My sister wants to hang a cross and say it's her personal alter. Dos'nt sound right to me. That would be praying to a idol would it not? Why not just pray to god. How do i explain this to her?????
2007-11-18 10:41:42 · 12 answers · asked by tracycarter23 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No, it would not be praying to an idol. An idol, in the literal sense you're talking about, is when you say that God is embodied in a physical object such that the physical object has power unto itself and can be worshipped as God.
Idols are false because man cannot fashion God with his own hands. God always comes to us--not the other way around; and so the only genuine physical presence of God we have today is the presence He ordained, which is Holy Communion.
But *representations* are another matter entirely. When Jesus became incarnate, it became possible for us to have physical representations of Him and the work He has done, because He is God in physical form. In the Old Testament graven images were forbidden because God had no body, and so any graven image was a lie. But today, images of Jesus, of the cross, etc., are just as valid as pictures of our own family members, special events and places, and so on. Let her have her cross--it can be a valuable tool for personal devotion.
2007-11-18 11:23:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous Lutheran 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Crosses on a wall date back a long way. Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity stated there was evidence of a cross being ripped away from a wall at a house in Pompeii, as far back as about AD 60 (before Vesuvius erupted).
Remember, too, that altars were places of sacrifice, not worship, so she may be missing the point. There is nothing wrong, per se, with having a cross on a wall (most churches have one of these!) but please don't worship the cross instead of the Christ. After all, He isn't there anymore--He's alive!
2007-11-18 18:53:01 · answer #2 · answered by Brother Jonathan 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You encourage her. A cross or a crucifix or and icon are no different than having a photo of a loved one. You do not love the photo, rather you love the person pictured in the photo.
Likewise the cross, or even the Altar in my Church are not Holy in and of themselves, but what they represent is, i.e.: Christ our Lord. The Altar and her cross give her a focal point, a visual aid to help keep her worship and devotion focused on Jesus Christ.
Mark
2007-11-19 07:39:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have done that and lined it with prayer candles, and the whole family keeps their rosaries there also. The cruxifix was a gift from my mother in law when she went to the vatican and had the pope bless it for healing for my husband who has serious heart disease. It was blessed by Benedict and John Paul. Is that idol praying when we stop and say a thankyou are send up a prayer for healing and protection. Are you saying that by praying in my home in what we have designated as a meditation spot to God we are worshiping a false God and that we would accuse your sister of the same. *LOL* Dude, you have got some serious thinking to do, I mean isn't that called being a hypocrit?
2007-11-18 18:55:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
What's wrong with a cross? It's the symbol of Jesus's sacrifice for us.
And just because she has it in her prayer area, does that mean she's praying to it, the actual cross? Isn't your sister a little bit smarter than to pray to a piece of wood?
Suppose she is using the cross to focus her attention to the one in heaven who died on it? Suppose she's praying to Jesus and not to a piece of wood?
2007-11-18 18:46:33 · answer #5 · answered by Acorn 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋
God is everywhere. The presence of a cross helps to keep focused on our prayer. It is a reminder of what we are supposed to be doing--praying.
2007-11-18 18:48:48 · answer #6 · answered by Bibs 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
it is praying to an idol. i cant think of exact scriptures that state it but jus use the example of when they made that lamb out of gold during the 10 comandments. there's alot of scriptures in the bible to support your beliefs on the matter
2007-11-18 18:50:40 · answer #7 · answered by ~::JAEL::~ 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
It would be a VERY good idea to improve your language useage rather than worry about false gods and even this infantile concern. It DOES matter that your education is lacking. There are seven, or is that eight, grammatical errors in your question.
Then, consider this.
ALL GODS ARE IMAGINARY.
Wake up to reality before your life crashes. Tell your sister.
2007-11-18 18:48:53 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Maybe your sister is right, tho. Maybe the cross there is just a symbol reminding her what Jesus did for us. Maybe she isn't praying to the cross, but to Jesus who died on a cross.
I think maybe she should be allowed to do this if it helps her.
2007-11-18 18:47:05 · answer #9 · answered by kiwi 7 · 4⤊ 3⤋
No this would not be praying to or worshiping the altar unless she is making the altar into a god. .Would kneeling at her bed and praying be worshiping her bed?
2007-11-18 18:45:53 · answer #10 · answered by tebone0315 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋