Idolatry

"The Adoration of the Golden Calf " by Nicolas Poussin Idolatry is usually defined as worship of any cult image , idea , or object , as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God . It is considered a major sin in the Abrahamic religions whereas in religions where such activity is not considered a sin, the term "idolatry" itself is absent. Which images , ideas , and objects , constitute idolatry, and which constitute reasonable worship, is a matter of contention with some religious authorities and groups using the term to describe certain other religions apart from their own (sometimes resulting in iconoclasm ).

At center, the brass statue of the ancient Canaanite , Ammonite and Phoenician god Moloch in the likeness of a frog -man with horns , wings and three eyes. (From the movie "Cabiria" by Giovanni Pastrone; National Museum of Cinema, Turin). Idolatry is the worship of an idol or a physical object as a representation of a god . In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although views as to what constitutes idolatry may differ within and between them. In other religions the use of idols is accepted. Which images, ideas, and objects constitute idolatry is often a matter of considerable contention. Behaviour considered idolatrous or potentially idolatrous may include the creation of any type of image of the deity, or of other figures of religious significance such as prophets, saints, and clergy, the creation of images of any person or animal at all, and the use of religious symbols, or secular ones. In addition, Christian theologians, following Saint Paul , have extended the concept to include giving undue importance to other aspects of religion, or to non-religious aspects of life in general, with no involvement of images specifically. Man commits idolatry whenever he honours and reveres a creature in place of God , whether this be gods , or demons (for example satanism ), power , pleasure , race , ancestors , the state , money etc." In some ultra-conservative Islamic societies with sharia law , idolaters may face the death penalty. The avoidance of the use of images for religious reasons is called aniconism . The destruction of religious images within a culture is called iconoclasm , of which there have been many major episodes in history.

Moses Indignant at the Golden Calf by William Blake , 1799–1800 Idolatry is the worship of an idol or cult image , being a physical image, such as a statue, or a person in place of God . In Abrahamic religions , namely Judaism , Christianity and Islam , idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than God as if it were God. In these monotheistic religions, idolatry has been considered as the "worship of false gods" and is forbidden by the values such as the Ten Commandments . In many Indian religions , such as theistic and non-theistic forms of Hinduism , Buddhism and Jainism , idols ( murti ) are considered as symbolism for the absolute but not The Absolute , or icons of spiritual ideas, or the embodiment of the divine. It is a means to focus one's religious pursuits and worship ( bhakti ). In the traditional religions of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Africa, Asia, the Americas and elsewhere, the reverence of an image or statue has been a common practice, and cult images have carried different meanings and significance. The opposition to the use of any icon or image to represent ideas of reverence or worship is called aniconism . The destruction of idols and images as icons of veneration is called iconoclasm , and this has long been accompanied with violence between religious groups that forbid idol worship and those who have accepted icons, images and idols for worship. The definition of idolatry has been a contested topic within Abrahamic religions, with many Muslims and Protestant Christians condemning the Catholic veneration and statues of the Virgin Mary in many churches as a form of idolatry. The history of religions has been marked with accusations and denials of idolatry. These accusations have considered statues and images to be devoid of symbolism. Alternatively, the topic of idolatry has been a source of disagreements between many religions, or within denominations of various religions, with the presumption that icons of one's own religious practices have meaningful symbolism, while another person's different religious practices do not. Moses breaks the Ten Commandments in response to the golden calf worship in this 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld . Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions . Gale Encyclopedia of Religion . Aniconism , Encyclopædia Britannica Marina Prusac; Kristine Kolrud (2014). Iconoclasm from Antiquity to Modernity . Iconoclasm and Iconoclash: Struggle for Religious Identity . Al-Hind the Making of the Indo-Islamic World .

Worship of an idol as though it were a god "False idols" redirects here. Moses Indignant at the Golden Calf , painting by William Blake , 1799–1800 Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God . In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism , Samaritanism , Christianity , the Baháʼí Faith , and Islam ) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic God as if it were God. In these monotheistic religions, idolatry has been considered as the "worship of false gods " and is forbidden by texts such as the Ten Commandments . Conversely, followers of animistic and polytheistic religions may regard the gods of various monotheistic religions as "false gods" because they do not believe that any real deity possesses the properties ascribed by monotheists to their sole deity. Atheists , who do not believe in any deities, do not usually use the term false god even though that would encompass all deities from the atheist viewpoint. Usage of this term is generally limited to theists , who choose to worship some deity or deities, but not others. In many Indian religions , which include Hinduism , Buddhism , and Jainism , idols ( murti ) are considered as symbolism for the absolute but not the Absolute , or icons of spiritual ideas, or the embodiment of the divine. It is a means to focus one's religious pursuits and worship ( bhakti ). In the traditional religions of Ancient Egypt , Greece , Rome , Africa , Asia , the Americas and elsewhere, the reverence of cult images or statues has been a common practice since antiquity , and cult images have carried different meanings and significance in the history of religion . Moreover, the material depiction of a deity or more deities has always played an eminent role in all cultures of the world. The opposition to the use of any icon or image to represent ideas of reverence or worship is called aniconism . The destruction of images as icons of veneration is called iconoclasm , and this has long been accompanied with violence between religious groups that forbid idol worship and those who have accepted icons, images and statues for veneration. The definition of idolatry has been a contested topic within Abrahamic religions, with many Muslims and most Protestant Christians condemning the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practice of venerating the Virgin Mary in many churches as a form of idolatry. The history of religions has been marked with accusations and denials of idolatry. These accusations have considered statues and images to be devoid of symbolism. Alternatively, the topic of idolatry has been a source of disagreements between many religions, or within denominations of various religions, with the presumption that icons of one's own religious practices have meaningful symbolism, while another person's different religious practices do not. L'imaginaire du démoniaque dans la Septante: Une analyse comparée de la notion de "démon" dans la Septante et dans la Bible Hébraïque . Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism (in French). Signs and Society . 4 (1). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions . In von Stuckrad, Kocku (ed.). The Brill Dictionary of Religion . Gale Encyclopedia of Religion . Aniconism , Encyclopædia Britannica Marina Prusac; Kristine Kolrud (2014). Iconoclasm from Antiquity to Modernity . Iconoclasm and Iconoclash: Struggle for Religious Identity . Al-Hind the Making of the Indo-Islamic World .

Worship of an idol as though it were a god "Idol worship" redirects here. Moses Indignant at the Golden Calf , painting by William Blake , 1799–1800 Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity . In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism , Samaritanism , Christianity , Islam , and the Baháʼí Faith ) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic God as if it were God. In these monotheistic religions, idolatry has been considered as the "worship of false gods " and is forbidden by texts such as the Ten Commandments . Conversely, followers of animistic and polytheistic religions may regard the gods of various monotheistic religions as "false gods" because they do not believe that any real deity possesses the properties ascribed by monotheists to their sole deity. Atheists , who do not believe in any deities, do not usually use the term false god even though that would encompass all deities from the atheist viewpoint. Usage of this term is generally limited to theists , who choose to worship some deity or deities, but not others. In many Indian religions , which include Hinduism , Buddhism , and Jainism , idols ( murti ) are considered as symbolism for the Absolute but are not the Absolute itself, or icons of spiritual ideas, or the embodiment of the divine. It is a means to focus one's religious pursuits and worship ( bhakti ). In the traditional religions of Ancient Egypt , Greece , Rome , Africa , Asia , the Americas and elsewhere, the reverence of cult images or statues has been a common practice since antiquity , and idols have carried different meanings and significance in the history of religion . Moreover, the material depiction of a deity or more deities has always played an eminent role in all cultures of the world. The opposition to the use of any icon or image to represent ideas of reverence or worship is called aniconism . The destruction of images as icons of veneration is called iconoclasm , and this has long been accompanied with violence between religious groups that forbid idol worship and those who have accepted icons, images and statues for veneration. The definition of idolatry has been a contested topic within Abrahamic religions, with many Muslims and most Protestant Christians condemning the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practice of venerating the Virgin Mary in many churches as a form of idolatry. The history of religions has been marked with accusations and denials of idolatry. These accusations have considered statues and images to be devoid of symbolism. Alternatively, the topic of idolatry has been a source of disagreements between many religions, or within denominations of various religions, with the presumption that icons of one's own religious practices have meaningful symbolism, while another person's different religious practices do not. L'imaginaire du démoniaque dans la Septante: Une analyse comparée de la notion de "démon" dans la Septante et dans la Bible Hébraïque . Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism (in French). Signs and Society . 4 (1). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions . In von Stuckrad, Kocku (ed.). The Brill Dictionary of Religion . Gale Encyclopedia of Religion . Aniconism , Encyclopædia Britannica Marina Prusac; Kristine Kolrud (2014). Iconoclasm from Antiquity to Modernity . Iconoclasm and Iconoclash: Struggle for Religious Identity . Al-Hind the Making of the Indo-Islamic World .