People often accuse the Orthodox Church of "worshipping icons". This is one of the most common misunderstandings about our faith.
The truth is simple: Orthodox Christians do not worship wood and paint. We worship the living God, and Him alone. What we do with icons is very different.
Worship VS Veneration
Worship belongs only to God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Nobody else.
- Worship (in Greek: latreia) is what we give to God alone.
- Veneration (in Greek: proskynesis) is respect, honor, or reverence shown to holy people or holy things.
When we bow before an icon or kiss it, we are not adoring the material. We are showing love toward the person depicted (Christ, His Mother, or His saints).
"The honor given to the image passes to the prototype."
St. Basil the Great
Why Do Orthodox Venerate Icons?
Orthodox Christians venerate icons because they show the truth of the Incarnation. God became man in Jesus Christ.
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us"
John 1:14 KJV
Because Christ took on a real human body, He can be painted, and His image can be honored.
Before Christ, God was invisible, so the Old Testament forbade images of Him. But now, God has made Himself visible in Christ. To reject icons is to deny the reality of the Incarnation.
Icons are also windows to heaven. They are not just "religious art". They are reminders that the Church is not only on earth but also in heaven. When we see an icon of Christ, of the Theotokos, or of the saints, we are reminded that they are alive in Christ and intercede for us.
The Bible Forbids Idols - Not Icons
"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: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them"
Exodus 20:4-5 KJV
This refers to idols - false gods. The Israelites were forbidden to make images and then worship them as gods.
But not all images are forbidden. In fact, God Himself commanded Moses to make images:
"And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat."
Exodus 25:18 KJV
"And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without."
1 Kings 6 KJV
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."
Numbers 21:8 KJV
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up."
John 3:14 KJV
So the Bible does not forbid all images. It forbids worship of them. That is the key difference.
What About "Talking to the Dead"?
Another accusation is that praying to saints is the same as "talking to the dead". Scripture warns against necromancy and mediums. That is true. We do not seek the spirits of the dead.
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 KJV
But the saints are not dead. Christ Himself says:
"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him"
Luke 20:38 KJV
The saints are alive in Christ. They are part of the Church, just as we are, but glorified.
When we ask the saints to pray for us, it is no different than asking a fellow Christian on earth to pray for us. The only difference is that the saints are already in the presence of God.
Icons in the Life of the Church
Icons are not optional in Orthodoxy. They are part of how we confess the faith. The Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II, 787 AD) defended the veneration of icons against those who wanted to destroy them. The Council declared that just as the Cross and the Gospel are honored, so too are icons.
Every Orthodox home should have an icon corner. Every Orthodox church is filled with icons. They are not decoration but theology in color. They show us the reality of Christ's Kingdom here and now.
Conclusion
Orthodox Christians do not worship icons. We worship God alone. Icons are venerated because they confess the truth of the Incarnation, they lift our hearts to heaven, and they connect us with Christ and His saints who are alive in Him.
To reject icons is to misunderstand what they are. To embrace them is to embrace the fullness of the faith handed down to us.
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