2007-02-07 12:32:10 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Anything that you love more than god, may it be a cartoon or maybe something that you rather do more than worship the all mighty. And people do it alot, and they dont even notice that is wrong. Its ok to really like something and be really facinated by it, but it should never get on your way of God.
2007-02-07 12:43:38 · answer #1 · answered by chinaz777 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A graven image would be any idol. In the Old Testament times some idols were the golden calf and Baal, that kind of thing. But it's not just a statue, because God ordered the Israelites to make certain statues (Ex. 25:18-19, Num. 21:8-9). Basically, anything you worship that isn't God.
2007-02-07 15:03:21 · answer #2 · answered by Terial 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A graven image is one that tries to represent God or a god-like being. God is not a physical being, nor is there any way that we could possibly represent God in the form of an image. The image could represent the object of worship to people, and we are not called to worship God through the means of an image or an object. Pray to God with your heart and your soul.
This commandment would destroy a lot of other religions. For example, in Japan, it is common to find temples with Buddha in it, or gods to worship. Obviously, in Christianity, worshiping any other god than the triune God that we know of is a sin. Buddha is a graven image, and if we were to believe in Buddhism as a religion and also try to include the ten commandments, it would fall right away because of the second commandment on graven images. That's the best, practical representation I can think of.
A graven image can inadvertently be an object of your desire. One should not think of an object more than what it is. That leads to one expecting soverignity in the object. Although most wouldn't think of themselves as putting something like money as higher than God, many have a problem with giving to charity or church, which does show some form of latching onto this object, like it is hard to give up. Likewise, we shouldn't give god-like characteristics to objects that we like. It is one thing to like a DVD you have. It is another to expect that watching it will grant you the same qualities that only God can give you.
I wouldn't worry about an exact definition for graven image. Rather, ponder on what could be this thing in your life. Send any concers you may have to God through prayer. God knows a righteous heart from a dishonest heart, and through prayer, you can find some comfort through him and him alone. Stay connected with God, and you'll be able to enjoy and utilize the material things on this earth the way they were intended.
2007-02-07 12:40:52 · answer #3 · answered by Thardus 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Anything made by the craft of man which is worshiped in place of the one true God. It can be a golden calf, a dollar bill, a big-screen TV- you name it. People seem to have an endless capacity for blasphemy.
2007-02-07 12:39:14 · answer #4 · answered by Amalthea 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
A statue or an idol or any other symbol of a god.
2007-02-07 12:37:44 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
God does not want us to carve a fake god out of an object and worship it. www.equip.org
2007-02-07 12:45:33 · answer #6 · answered by jamesdkral 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any thing made that represents something else.
2007-02-07 12:52:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋