Sacred Art is not Idolatry
October 30th, 2008 by Menachem Wecker
“Father Joe,” a.k.a. Father Joseph Jenkins, pastor of Holy Family Church in Mitchellville, Maryland, has a great post on religious art and idolatry. He correctly points out that the “prohibition against images was never absolute,” and he rallies four biblical references to prove his point (three OT and one NT). Here’s the money quote:
It is peculiar that some critics will oppose the Church’s use of sacred art and yet they often have trophies, statuary, toy dolls, photographs, and paintings in their homes. Images that inspire faith and remind us of particularly holy and courageous members of our faith are no more wrong than such pictures of family and friends in our homes.
This all gets messy though if we ask ourselves whether images are religious requirements. I’ve had a lot of religious folks tell me that they worry about the temptation of religious art, and if someone genuinely wants to avoid art so as not to fall on an idolatrous path, it’s hard to know what to respond to that. Father Joe, if you are reading this, I’d love to hear more about your thoughts on this topic…