Posted on 03/09/2020 4:44:20 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
Catholics Worship ONLY one God. We believe in One God, the Father almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth.... Any attempt to assign anything other than that to The Church is fallacious.
It is Jesus Christ himself who gives us the ultimate example of the value of statues and icons. Indeed, Christ, in his humanity, has opened up an entirely new economy of iconography and statuary. Christ becomes for us the ultimate reason for all representations of the angels and saints. Why do we say this? Colossians 1:15 tells us Christ is, “The image (Gr.-icon) of the invisible God.” Christ is the ultimate icon! And what does this icon reveal to us? He reveals God the Father. When Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father,” in John 14:9, he does not mean that he is the Father. He isn’t. He’s the Son. Hebrews 1:3 tells us Christ “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature.” That is the essence of what statues and icons are. Just as “the word became flesh” (John 1:14) and revealed the Father to us in a manner beyond the imaginings of men before the advent of Christ, representations of God’s holy angels and saints are also icons of Christ who by their heroic virtue “reflect the glory of God” as well. Just as St. Paul told the Corinthians to hold up his own life as a paradigm when he said, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me,” the Church continues to hold up great men and women of faith as “icons” of the life of Christ lived in fallen human nature aided by grace.
Catholic Answers
It is Jesus Christ himself who gives us the ultimate example of the value of statues and icons. Indeed, Christ, in his humanity, has opened up an entirely new economy of iconography and statuary. Christ becomes for us the ultimate reason for all representations of the angels and saints. Why do we say this? Colossians 1:15 tells us Christ is, “The image (Gr.-icon) of the invisible God.” Christ is the ultimate icon! And what does this icon reveal to us? He reveals God the Father. When Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father,” in John 14:9, he does not mean that he is the Father. He isn’t. He’s the Son. Hebrews 1:3 tells us Christ “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature.” That is the essence of what statues and icons are. Just as “the word became flesh” (John 1:14) and revealed the Father to us in a manner beyond the imaginings of men before the advent of Christ, representations of God’s holy angels and saints are also icons of Christ who by their heroic virtue “reflect the glory of God” as well. Just as St. Paul told the Corinthians to hold up his own life as a paradigm when he said, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me,” the Church continues to hold up great men and women of faith as “icons” of the life of Christ lived in fallen human nature aided by grace.
Catholic Answers
Empty Cosses at that...... Symbols of Roman execution.....
Are the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the Washington Monument graven images?
How about the one-eyed pyramid on every U.S. one dollar bill?
Yeah..you all know what the word of God means and let us peasants know...YOU interpret the bible for us...no, you’re not just the messengers..you’re just the holier than thou translators of the bible...
Christians always get snarky...”kick over your sandcastle” if you dare make any comment except total agreement.
You can keep your elitist christianity... we peasants will just slog along...and we’ll do just fine without you telling us what to do” go out and glorify God “..whatever that means ...oh I forgot, I’m supposed to ask you.
What is the correct, Biblical application of art? All responses are welcome.
“We are forbidden to imagine for ourselves, the person of God.”
And yet churches are filled with representations of those they worship...and they fret when these symbols are “desecrated” (God cannot be desecrated)
Johnny was in 1st grade and it was art time - he was drawing with a singular intensity and the teacher asked what he was drawing.
He said, “I’m drawing God.”
The teacher responded, “But nobody knows what God looks like.”
Johnny responds, “That’s because I’m not done drawing my picture yet.”
All photos, renderings, statues, crucifixes, carvings, of God (yes, that includes Jesus) etc. are prohibited.
Statues of Mary are okay because she is not God or worshiped as one .... wait....
Cant we just have a civil conversation about scripture, recovering? Let’s try to talk without snark, and. Just discuss the Word. Is there not a meaning to the text?
Psalm 135:15-19
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
Col 1
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
-
Ex 25
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
-
“You shall make the tabernacle with . . . cherubim skillfully worked” (Ex. 26:1).
-
“The Lord said to Moses, `Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole” (Num. 21:8-9).
-
“[The brazen sea] stood upon [statues of] twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east” (1 Kgs. 7:25).
-
“And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths round about” (1 Kgs. 7:36).
Col 1
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
-
Ex 25
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
-
“You shall make the tabernacle with . . . cherubim skillfully worked” (Ex. 26:1).
“The Lord said to Moses, `Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole” (Num. 21:8-9).
“[The brazen sea] stood upon [statues of] twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east” (1 Kgs. 7:25).
“And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths round about” (1 Kgs. 7:36).
Are you building a Temple or an ark with those symbols?
I look forward to understanding all of those symbols regards to His Kingdom someday ,but they aren’t there as worship items.
Those cherubims you references can be seen to be prophetic for something/someones, not an object of worship/icon/statue..
Same thing with that bronze serpent in the wilderness.. prophetic symbols. Again,not an object intended to be worshipped (until it was and destroyed I believe in Hezekiahs reign)
The oxen, lions, palm trees, were not objects of worship. They do have a prophetic meaning in regards to the Kingdom of heaven,however.
All those measurements and details have a prophetic meaning. may be understood now,or at some point, when the fullness is revealed.
But ala carte scripture picking to sidestep idolatry warnings is certainly one way to go through this wilderness journey.
It is wise to pay attention to those symbols, like the bronze serpent on a pole,in the wilderness.
The bible predicted The rod/staff the church was to carry was always going to turn into a serpent, just like Moses and Aaron’s rods did.
Fascinating symbolism that could give hints to the Kingdom of Heaven.
“Yeah..you all know what the word of God means and let us peasants know...YOU interpret the bible for us...no, you’re not just the messengers..you’re just the holier than thou translators of the bible...
Christians always get snarky...”kick over your sandcastle” if you dare make any comment except total agreement.
You can keep your elitist christianity... we peasants will just slog along...and we’ll do just fine without you telling us what to do” go out and glorify God “..whatever that means ...oh I forgot, I’m supposed to ask you.”
God wrote His word for us all without the class distinction you are referring to. You can read His word just as we all can and tell anyone what your thoughts are on it all. You are not reading it. That is evident. If anyone knows Christ as their Savior they shine!
You may be right
Some could/would say a cathedral, to some, is an idol of worship.
If someone knows ‘Friday’ is named after some false goddess,maybe a ‘meal’ at TGIFridayscould be seen,by some, as eating food sacrificed to an idol.
The thing about worship is that it is to be done in Spirit and Truth.
And the world of believers of any and all stripes tend to lean towards the age of Judges:
Everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
Our King isn’t here to lead the sheep. So we all tend to follow traditions of those that came before.
The image of about 2,000 demon possessed swine was certainly a hint of the last about 2,000 years of unclean doctrines and practices while the King has been in heaven.
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