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To: Ottofire

As long as the focus is on Him and His Word - and not on images/statues/stained-glass.

I’m under a current conviction over images of Christ being a violation of the 2nd Commandment.


5 posted on 01/03/2008 7:47:58 AM PST by ItsOurTimeNow ("Never get involved in a land war in Asia.")
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To: ItsOurTimeNow
Who ever said Catholics sole focus is on "images/statues/stained-glass?"

Here's one of the earliest defense of holy images.

Apologia of St. John Damascene Against Those Who Decry Holy Images

6 posted on 01/03/2008 7:56:01 AM PST by Pyro7480 ("Jesu, Jesu, Jesu, esto mihi Jesus" -St. Ralph Sherwin's last words at Tyburn)
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To: ItsOurTimeNow

Images, statues, and stained glass were tools used by the early church to teach the Christian faith to the illiterate, rustic people of the time. Remember, the printing press was not invented until the 15th century. That is why so many Catholic and Orthodox churches are filled with rich immages of scenes from the bible, images of apostles, saints, angels, etc.. They were teaching moments for the first 15 centuries of Christianity.

Because Protestantism arose in the 16th century to challenge the Catholic and Orthodox churches, it was easy for those who were against the Catholic Church for whatever reason doctrinally, to also curse the use of images. It was a simplistic way to condemn all those churches with images as idolatrous. Afterall, everyone should read the bible, right?

But, bibles were not available for the first 15 centuries of Christianity.

A better perspective of history would go a long way to understand this difference of opinion on the use of images.


11 posted on 01/03/2008 8:46:20 AM PST by Gumdrop
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To: ItsOurTimeNow; Ottofire
I'm under a current conviction over images of Christ being a violation of the 2nd Commandment.

It is difficult to disagree with that belief given the simple words of the 2nd commandment.

I think the 2nd commandment works to keep our hearts focused on the power and intent of the Gospel via the Holy Spirit who "renews our minds" rather than on images and pictures which appeal to the more temporal senses.

That's why Scripture is number one in Protestant churches while it seems that images and incense and sensory stimulation are stressed in the RCC.

17 posted on 01/03/2008 10:08:14 AM PST by Dr. Eckleburg ("I don't think they want my respect; I think they want my submission." - Flemming Rose)
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