Exodus 20:4-5 : Jehovah's Witnesses believe the command in this verse not to make an idol forbids people?

Question

from wearing a cross ( Let God Be True, 1946,146 )?

How do you see this?

Answer 1

A graven image is either something or someone that would be worshipped or venerated, but only having made by either God or man, but not being God.

So, if anyone was to consider the cross that they would wear as something in itself possessing some sense of the divine or essence of holiness; then, yes, this would be violating this commandment. But, if it is only considered a symbol, which is basically a picture in words, then that would only communicate to others your faith, for which it stands, and possibly an encouragement to you concerning your own faith. Then, this latter perspective is very similar to how God's inscripturated Word in the Bible is also a means of grace to us, in that it is a message conveying the Truth. But, it isn't it in itself; and neither are symbols like the cross in question in this regard. Else, we would be guilty of violating the second commandment by practicing "Bibliolatry"! The literal printed words in the Bible are not divine, although they are divinely inspired through the guidance of God, the Holy Spirit, to all of its 66 books' authors (2 Timothy 3:16). These words, along with, say, its eggshell white pages and black leather backing, can be worshipped by us, as if the book in itself has some special powers, or divine essence in itself. Many reveal their propensity to doing so when a Bible is placed on an altar in a church's sanctuary. One also does this when they take every one of its printed words as if it had some mystical powers, by treating it like it was a cryptic code of some sort that when discovered and "broken", we find it's true meaning. This is what Russellites do. The are, in essence, violating the second commandment by their idolatry of the Bible, or Bibliolatry, rather than worshipping the God of it; the Holy Spirit!

This is second of the three major problems that I have mentioned before that the Russellites create for themselves, and get really weighed down by their pharisaical, letter of the law, lives of man's do's and don'ts. They don't appreciate nor understand the meaning or purpose of metaphor. This symbol, the cross, or any other symbol we'd use to communicate our faith, are actually just one or two dimensional metaphors, pictures that convey a message about life to us. Our lives are filled with symbols, and we can't possibly avoid them all, nor should we. Do you ignore traffic signs and signals? I surely hope you don't. Some of the early Reformers took this letter of the law approach of the 2nd commandment to the extreme also, but found themselves bound by the laws of men again, by doing the very thing that they were trying to get away from with medieval Roman Catholicism; it's legalism and idol worship! This is a tenet of of the early church Gnostic heresy, and the Amish are also just one of the extremes of this counter-movement that still exist today.

So, in order to know if one is keeping God's commandments or not, this second one in particular, by wearing a cross, one must ask oneself more poignantly not just about WHAT it is, such as this article of jewelry, in their life that keeps their heart from worshipping God alone; for this question is not enough. It's really not about just throwing away all your religious jewelry, nor your household gods! No, one must ask WHY it is in their life. What's its meaning and purpose. This WHY question is mostly about motive and attitude, which are heart issues. This is why Jesus said, "Wherever your treasure is, that'll be where your heart is also." Is it really in some measure with some cross; or something or someone else? Or better yet, is it actually with God's inscripturated Word, rather than with just God, the Holy Spirit, alone, Who's the creator of it?

Answer 2

Surely it is as what the Old Testament say for the Israelites, the chosen people of God to inherit the earth eternally. The question is "Is it for us today under the Gentile Age?" We are not a part of even in the 12 tribes of Israel. Let us be honest. Even the New Testament made by Jesus Christ is for Israel only. There might be some some Gentiles converts through their instrumentality but not what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 11:13, 25-36 in our age of mystery where Israel is blinded, and become the enenmies of the "Gospel or good news of salvation" where Paul expounded in all his 13 epistles from Romans to Hebrews how to live the Christian life in the present dispensation of the grace of God (Acts 20:24, Romans 16: 25-27, Ephesians 3:1-11, e.t.c.)

Answer 3

I see it as an over-reaction and mis-application of the scripture.

Many people worship Jesus, which JW's do not approve of. So in the JW view, Jesus is an "idol" to some people - so what? Does that make Jesus unacceptable?

The "cross" may be misused and idolized by some people, but to those who have a proper view of what the stauros - Jesus' torture stake - represents, it is a symbol only. (1 Cor. 1:18) Wearing a cross - like eating meat that was once sacrificed to an idol - may or may not be idolatry - depending on the person doing the wearing or the eating.

EDITED

I wanted to mention that the early Christians were also accused by pagans of worshiping the cross - in the third century before Christians even made or "used" crosses. Following the example of Apostle Paul, Christians verbally used the 'stauros' as a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice, which they highly esteemed, thus leading to the pagan accusation. (See the writings of Minucius Felix).

Answer 4

Idol worship can be painfully subtle like worshiping our belly or material things. Yes and also letting our religious activities be eventually dictated by a trusted organization. Posing as sheep but inside are ravenous wolves. JW are sincerely wanting to follow Christ but strain the gnat of rules and regulations before feeling worthy to approach Jesus. Two uplifting scriptures that can help.

Isaiah 58:5 Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Jehovah? 6 is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Freedom, Jesus offers us this directly. Not through any man made idol of any kind. Jesus is our mediator.

Answer 5

No, but neither do Jehovah's Witnesses.

It seems rather obvious that Exodus explains the Jewish Mosaic Law, which ended with the impalement of Christ. By itself, the aspect of the Mosaic Law discussed at Exodus 20:4,5 is merely a PRINCIPLE of interest to true Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses). If this were the only Scripture to comment upon idolatry, then a Christian might perhaps have some grounds upon which to reason that God tolerates modern idolatry.

Of course, Exodus 20:4,5 is merely one among many Scriptures which plainly demonstrate that God's disgust at idolatry was repeated to the Christian congregation. True Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) understand that the use of idols dishonors and displeases God and Christ.

(1 John 5:21) Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

(1 Corinthians 10:14) Therefore, my beloved ones, flee from idolatry.

(Isaiah 42:8) I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20050508a/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19990315/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_09.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_11.htm

Answer 6

Here's the full passage from the KJV so we can analyze it:

Vs. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

OK, so if we stop right here, then that means we also can't have any knick-knacks or jewelry, or any thing else that depicts birds, animals, stars, or any other created thing. Is this what God is saying? Let's read it in context with the next verse and find out. . .

Vs. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

OK, so it's alright to have these representations, just not to BOW DOWN to them, right? Ladies, I would say that all of you who wear butterfly pins and heart pendants on your necklaces are safe, when we look at this in context.

So, why would wearing a cross pendant be any different? Christians do NOT bow down or worship/serve the cross. It is simply a representation of our faith, in the same way that a butterfly pin represents a living butterfly. Anyone who tries to say that we worship the cross is a liar. Period.

Answer 7

Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe Jesus was crucified on a cross. They believe He was crucified on a vertical stake without the horizontal cross arms. They believe Jesus' hands were nailed to the stake above his head not spread out they way it is depicted. Therefore, they don't believe in the cross.

The Jehovah's Witnesses rely on the scripture you are quoting as the reason not to believe in or pray before Saints, nor do they have symbols, such as statues of the saints or Mother Mary.

Answer 8

“The shape of the [two-beamed cross] had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent. A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross of Christ.”—An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London, 1962), W. E. Vine, p. 256.

The Greek word rendered “cross” in many modern Bible versions (“torture stake” in NW) is stau·ros′. In classical Greek, this word meant merely an upright stake, or pale. Later it also came to be used for an execution stake having a crosspiece. The Imperial Bible-Dictionary acknowledges this, saying: “The Greek word for cross, [stau·ros′], properly signified a stake, an upright pole, or piece of paling, on which anything might be hung, or which might be used in impaling [fencing in] a piece of ground. . . . Even amongst the Romans the crux (from which our cross is derived) appears to have been originally an upright pole.”—Edited by P. Fairbairn (London, 1874), Vol. I, p. 376.

Answer 9

Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses do believe the command in this verse is to not make any idol. And they do believe that this commandment forbids people from wearing a cross, a star of David, or any other symbolic amulet that is used to represent our God.
What is your point in asking this question?

Answer 10

--YES WE WISH to apply that for ourselves!
--TO US it does forbid any type of idolatry IF one is concerned about their relationship with Jehovah God & Christ!

--WHEN people wish to challenge that truth that you made above we are happy to give our reason, Scripturally and secularly!
--WE DO NOT use this as a presentation in our field ministry as a challenge--THE CHALLENGES usually come from others!

LETS ANALYZE this:
--IN ACCORD WITH: Exodus 20 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE)

4 "You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;....(COVERS just about anything that exists--my comment)
.....5 You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, ......"

--THIS IS indeed a main text against any making of image or bowing down to them, throughout the Bible taking the place of Jehovah God in image, idol, icon, cross etc.

--THIS WOULD also certainly apply to anything of Christ, that again is our view!
--WE ALL have to stand before God directly on any issue like this!