Controversy Thread part 2: Religious discussion (7 Viewers)
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The crucifix to remind us of the suffering and death that Jesus endured in order to purchase our salvation . . . in short it reminds of God's love. Having a crucifix on your wall, in your car or around your neck is a great reminder to never take for granted the tremendous cost that was paid and to keep yourself pure for His sake...in short it reminds of the power of God. Having a cross in plain view reminds us to live for God and to have faith in His ability to answer prayer and to redeem His children.
In regards to the symbol being an idol, I don't see that. It serves to remind people of the most significant act that our Lord endured to purchase our salvation. I compare it to wearing a wedding ring. It is symbolic of our marriage vows and the joy of that day. It does not replace your spouse in any way. If your wife/husband isn't there with you, the wedding ring hardly compensates for their presence, it merely serves as a reminder of the vos that you took. Today, many teenagers wear WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)jewelry. Is that also an idol? Surely not. Just ways to remind us to live our lives for our Lord... if you're in a situation that tempts you to sin, it serves as a plain reminder to think upon what your Lord and Saviour would have done. Same goes for the wearing of a crucifix.
By your apparent definition of idol worship, the only way to worship the living God would be if you saw him physically appear before you. Are you saying that gathering your hands in prayer is worshipping your own hands? Or any wall that is in front of you when you bow in prayer becomes an idol?
By all rights, (though this is unlikely) a Christian could wear a pentagram (the sign of Satan) around their neck, if this is the best way that they can be reminded of Christ's sacrifice. As i've said to the point of exhaustion, God knows our hearts, and if our motives for wearing such symbols is pure and God-focused, then He does not consider it idol worship.
The time when wearing such symbols becomes questionable in God's eyes is if you start doing it for other people to see that you are a Christian and somehow gain respect or whatever through that...
This is God's way of saying "I know what is truly in your hearts and minds. When you obey my commandments, don't obey them simply to receive praise from other people, but do them with the mindset that the Lord your God is watching, only then will it be pure and holy"
It's like the Bible example I used before. The Bible itself isn't Holy, the ink and paper are nothing special at all. Nobody puts their Bible on a pedestal and bows down to it, but rather the words of the Bible point to God's Word, spoken through man. It's about what they represent
In regards to the symbol being an idol, I don't see that. It serves to remind people of the most significant act that our Lord endured to purchase our salvation. I compare it to wearing a wedding ring. It is symbolic of our marriage vows and the joy of that day. It does not replace your spouse in any way. If your wife/husband isn't there with you, the wedding ring hardly compensates for their presence, it merely serves as a reminder of the vos that you took. Today, many teenagers wear WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)jewelry. Is that also an idol? Surely not. Just ways to remind us to live our lives for our Lord... if you're in a situation that tempts you to sin, it serves as a plain reminder to think upon what your Lord and Saviour would have done. Same goes for the wearing of a crucifix.
By your apparent definition of idol worship, the only way to worship the living God would be if you saw him physically appear before you. Are you saying that gathering your hands in prayer is worshipping your own hands? Or any wall that is in front of you when you bow in prayer becomes an idol?
By all rights, (though this is unlikely) a Christian could wear a pentagram (the sign of Satan) around their neck, if this is the best way that they can be reminded of Christ's sacrifice. As i've said to the point of exhaustion, God knows our hearts, and if our motives for wearing such symbols is pure and God-focused, then He does not consider it idol worship.
The time when wearing such symbols becomes questionable in God's eyes is if you start doing it for other people to see that you are a Christian and somehow gain respect or whatever through that...
This is God's way of saying "I know what is truly in your hearts and minds. When you obey my commandments, don't obey them simply to receive praise from other people, but do them with the mindset that the Lord your God is watching, only then will it be pure and holy"
It's like the Bible example I used before. The Bible itself isn't Holy, the ink and paper are nothing special at all. Nobody puts their Bible on a pedestal and bows down to it, but rather the words of the Bible point to God's Word, spoken through man. It's about what they represent
Tom there probably arent too many of those kinds of people. Everybody wants to believe that there is someone greater than them watching over them and that things are divinely orchestrated.
An example: right after the tragedy in NYC, church attendance rocketed up. Eventually it cooled down and returned to normal.
People believe that there must be something more to life than this. They either dont know or refuse to identify what it is though.
And Ian: Idolatry means the worship of something- particularly an object of religious symbolism or significance. I see nothing wrong in wearing a religious image or symbol as long as it is not treated as something utterly sacred or is given importance, reverence, attention, or authority that it does not deserve, or that the Bible does not prescribed.
Of course there may be other reasons that people should avoid idols but these are those that pertain to the original commandment that referred to idols.
An example: right after the tragedy in NYC, church attendance rocketed up. Eventually it cooled down and returned to normal.
People believe that there must be something more to life than this. They either dont know or refuse to identify what it is though.
And Ian: Idolatry means the worship of something- particularly an object of religious symbolism or significance. I see nothing wrong in wearing a religious image or symbol as long as it is not treated as something utterly sacred or is given importance, reverence, attention, or authority that it does not deserve, or that the Bible does not prescribed.
Of course there may be other reasons that people should avoid idols but these are those that pertain to the original commandment that referred to idols.
but it's not Jak trwoga to do Boga though :undecide:That's completely natural of people, and I must admit that it happens to myself too... when life's going smoothly, many people find no reason to turn to God, we think that our comfortable situation is our own work, and that we don't need God in our lives.
People are often just too involved with life, with their own concerns, with themselves and their own success, that they don’t hear or don’t want to hear God, and only when they are in a difficult situation, do they have the time and the necessity, to consider more than just themselves, then only they hear God
Although people often only turn to God when they are in trouble, that doesn't change God. No matter how many times we reject Him, no matter how bad we think we are, He's always reaching out in love, in restoration, offering full salvation, no matter where man is or under what circumstances he may find himself.
I personally noticed an amazing effect after the events of September 11. People realised that in these kinds of situations, there's nowhere else to turn. No human in this world can comfort people who have been affected by such an event as this. A great reminder that God is still watching the world came in the days after the attack, when the crews were cleaning up the rubble. Amongst all that destruction, God gave us a reminder that amongst all the terrible things happening in the world, He's got things under control, and we should realise that the things that happen in the world are the fault of the people who've turned away from God.
People are often just too involved with life, with their own concerns, with themselves and their own success, that they don’t hear or don’t want to hear God, and only when they are in a difficult situation, do they have the time and the necessity, to consider more than just themselves, then only they hear God
Although people often only turn to God when they are in trouble, that doesn't change God. No matter how many times we reject Him, no matter how bad we think we are, He's always reaching out in love, in restoration, offering full salvation, no matter where man is or under what circumstances he may find himself.
I personally noticed an amazing effect after the events of September 11. People realised that in these kinds of situations, there's nowhere else to turn. No human in this world can comfort people who have been affected by such an event as this. A great reminder that God is still watching the world came in the days after the attack, when the crews were cleaning up the rubble. Amongst all that destruction, God gave us a reminder that amongst all the terrible things happening in the world, He's got things under control, and we should realise that the things that happen in the world are the fault of the people who've turned away from God.
God's word is god, and the Bible is not a repressentation of God. It is an account of the people's of Israel as well as the life and work of Jesus Christ. A cross carried around the neck serves no other purpose than to repressent or symbolize. But, I had never intended this to become a theological discussion.