Nativity Scenes and the Second Commandment

May I ask if your church has a cross?

 

So we'll know what he looks like. Don't you know what he looks like? See my thread on the subject for a description of Jesus.

 

Let's face it, gang...he's not gonna be happy until we all admit to being idolatrous scofflaws...every last one of us.

Dale, how 'bout giving "priesthood of the believer" a try? There's a few of us in here that spend time with God and ask Him to reveal any wicked way in us. I promise ya, if He tells me to chunk the nativity set, then chunk it I will.

Thank you.

 

hmmmmmm...

 

I have several of my favorite Scriptures hanging on my walls.

Does that mean I've made an idol out of the Bible?

 

Paul must have been teaching idolatry when he said, "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world [Galatians 6:14].

 

That's funny....that's what I've been thinking throughout this entire discussion.

 

Nice picture, Dale!

 

By understanding the second commandment to apply to anything that displaces Him from the wholeness of our attention and worship.

I also understand that the existence of images is not prohibited.

 

That's cute Dale. You implying the rest of us weren't giving you our honest opinion?

 

Not only are the rest of us dishonest, but idolatrous.

 

Exodus 20:3-4 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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 context is God.
Thou shalt not make any graven image...(of God).

There were two commands (at least) broken when the Israelites danced around the golden calf.
1. They made an image of God.
2. They bowed down in front of it (worshiped it).
They are separate; not the same.

Thus an image of Christ (God) is wrong. It violates the same Commandement whether you worship it or not. Thou shalt not make any graven image or likeness thereof.
First you don't know what Christ looked like, so whatever likeness you give him would be deceitful and a lie if you are saying "this is Christ." That is what most pictures of Christ are saying.
In a nativity scene it is an actual image, saying this "represents" Christ, even as the calf "represented" Jehovah. The Israelites did not stop worshiping Jehovah. They only made an image to put in Jehovah's place. Then bowing down to the calf they continued to worship Jehovah.

The command still stands. Thou shalt not make any graven image or likeness thereof. The context is "of God."

 

"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 word "or" performs a very specific grammatical function you are conveniently ignoring to fit your pretext.

 

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:

There is the entire verse. I don't ignore any part of it. I only quoted it in part to save space. The Israelites made an image of a calf. They could have made an image of a whale (under the sea), or the sun (in the heaven above). Any image of God is wrong. Any image that takes the place of God is wrong. Both are wrong. Not only the worship of Baal (another god) was wrong, but an image of Israel's God was wrong. God condemned them both. Making any image of God was absolutely wrong.