Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jhpb@granjon.garage.att.com Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Commandments or Suggestions Message-ID: Date: 1 Oct 90 01:27:32 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: AT&T Bell Labs (Liberty Corner) Lines: 23 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In reading the ten commandments we find the second commandment is "YOU MUST NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A CARVED IMAGE...YOU MUST NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM NOR BE INDUCED TO SERVE THEM.' Would anyone care to explain why, then, so many so-called Christian churches/ places of worship are swamped with images of saints,icons, idols and other such graven images that clearly offend the (TRUE) God who gave these commandments. . .or was it Suggestions? The prohibition of images is not the same sort of thing as the prohibition of murder. It is not absolutely immoral to have statues, pictures, etc., but it is absolutely immoral to murder. You will find this borne out in the Old Testament itself. The ark of the covenant had representations of winged angels above it. I think there was also something about carved animals on one of the kings' thrones, and (correct me if I am wrong) bronze bulls under the basin made for the temple services. Moses made a bronze serpent, also. It is only immoral to have statues around if you find that they tempt you to idolatry. Joe Buehler