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If you have the iconography thread handy, I might scan it again.

I think something that has not been said about icons and images and statues is along the following lines.

It is, in my experience of myself and idolatry, extremely difficult

AS A HUMAN BEING

WHEN ANY

OBJECT

is involved

TO AVOID

INCREASED DISTANCE

FROM GOD
AND INTIMACY WITH GOD
because of the object
involved.

This is a HUMAN
phenomena quite
independent
of ANY
theology
involved or not involved.

Thg object--icon, image, statue--is NOT God.

WHY did God forbid such throughout Scripture? Why? Has the human condition changed? Has human nature changed? NO!

Some Protesties are idolaters of the ink on pulp we cherish as our Bibles. They become so wrapped up in the words, ink and pages that it's kind of like with a friend of mine . . . God taps them on their shoulder and invites them for a chat and they say GO AWAY--I'M READING MY BIBLE, DON'T BOTHER ME.

Objects will NOT DO.

Sure, I can point to countless times when I was meditating on the word looking at my Bible lovingly, glowingly, adoringly, enraptured with the Living Word.

But the tendency like Peter is to build 3 tabernacles when God is not interested in 3 tabernacles.

--He wants no memorials of that type; in that place of that substance.
--He wants no traditions attached to objects to become fixated on.
--He wants no pile-of-stones altar in the middle of the road to camp at and return longingly to.
--He wants no crutch between us and Him.

He wants direct unfettered access to our hearts, minds, spirits--dialogue 'walks' in the cool of the evening that Adam lost and Christ shed so much Priceless Blood to restore.

Yeah, tricky--He's invisible--our mind's eye doesn't focus on nothing very well.

But substitutes will NOT do. They are an insult to Him and to the direct dialogue He seeks, requires of us. He may indulge 'kindergarteners' or the truly pure of heart from time to time--occasionally because of poor teaching or they've known nothing else or there's some special situation involved or some such. But it is NOT a habit He delights in.

Actually, it's not just objects that He has such an attitude toward.

IT IS ANYTHING THAT BECOMES A HABIT, RITUAL, REPETITION--A SET OF HOOPS THAT WE JUMP THROUGH AND THEN EXPECT XYZ VENDING MACHINE RESPONSE FROM HIM--EVEN IF IT'S JUST HIS SMILE OR ANSWERED PRAYERS.

He's NOT a vending machine and He did NOT create us to be robots, either.

Imagine your only child--your most precious son. You come in from a hard day at work and rush to his room--for heart to heart touching base. He's playing video games. Without looking up or pausing his pulsing finger pushing . . . he says

Hi Dad.

You eagerly ask about his day; his classes; his sports . . .

Without pausing his finger flicking on the joystick or looking up, he mutters--yeah, fine, ok. usual. You?

You share a bit about your challenging day and ask him some more meaty questions. He says:

You, know, Dad, I'm really busy--here--trying to beat my best score--talk to this icon--err--this ball team pic from last week. I'll kind of listen.

IT'S NOT THE SAME.

It's NOT an intimate dialogue walk in the cool of the evening in the garden or across the table with coffee and deep looks into the invisible eyes of God the Father. It's NOT the same.

There's inescapable added distance--no matter how facilitative the icon/image/statue was once or even twice.

Most importantly, God said THOU SHALT NOT.

But I believe the REASON He said that is the distance. He deplores the distance between us and Christ died to erase it.

So then we go out and buy some klunky object or make one--and reinstall the distance. And we think He's pleased?