Image

=== Religious critiques ===
Despite, or perhaps because of, the widespread use of religious and spiritual imagery worldwide, the making of images and the depiction of gods or religious subjects has been subject to criticism, censorship, and criminal penalties. The [[Abrahamic religions]] ([[Judaism]], [[Christianity]], and [[Islam]]) all have had admonitions against the making of images, even though the extent of that proscription has varied with time, place, and sect or denomination of a given religion. In Judaism, [[Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image|one of the Ten Commandments]] given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai forbids the making of "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 earth." In Christian history, periods of [[iconoclasm]] (the destruction of images, especially those with religious meanings or connotations) have broken out from time to time and some sects and denominations have rejected or severely limited the use of religious imagery. Islam tends to discourage religious depictions, sometimes quite rigorously, and often extends that to other forms of realistic imagery, favoring [[calligraphy]] or [[geometric design]]s instead. Depending on time and place, photographs and broadcast images in Islamic societies may be less subject to outright prohibition. In any religion, restrictions on image-making are especially targeted to avoid the depictions of "false gods" in the form of [[Idolatry|idols]]. In recent time, [[militant]] extremist groups such as the [[Taliban]] and [[Islamic State|ISIS]] have destroyed centuries-old artifacts, especially those associated with other religions.