Worshiping an idol is the equivalent of replacing God with a created thing (or ideology or passion). Worship and veneration are not the same.Icons depict real people and events that draw us to the true God. The second commandment protects us from creating fantastical creatures that replace the true God. Christ made visible the invisible God, and thus it is allowed that images of Him be depicted. The Church made clear the position of images in the worship of the Church and their relationship to the second commandment: In fact, the Church struggled with this issue throughout the eighth and ninth centuries finally defeating iconoclasm and upholding the use of icons in worship, a day we celebrate every year on the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Some Christians throughout history have interpreted this passage to mean that no religious images or visual art are allowed by God. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth you shall not bow down to them or serve them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. So what does the Bible say about images, and why do we have icons?įirst off, typically when people try to say that the Bible forbids icons or images they are referring to the Ten Commandments: For us Orthodox, it’s as natural and normal as reading the Gospel, and we all sort of instinctively know that we’re not worshiping the icons.
What’s up with all the pictures? Isn’t that like idol worship? Doesn’t the Bible forbid that?Įxplaining iconography to someone who doesn’t pray with icons can be a little daunting.
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