, The Cross (one can never quite tell just what it is you folks believe). At any rate, when the Iconoclasts anathemized the veneration of icons, they also anathemized anyone who didn't pray to saints or to the Most Holy Theotokos and a number of other defaults found throughout modern Protestantism. So actually, Blogger, you're better off under our anathemas than those of the heretics we condemned.
Oh gee, Kolo. Thanks. From what you showed me though, I still burn.