Idol of Jesus Christ

I made an idol of Jesus Christ with my hands. Exodus 20:4-5
King James Version
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.

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;

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Dignaga

Christianity grew out of Iconoclastic Judiasm.

Both Christianty and Judiasm bounced back and forth on having graven images, such as the Nehushtan of Moses:

Jews had a love hate relationship with it, depending on how iconoclastic they were at any given period. In Christianity Jesus is the embodiment of Nehushtan.

In Antiquity, Roman Christians only made 5 idols of Christ, and I've seen one of them. They are creepy little things made for a mostly recently converted populations still very much pagan to have in their festive processions. As they were increasingly Christianized they were put away in shrines and then largely forgotten.

We bounced back and forth between strict iconoclasm and having icons in the middle ages.

In general the underlining ideology of iconography isn't one of idolatry but rather one of rememberance or intercession. Some trespass on this but more or less most don't, and it is little more than decorative art like a statue of Madonna in a cemetary or outside church. The Bhakti form of worshipping idols in a estatic state was universally stomped out of christianity as paganism fell. It isn't something we do, and when some head in that direction, you'll find contemporaries who said it wasn't right. The Judeo-Christian tradition is one that rejects the adoration of the xoanon. If I saw someone confusing a statue of christ as a xoanon, I would recommend getting rid of the statue as such a person doesn't grasp what Christianity is about.

LadyGrace ·

@Dignaga Christians never make idols to worship. Nor do they worship any idols. Your information is totally wrong.

And Jesus certainly is not the embodiment of Nehaushtan. According to the Bible, Nehushtan was a metal serpent mounted on a staff that Moses had made, by God's command, to cure the Israelites of snake bites while wandering in the desert.

Dignaga

@LadyGrace Christians did make 5 during Roman times. I saw one, it freaked me out and made me stick to the stomach. I study alot of ancient history so I am going to know things you are unaware of. It was necessary during the period of mass conversions as as most of the population was used to the adolation of idols in processions such as festivals. The one I saw was claimed to he self created (it was definately created by man).

I am sorry if you are of a protestant branch of christianity that obliterated history and made a bunch of stuff up to replace it, but history did happen and it can be objectively studied. My faith isn't crippled by such awareness.

LadyGrace ·

@Dignaga There are many that are superstitious. I don't believe your story for one second. And you don't know that I am of any branch, so don't assume. I'm not from any "branch" of Christianity. I do not belong to a specific denomination or subgroup within the larger Christian faith, which has its own distinct beliefs, practices, and church structure.

Dignaga

@LadyGrace If you are christian you belong to a branch, even if membership is just one person within it.

Secondly, your belief in my statements is not required for it to be truth. It happened. History happened. Alot of upsetting, backwards, crazy stuff happened in history. You learn to accept this when you study history. You should study history. You would be used to this shock.

Most people who studied history, if they didn't believe a historical statement of fact, would say "What are your sources". You didn't even bother with that much. So in reply I am saying to you in a very generic sense study history, any history, any period, any culture. Just study it. Get back to me in a few years after the shock has worn off and discernment and logical skepticism instead of akepticism rooted in blind faith has taken root, and we can talk.

LadyGrace ·

@Dignaga You don't know what you're talking about. As a Christian, I don't belong to any select group. You don't know me so don't tell me what I belong to. The only one I belong to is Jesus Christ, not some select group. Jesus didn't die for religious groups. He died to save the whole world, not just some.

As for the rest of your rhetoric, I think I'll just leave you to stew in your own fantasies.

Dignaga

@LadyGrace As a christian, you default belong to a group, it's a class called Christians. This is Bertrand Russell Logic 101.

If you are a Christian, and every christian is part of a subclass within it, which is a logical statement 100% true, then you are in a subclass, call it a denomination or group, and as a type you have a set of beliefs- we will take your statements about what you believe from above, if you stated true statements about the nature of your beliefs, as the type of your beliefs.

Not all christians will agree. Proof: I am a Christian, I do not agree with you. Therefore, we can deduce at least two types of Christians exist. At least two. I know for a fact a whole lot more exist.

Whether you agree with this statement or not does not override the logical correctness of the stated facts. Your beliefs I am wrong is not enough to syllogistically contradict the statements. If anything, it is more reasonable to assume you are wrong, and I am right, as we are both christians who disagree, and therefore more than one type of christian exists: My Type and Your Type. Your disbelief pretty much confirms you are wrong, if you believe your statements to be true, you cannot be right, by the fact you disagree with me.

onewithshoes · 22-25, F

@Dignaga An interesting and well balanced analysis. Thanks.
We need also remember the cherubim that adorned the ark of the covenant.

onewithshoes · 22-25, F

@LadyGrace The mysterious statement in John 3:14 (which I would never claim to fully understand) certainly invites us to contemplate the typology of the brazen serpent.