What is a "graven image?" What is "idol worship?"

In the Quran there is difference between shirk [putting something else before god] and taghut [idolatory]. Shirk refers to anything, like unbridled egoism, arrogance, love of wealth or ideologies and superstition. Taghut refers to the deities, idols, "holy" men and women or extreme attachment to ideologies. Some people also consider this to include images of the Prophet. Excessive devotion to either is highly unacceptable.
 
Last edited:
CheskiChips said:
Deuteronomy was written by Moses...Evidence...Deut 1:1 "These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel "
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call that "evidence," but if ever a person named "moses" existed I see no quarrel with agreeing that he wrote that line. Or at least uttered it to be written by a scribe.
 
SkinWalker said:
No. That was from my command of the English language. What is your definition of graven? Just out of curiosity.
Click to expand...


A Graven Image is a false image, an image of something the does not exist as a Reality;
a Lie, a deception, an Illusion, a False Image that is impressed so deeply into the mind
that it becomes a Reality.
 
Sorry to bust your bubble, but graven comes from "grave" and the Germanic graben. It means "to dig" or carve. A graven image is a carved image.

Your association with "false image" etc. is part of the mythology and superstition that evolves around religious dogma.

Try this: go to Google and type "define:graven" without the inverted commas.
 
As the cult of Yahweh grew in prominence and status, it dominated other cults and began to position itself as the true cult. The birth of Islamo-Judeo-Christian monotheism is very likely the result of a fad within the Canaanites that developed into a hegemony.

The biblical phrase, "there shall be no gods before me" might actually be a literal instruction: "I'm in the statue. Put me up front and the rest behind me." Instead, modern monotheists believe this means (and they may be right) that the author of the phrase was implying that his god was the only god and other gods are false. Regardless, its an acknowledgment by the biblical author that there did exist other gods at one time and these gods had followers. People very likely followed gods for various reasons, depending on the day, season, need, etc. -adding, subtracting, and swapping as they felt appropriate.

And, yes, the Canaanites became the "Israelites." The archaeology shows this to be the case. And, yes, Yahweh is a Canaanite god.
Click to expand...

Skinwalker, the biggest obstacle for you to overcome is that if it were not for Religion then you wouldnt even know about any of this. Has that not been pointed out to you yet?
 
If you mean, if the religion didn't exist, it wouldn't have left a material record at the sites excavated, then, yes, I'm aware of it. I don't see, however, why this is either an obstacle or why it should be pointed out.
 
Of course we wouldn't if we didn't excavate the sites that contained all the figures, bas reliefs, murals, mosaics, bones, etc.
 
Answer to the thread title- Go get some play-doh, make a little figurine. Now, pray to it, like it has power over you. You just made a graven image, aka idol. YAY!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top