Idolatry Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ====Protestantism==== The idolatry debate has been one of the defining differences between papal Catholicism and anti-papal Protestantism.<ref name="Milton2002p186">{{cite book|author=Anthony Milton|title=Catholic and Reformed: The Roman and Protestant Churches in English Protestant Thought |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stwluHDJsQgC&pg=PA186 |year=2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89329-9|pages=186β195}}</ref> The anti-papal writers have prominently questioned the worship practices and images supported by Catholics, with many Protestant scholars listing it as the "one religious error larger than all others". The sub-list of erring practices have included among other things the veneration of Virgin Mary, the Catholic mass, the invocation of saints, and the reverence expected for and expressed to pope himself.<ref name="Milton2002p186"/> The charges of supposed idolatry against the Roman Catholics were leveled by a diverse group of Protestants, from [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]] to [[Calvinism|Calvinists]] in Geneva.<ref name="Milton2002p186"/><ref>{{cite book|author=James Noyes|title=The Politics of Iconoclasm: Religion, Violence and the Culture of Image-Breaking in Christianity and Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmcBAwAAQBAJ |year=2013|publisher=Tauris|isbn=978-0-85772-288-1|pages=31β37}}</ref> [[File:Altar and bible st Johns Lutheran.jpg|thumb|right|[[Altar]] with Christian Bible and [[crucifix]] on it, in a Lutheran Protestant church]] Protestants did not abandon all icons and symbols of Christianity. They typically avoid the use of images, except the cross, in any context suggestive of veneration. The cross remained their central icon.<ref name="Leora Batnitzky 2009 147β156"/><ref name="Ryan K. Smith 2011 79β81"/> Technically both major branches of Christianity have had their icons, states [[Carlos Eire]], a professor of religious studies and history, but its meaning has been different to each and "one man's devotion was another man's idolatry".<ref name="Eire1989p5">{{cite book|author=Carlos M. N. Eire|title=War Against the Idols: The Reformation of Worship from Erasmus to Calvin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=95sDFZbl4S4C |year=1989|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-37984-7|pages=5β7}}</ref> This was particularly true not only in the intra-Christian debate, states Eire, but also when soldiers of Catholic kings replaced "horrible [[Aztec]] idols" in the American colonies with "beautiful crosses and images of [[Protestant views on Mary|Mary]] and the saints".<ref name="Eire1989p5"/> Protestants often accuse Catholics of idolatry, [[iconolatry]], and even [[paganism]]; in the [[Protestant Reformation]] such language was common to all Protestants. In some cases, such as the [[Puritan]] groups denounced all forms of religious objects, regardless of whether it was a statue or sculpture, or image, including the [[Christian cross]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Richardson |first=R. C. |title=Puritanism in north-west England: a regional study of the diocese of Chester to 1642 |year=1972 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|location=Manchester, England|page=[https://archive.org/details/puritanisminnort0000rich/page/26 26]|isbn=978-0-7190-0477-3|url=https://archive.org/details/puritanisminnort0000rich|url-access=registration }}</ref> The [[Waldensians]] were accused of idolatry by inquisitors.<ref name="Mankey 2022 p. 24">{{cite book | last=Mankey | first=J. | title=The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore & Modern Practice | publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited | year=2022 | isbn=978-0-7387-6717-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwhUEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT24 | access-date=2023-03-14 | page=24}}</ref> The [[Crucifix|body of Christ on the cross]] is an ancient symbol used within the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] Churches, in contrast with some Protestant groups, which use only a simple cross. In Judaism, the reverence to the icon of Christ in the form of cross has been seen as idolatry.<ref name="Batnitzky2000p145">{{cite book|author=Leora Faye Batnitzky|title=Idolatry and Representation: The Philosophy of Franz Rosenzweig Reconsidered|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOvdLMZLghUC&pg=PA145|year=2000|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-04850-5|page=145}}</ref> However, some Jewish scholars disagree and consider Christianity to be based on Jewish belief and not truly idolatrous.<ref name="OU-Avoda Zarah">{{cite web|last=Steinsaltz|first=Rabbi Adin|title=Introduction - Masechet Avodah Zarah|url=http://www.ou.org/ou/print_this/73452|work=The Coming Week's Daf Yomi|access-date=31 May 2013}}, Quote: "Over time, however, new religions developed whose basis is in Jewish belief β such as Christianity and Islam β which are based on belief in the Creator and whose adherents follow commandments that are similar to some Torah laws (see the uncensored Rambam in his Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim 11:4). All of the rishonim agree that adherents of these religions are not idol worshippers and should not be treated as the pagans described in the Torah."</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page