Icons versus religious art

[Valerie]

In non-Anabaptist churches, the Cross is extremely important for “all” it represents- God was truly recommending symbols to “help” us- I believe that is the intention. Nothing idolatrous when you’re going to these churches.

The church house I grew up in had no crosses at all and our present church house has one that is about 10 inches tall. It's a meaningful symbol but it represents the sanctification portion of salvation and has little to say about sanctification or the walk God calls his people into and seems backward focused on what God has done in the past. I'm not very familiar with the practice of icons but it suspect the images they present give a fuller picture of salvation than the single image of a cross.

I'm not technically offended by the presence of either crosses or icons but I might be suspicious how people relate to them if they treat them as having mystical power to reach into the unknown. If I were choosing a single image to represent Jesus it might be the wounded lamb wearing a crown.

The Calvary Chapel I gave my heart to the Lord in at 15 had a Cross AND the Dove.
We didn’t skip the part of what the Cross meant by way of dying to “self”
In fact a song we sang all the time back then was:
“ if any man come after me, let who are my him deny himself
Take up your Cross and follow Me into life eternally,
Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. He is the way truth and life.”

As I said, we tend to hear ALL aspects of the importance of the Cross.
I found it weird to visit churches that don’t have a Cross in plain sight.

[JohnH]

I think the empty tomb is a great representation of Jesus.

I have a personal deep appreciation and enjoyment of religious art. Unfortunately, it's not something I'm comfortable with, so I save my enjoyment of it for visits to art museums.

[JayP]

A recent point of contention at a local RCC parish was the dispute over the crucifix. For those that do not know, you will rarely see a cross in an Catholic Church. But you should see crucifixes. It is a requirement that one by or or near the alter to say mass. This church had a “risen Christ” crucifix which does NOT count.

FWWIW I think the simplified cross is just that, a simplification I could do without.

[Valerie]

A recent point of contention at a local RCC parish was the dispute over the crucifix. For those that do not know, you will rarely see a cross in an Catholic Church. But you should see crucifixes. It is a requirement that one by or or near the alter to say mass. This church had a “risen Christ” crucifix which does NOT count.

FWWIW I think the simplified cross is just that, a simplification I could do without.

The Protestants problem with the crucifix is that they said they prefer to think of the Risen Christ

[PeterG]

Peter asked, so I think I owe him an answer. Yes, I think religious art is a very different category from icons. Art is still art, when of a religious theme the artist may vary on what he tries to emphasize, make us think about, etc. there is much more freedom in a sense, and for me, the artistic skill is no less important in religious art than non religious. I can appreciate Tanner’s Annunciation on many levels. Icons, particularly as presented in Orthodox settings are often not as purely pleasing on artistic merits but still (to me) valuable in many ways. I appreciate the consistency and traditions that go into icons. Fully used icons are considered windows to the divine,not simply thought provoking or mood setting the way art is.

Thank you for answering. The way you're making the distinction makes sense to me.

[barnhart]

... I can appreciate Tanner’s Annunciation on many levels. Icons, particularly as presented in Orthodox settings are often not as purely pleasing on artistic merits but still (to me) valuable in many ways. I appreciate the consistency and traditions that go into icons...

I really like the artistic qualities of most Orthodox icons. I think of them as a stylized comic or cartoon form. If you don't think of them as realist, they become quite beautiful.

[R7ehr]

Are there special protocols for disposing of old icons?

[JimFoxvog]

I appreciate the challenge of seeing how crosses or crucifixes are similar to icons. Maybe this is also similar to how people venerate the American flag.