The Use and Misuse of Religious Pictures

THE scene is in St. Petersburg, Russia. The date is August 2, 1914. Excited people waving icons have gathered at the czar’s palace. An altar has been erected in the center of a large hall. A painting of a woman with a child in her arms stands upon the altar. This icon is called the “Vladimir Mother of God.” The crowds view it as the most holy treasure in Russia.

In fact, the icon is believed to work miracles. In 1812, when Russian armies marched against Napoléon, General Kutuzov prayed before it. Now, after committing his country to war, Czar Nicholas II stands before it. With his right hand raised, he makes an oath: “I solemnly swear that I will never make peace so long as a single enemy remains on Russian soil.”

Two weeks later the czar makes a pilgrimage to Moscow to seek God’s blessing upon his troops. In the Cathedral of the Assumption, he kneels and prays in front of the large jeweled iconostasis​—a screen bearing paintings of Jesus, Mary, angels, and “saints.”

These religious acts failed to avert disaster. In less than four years, Russian armies suffered more than six million casualties and lost much territory. Moreover, the czar, his empress, and their five children were brutally murdered. In place of the centuries-old monarchy, the country began to be ruled by a revolutionary government opposed to religion. Czar Nicholas’ trust in icons proved to be in vain.

Yet, to this day in Russia and other lands, millions continue to venerate icons. This raises important questions. How does God view acts of devotion performed in front of such pictures? And what about the custom of hanging them on the walls of homes?

What Does the Bible Say?

When Jesus was on earth, he obeyed God’s Law given through Moses. This included the second of what are called the Ten Commandments, which states: “You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion.”​—Exodus 20:4, 5.

Accordingly, Jesus did not worship God with the aid of pictures or statues made by human hands. Rather, his worship was in harmony with his Father’s declaration: “I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images.”​—Isaiah 42:8.

Moreover, Jesus explained why God should be worshiped without the aid of material objects. “The hour is coming,” he said, “when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.”​—John 4:23, 24.

Like Jesus, his true disciples taught others the correct way to worship. For example, the apostle Paul once spoke to a crowd of Greek philosophers who used idols to worship their invisible gods. He told them about man’s Creator and said: “We ought not to imagine that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, like something sculptured by the art and contrivance of man.” Later, the same apostle explained that Christians “are walking by faith, not by sight” and that Christians must “flee from idolatry.”​—Acts 17:16-31; 2 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Corinthians 10:14.

An experience in the life of the apostle Peter shows that he was quick to correct any action that might lead to idolatry. When the Roman army officer Cornelius fell down at his feet, Peter objected. He lifted Cornelius up, saying: “Rise; I myself am also a man.”​—Acts 10:26.

As for the apostle John, he was so overawed by divine visions that he fell down at the feet of an angel. “Be careful!” the angel counseled. “Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who are prophets and of those who are observing the words of this scroll. Worship God.” (Revelation 22:8, 9) The apostle appreciated this counsel. Lovingly, he recorded the incident for our benefit.

But how do the above experiences relate to the use of religious pictures? Well, if it was wrong for Cornelius to bow down to one of Christ’s apostles, what about the veneration of lifeless pictures of “saints”? And if it was wrong for one of Christ’s apostles to prostrate himself before a living angel, then what about the veneration of lifeless pictures of angels? Surely, such acts are contrary to John’s warning: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”​—1 John 5:21.

As Decorative Teaching Aids

This does not mean that the mere possession of a picture of some Biblical scene is idolatrous. This magazine makes good use of pictures of Biblical events as teaching aids. Also, scenes of Biblical events can be used to decorate the walls of houses and buildings. Yet, a true Christian would not want to display a picture that is known to be venerated by others, nor would he hang on his wall a picture that misrepresents the Bible.​—Romans 14:13.

Most of Christendom’s icons portray a circle of light around the heads of Jesus, Mary, angels, and “saints.” This is called a halo. Where did the halo originate? “Its origin was not Christian,” admits The Catholic Encyclopedia (1987 edition), “for it was used by pagan artists and sculptors to represent in symbol the great dignity and power of the various deities.” Furthermore, the book The Christians, by Bamber Gascoigne, contains a photograph obtained from the Capitoline Museum in Rome of a sun-god with halo. This god was worshiped by pagan Romans. Later, explains Gascoigne, “the sun’s halo” was “borrowed by Christianity.” Yes, the halo is connected with pagan sun worship.

Are pictures that mix Biblical events with symbols of pagan idol worship fit to be hung on the wall of a Christian home? No. The Bible counsels: “What agreement does God’s temple have with idols? . . . ‘“Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,” says Jehovah, “and quit touching the unclean thing”; “and I will take you in.”’”​—2 Corinthians 6:16, 17.

As time went by, professed Christians began to ignore such counsel. An apostasy developed, as had been foretold by Jesus and his apostles. (Matthew 24:24; Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Peter 2:1) Early in the fourth century C.E., the Roman emperor Constantine made apostate Christianity the State religion. Now a stream of pagans began to declare themselves “Christians.” A common practice among them was the worship of images of the emperor. They also used to hang up pictures of their ancestors and other famous people. “In accordance with the cult of the emperor,” explains John Taylor in his book Icon Painting, “people worshipped his portrait painted on canvas and wood, and from thence to the veneration of icons was a small step.” Thus, pagan worship of pictures was replaced by the veneration of pictures of Jesus, Mary, angels, and “saints.”

How Did Church Leaders Justify This?

According to The Encyclopedia of Religion, church leaders used the same old arguments as did the pagan philosophers. Men such as Plutarch, Dio Chrysostom, Maxim of Tyre, Celsus, Porphyry, and Julian admitted that idols were lifeless. But these pagans justified the use of idols by arguing that these were aids in worshiping their invisible gods. Russian iconographer Leonid Ouspensky admits in the book The Meaning of Icons: “The Fathers of the Church used the instrument of Greek philosophy, adapting its understanding and language to Christian theology.”​—Compare Colossians 2:8.

Many people found the theological justification for veneration of images difficult to understand. “The distinction between worshipping an icon for what it might represent, or worshipping it for itself . . . was too fine to be drawn by any but the highly educated,” states John Taylor in Icon Painting.

On the other hand, what the Bible says about religious images is easy to understand. Consider Emilia, who lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was a devout Catholic and used to kneel and pray before pictures. Then, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on her door. She was thrilled to see in the Portuguese Bible that God has a name, Jehovah. (Psalm 83:18, Almeida) In the course of her Bible studies, she asked: “What must I do to avoid displeasing Jehovah?” The Witness pointed to the pictures hanging on her wall and asked her to read Psalm 115:4-8. That night when Emilia’s husband came home, she told him that she wanted to get rid of her religious pictures. He agreed. The next day, she got her two sons, Tony and Manuel, to break the pictures to pieces and burn them. Today, some 25 years later, does Emilia have any regrets about this? No. In fact, along with her family, she has helped many of her neighbors to become happy worshipers of Jehovah.

Similar experiences have been repeated many times. As a result of the worldwide disciple-making work of Jehovah’s Witnesses, millions are learning to worship God “with spirit and truth.” You too can experience the blessings from this superior way of worship because, as Jesus said, “the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him.”​—John 4:23, 24.

[Picture on page 26]

Czar Nicholas II blessing his troops with an icon

[Credit Line]

Photo by C.N.