A Ten Comandment that says you should not worship graven images, does that apply to statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary? Nobody knows what they really looked like and sometimes we suscribe special abilities to these statues such as healing the Sick)
2007-08-27 12:22:49 · 15 answers · asked by ARLENE H 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
Objects are just that: objects. They cannot breath nor speak nor hear and, like all other things of this world, will be destroyed; you can bet that these soulless objects do not heal the sick, but instead this is the work of God. I do not understand why you would pray to these things when Jesus gave his life so that we could, among other things, have a direct relationship with him. Why not just speak directly to him? I believe that putting your faith in any object is wrong - whether it be a statue of Satan or of Jesus himself.
2007-08-27 12:53:27 · answer #1 · answered by Matt W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The prohibition in the Old Testament was making a graven image AND bowing down to it and serving it as a god - in other words Idol Worship of false gods.
An icon or statue of Christ does not violate the commandment against "graven images," because the image represented is the visible Incarnate Christ but not the invisible God the Father.
You should not however pray to an image because it is after all just an image and likewise you should not credit it with special powers. And you shouldn't pray to Mary or any of the Saints because Jesus said our prayers should be to the Father in the name of Jesus and the Bible clearly states that Jesus is the only intercessor between God and man.
2007-08-27 20:49:45 · answer #2 · answered by jeffd_57 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you are correct. There is a more practical reason for this though. People are separated from each other by the use of graven images. They many times believe in the same God, but this separation causes misunderstandings, so much they can lead to war. What about the Crusades and the Holy Grail? I think even fighting over a Holy City qualifies, because it is of stone, not of spirit.
2007-08-27 12:52:32 · answer #3 · answered by mari athenan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd say both yes and no:
Yes in sense when people start actually worshipping the statue it's self and subscribing special powers to the statue.
No in sense if the statue is just so people can visualize what they might look it in person like a picture of them, but are not worshipping the statue itself.
2007-08-27 12:34:47 · answer #4 · answered by JUAN FRAN$$$ 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes it does. There are many scriptures that mention or imply this, not just the Ten Commandments.
"do not make for yourselves a carved image, the form of any symbol, the representation of male or female, the representation of any beast that is in the earth, the representation of any winged bird that flies in the heavens, the representation of anything moving on the ground, the representation of any fish that is in the waters under the earth" (Deuteronomy 4:16-19)
:) Hope that's helped.
2007-08-27 12:37:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
you have to remember when that commandment was issued (i.e. before christ was born) at that point, God hadn't yet come to earth in a visible form (e.g. a burning bush, a dove, etc. etc.). so the graven images refer to trying to put a picture to the God.
when you do that you take something away from god, make Him less mysterious, more worldly, and thus take something away. that's where the sin comes from.
but since Jesus was a man and chose to show himself, i guess images of him are ok. whether or not those images are accurate is another issue altogether.
also, a lot of religious rules were issued for really practical purposes (Jewish dietary laws issued after the plagues which might have adversely affected foods like shellfish (tainted by the seas turning to blood, e.g.) in this case, it might have been one of those religious rules/practices meant to dis other religions. egyptian mythology, the naturalistic religions of the near east, etc.
2007-08-27 12:33:29 · answer #6 · answered by Pepito111 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
You are talking about Catholics of coarse. If you read the Catholic Ten Commandments you will see it does not have that restriction. This is why the 10/C should not be in public places. Depending on what version you use, you are going to insult someone.
2007-08-27 12:39:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm probably going to get flamed for this one, but here's my belief on the subject.
The person praying is not directly worshiping said image (Christ, Virgin Mary, etc), but are asking for them to speak to God on their behalf.
2007-08-27 12:33:00 · answer #8 · answered by Dave T 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes. The reason God issued that commandment was that He foreknew that idols and image detract from true worship. (They are a major distraction, especially if you are bored in church.)
2007-08-27 14:32:14 · answer #9 · answered by lady_crysa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it does apply to those statues as well.
2007-08-27 12:28:31 · answer #10 · answered by blklightz 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋