Even the most devout christians have broken the ten commandments. What do you think?

Question

READ ALL OF THIS BEFORE YOU RESPOND.

One of the commandments says "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."

So doesn't this mean that pretty much everybody who ever made a play-dough sculpture in Kindergarten of an animal has broke a commandment? Every artist in the world is going to Hell? Don't sculptures of the Virgin, the Saints, and Jesus also defy this?

I know, you're defense will be "it's only bad if you then worship it" but it does NOT say that. That part comes AFTER, it simply says not to do it at all. Look the scripture up before you comment if you don't believe me.

I'm just curious what Christians have to say about this.

I love how people are so willing to attack ME because THEY don't understand the sentence.

The dictionary says to grave is to carve, sculpt, or engrave. So a graven idol is anything you sculpt or carve that looks like anything in heaven, earth, or under the sea. Please continue discussion.

See, the actual passage goes like this: "Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of 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; "

Does my point make more sense now that it isn't in the simplified english version?

Answer 1

I think you need to understand the concept of a preface and what "make for yourself an idol" means.

Edit:
No it's not any clearer - since the Hebrew word you're wanting to translate "graven image" (which, by way, is an idiom for "idol") - means "idol." Try reading it in a modern English translation rather than the KJV - and accepting the fact that the translators may have understood the original language better than you.

Not that I haven't broken this - and every other - commandment. One of the reasons I'm so grateful for grace.

Answer 2

Ok, well the sculpture from kindegarten is not a idol...We aren't worshiping that little figure.... People pull things out of context and make it to sound like Christians are bad, Bad, BAD! Sinners are constantly trying to make us Christians look bad. Ok the Bible ALSO says "set No wicked thing before your eyes".. Hmmmm what could that be?? Tv's?? Bad books and magazines.? Yep. I don't believe in any of them
But to continue on....The commandment states that " Thou Shalt not make unto thee any graven image...." Yes graven mean to carve and to engrave...BUT...What was so popular in the Bible times?? People often "carved" and "engraved" statutes and Worshiped them. I do believe this is where the commandment come in at...Meaning the Lord didn't want us to worship statutes...

Answer 3

Well I think it depends on your definition of an Idol.
Artists in the Middle Ages and Rennaissance painted and sculpted religious figures to spread Christianity. Most people couldn't read at that time so the easiest way to tell a story was either verbally, or visually.

But anyway, I think it's impossible for people to live their life without breaking any commandments.

Answer 4

Well, the Bible says in Mark 10:18, "...there is none good but one, that is, God." (Romans 3:10,19-23).

Christians still experience temptations and can sometimes fall into sin, but we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). We have God’s Holy Spirit within us to help us say no to temptation, and to convict our conscience of wrongdoing when we do sin.

Exodus 20:4 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:

The key phrase is “unto thee,” meaning, “to make as an object of worship. This is not a prohibition against pictures or statuary, in general, but only against an attempt to replace worship of the Creator with worship of His creation or some created thing in the creation (note Romans 1:21-25). When people attempt to represent God by a graven image of some demonic spirit (or “god”) or by a pantheistic mental construct of the infinite, any such worship or representation (the key phrase is “unto thee”) is blasphemous and is forever prohibited by this key commandment. “We ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device” (Acts 17:29). It also renders the use of statues and paintings of Christ.

Answer 5

I read everything. So now to answer this. If God meant that making any image was wrong then He would have told the Israelites to sin when they made the Ark. He told them to make 2 cherub's and place them on either side with wings stretched forth. Thus the child with play dough or the artist is fine. It is the reason the item is made and what it is used for that is important.

Exodus 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

Answer 6

I have already noticed this a loooooooonnnnnggggg time ago. Interesting. Huh? Is there any peoples on the planet that have never sculpted any images? I wonder this......If we went to some remote tribes (do they still exist?) in a forest somewhere I think we would still find some carved something or other. But I do wonder if it has to do with what is in your heart. God searches our hearts and minds and knows how we really feel about something.

Answer 7

An idol means that you have to revere and pray to it.
I don't know what you've been thinking about your play dough efforts in kindergarden, but I know mine never inspired any religious dedication to them.

If you referring to "do not make graven image" you are looking not at the best translation. You realize you are not reading the original text here? That it's in English is exactly your problem. Good reasons to believe that the idol translation is the better one. Do an internet search to figure that out.

Answer 8

idol

noun
1. a material effigy that is worshiped; "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"; "money was his god"
2. someone who is adored blindly and excessively
3. an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept [syn: paragon]

It is in reference to something being worshiped. i am not necessarily a believer but most can figure it out by just being objective.

EDIT: Well if you wanted to go by your graven image, you should have written it that way in the first place. I went by exactly how your question was asked. Don't get defensive because it was answered by the way you wrote it.

Answer 9

Because of the price that Jesus Christ paid, we are no longer under the law but under grace. Saturday IS the sabbath but Sunday, the 1st day of the week, is the day of the Lord. Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 1 Cor 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Your ticket to Heaven no longer relies on the keeping of the commandments. I am a Baptist pastor that preaches on Sunday, not on the Sabbath.

Answer 10

There is none righteous, no not one...


Romans 3:23

For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God



Just because we are Christians doesn't mean that we are perfect, just forgiven. :)


Only through the grace of God we are forgiven and given a place in Heaven. We all deserve to go to hell, right along with the next door drunkard that we look down on. God is not a respecter of persons, and there is no level of sin with God. So if you lie, you are on the same level as a murderer. Startling thought. You see, a dog barks because he is a dog, it is in his nature to do thus. We sin because we are sinners, we have a sin nature.

I hope this is what you wanted!

God bless, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!