is it wrong to have statues of or pictures of Christ's crucifixion?

Question

I have heard that it is wrong to glorify Christ's crucifixion on the cross. Can someone give me a scriptural reference that proves this?

Answer 1

"Thou shaft have no graven images" (Exodus 20:4)

Answer 2

It makes me laugh at the hypocrisy when I see supposed 'christians' kiss the feet of a statue that may or may not be a true depiction of jesus. They state they are not kissing the feet of a graven image, because the kiss was meant for christ!

In that respect, I wonder how they would feel if I were to go up to their wives and kiss them, stating the kiss was not for them? I doubt many would be able to accept that.

Imagine the fury even, if someone walked into a church and started ripping up the pictures of jesus or breaking the crosses, yet are they not just OBJECTS? I forget the passage and am really not that concerned to look for it, but theres a bit in the bible that warns against images of divine beings because of the fact people would soon come to worship the image, rather than the idea behind the image. Oh look, it's happened already!!

Answer 3

I am an Unitarian Pastor. ( Unitarianism is an offshot from Presbyterian)! According to Corinthians.. it is not wrong to have statues of or pictures of Christ's crucifixion!
It is only wrong if you worship the statues or pictures!
Actually no one has a real picture of Christ's crucifixion
cause no one took pictures. An artist did draw pictures
of the crucifixion and what he or she thought Christ looked like. Churches and other Christian orders use such pictures or copies therof!

Answer 4

In the bible it says that you are to have no graven images (ex. 20, ten comandments).
But, that does not mean you can have reminders of what jesus has done for us. But we must remember, it was not just becasue he died on teh cross for us that we are saved, but also through his resorection. It is becasue of this resorection that he was able to come into this world and fulfil the professies (specifilcy one talking about The sing of Jonah 3 days and three nights in the fishe's stomach, three days and three nights in the grave.) I agree with the way my father has the cross, sideways, like it has fallen down. That way we remember not only his death but also that becasue he came down off the cross and rose from teh dead that he saved us.
We are supposed to take the Lord supper everyday and that is in a way, Gloriying Christ and the sacrifice he did on the cross. We are rememebring what he did for us, and in that way glorifiying.

Answer 5

In Athens, Paul has taught about the unknowable God.
But the problem with men, especially in tens of centuries ago, was that they could not know how to worship that imageless God, so they created all sorts of images; and the Christians might also think that the image of Christ must be the best.
Nowadays, many people still do their worship through images.
Perhaps the all-bountiful God does not blame them, because God knows their hearts.
Yes, our sincerity in turning to the One True God and in worshipping Him with charitable actions is the essence of religion. Other matters we still have to learn and learn to evermore...

Answer 6

First of all Jesus did not die on a cross. The bible never ven mentions the word cross or crucified. In John 19:17-19 we see that Jesus beared his "torture stake for himself, he went out to the so-called Skull Place, which is called Gol′go·tha in Hebrew; and there they impaled him, and two other [men] with him, one on this side and one on that, but Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a title also and put it on the torture stake. It was written: “Jesus the Naz·a·rene′ the King of the Jews.”
Also John 19:25 tells us: "By the torture stake of Jesus, however, there were standing his mother and the sister of his mother; Mary the wife of Clo′pas, and Mary Mag′da·lene."

Answer 7

There isn't one. Where did you hear it was wrong? Someone must have been giving you a load. When Easter rolls around, my mom hangs up pictures depicting it around the house.

The purpose of the Lord's supper is so that we remember Christ's death for us. Having paintings about it are good as well.

However, you do know the rest of the story right? About Jesus coming back to life three days later - just as He said He would?

Answer 8

Well. Are you worhiping the statues? For example, My church has a stainglass window of Jesus and John the baptist. We don't worhip it, it is just art.

There are sculptors and painters that are inspired to do works of art for Jesus. That does not mean they worhip the image.

Like the guy said before. Thou shall not worhip any graven image Exodus 20:4

Answer 9

"Thou shaft have no graven images" (Exodus 20:4)

that was copied from a previous post.

that verse, has been taken ut of context by whoever put it there, it actually refers to idols, and idolatry, such as when Moses was receiving the 10 commandments on mt. sinai, the hebrews crafted a golden calf, THAT is where there shalt have no graven images comes up, and i believe that actual verse is talking about the 10 commandments/golden calf story.

read the context clues.

Answer 10

It is nothing wrong with having the crucifixion but dont' worship it. The bible says to not worship graven images. One of the ten commandments.

Answer 11

Here's all you need to know, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

IV. "YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A GRAVEN IMAGE . . ."

2129 The divine injunction included the prohibition of every representation of God by the hand of man. Deuteronomy explains: "Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure. . . . "66 It is the absolutely transcendent God who revealed himself to Israel. "He is the all," but at the same time "he is greater than all his works."67 He is "the author of beauty."68

2130 Nevertheless, already in the Old Testament, God ordained or permitted the making of images that pointed symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word: so it was with the bronze serpent, the ark of the covenant, and the cherubim.69

2131 Basing itself on the mystery of the incarnate Word, the seventh ecumenical council at Nicaea (787) justified against the iconoclasts the veneration of icons - of Christ, but also of the Mother of God, the angels, and all the saints. By becoming incarnate, the Son of God introduced a new "economy" of images.

2132 The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, "the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype," and "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it."70 The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the adoration due to God alone:


Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.71

2141 The veneration of sacred images is based on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. It is not contrary to the first commandment.