[wbarmy]

this icon is no mere portrait that reminds one of Christ, it is an image that mediates His presence

Everyone can flame me all they want, but that line smacks of Idolatry. This is the reason the Jews never made or condoned any kind of art. And why the vast majority of Baptists do not hols with statues.

[COBOL2Java]

Everyone can flame me all they want, but that line smacks of Idolatry. This is the reason the Jews never made or condoned any kind of art. And why the vast majority of Baptists do not hols with statues.

Unfortunately, many make the mistake of conjoining "worship" with "veneration", which is where the discussion goes astray.

Iconography is more of an Orthodox practice than a Western one. See here: Icon.

[Mrs. Don-o]

But wbarmy: isn't Christ omnipresent? because He is God? And so any "lack" of His presence is a lack on *our* side (not recognizing, not perceiving, the grossness of our fallenness obscuring our vision) and thus acts of devotion and prayer "make Him present" to us. To *us*. To our awareness.

And as an icon is made with prayer (this is vey big with icon-"writers", who fast and pray when they are making them), and perceived in a prayerful gaze, the icon truly "mediates" His presence. Not because it is a magical amulet, but precisely because it is a part of our consciousness of prayer.

In actual reality, He is everywhere. There is so place where He is not.

And as for a devotional gesture: ot is like a husband kissing a photo of his wife who has passed away. It is not that he loves that piece of printed paper, but that the picture "mediates" her presence; his kiss of the picture "mediates" the love in his heart.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Typo, sorry: there is NO place where He is not.

Knowing that prayer and the love of God mean a lot to you, this may be of interest to you, too, Boogieman.#6

[ealgeone]

Same argument they make about Mary and it is the reason we’re not to have “icons”.

[LimitedPowers]

the Jews never made or condoned any kind of art

First century synagogues had frescoes depicting both people and animals. The early churches often had similar paintings. Iconoclasm didn't come into vogue until the rise of the Muslims, I believe.

[Mrs. Don-o]

You might enjoy a little exposure to sacred synagogue art. Try googling

DURA EUROPOS SYNAGOGUE PAINTINGS

to see some exquisite examples from the third century A.D.

It was Islam that really put the kibosh on art. Islamic invasion had an impact on culture that was pervasively anti-Incarnation in every sense of the word. They rejected Jesus precisely as “image of the invisible God”.

Their philosophy could be stated, “ for Allah so loved the world, He sent a book.”

[boatbums]

Everyone can flame me all they want, but that line smacks of Idolatry. This is the reason the Jews never made or condoned any kind of art. And why the vast majority of Baptists do not hold with statues.

I agree. There IS a very good reason why God commanded His people to NOT make graven images of Him or anything else for the purpose of worship. He KNOWS us so well! I think people will be quite surprised to look upon the face of Jesus - the REAL one - because they will realize that whatever some artist imagined will be a poor substitute. When we go to be with Him we will see Him as He is - I think it will blow our minds!