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What is the Anglican take on idolatry? Is bowing to the cross on the wall idol worship?
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Anglicans and Idolatry
- Thread starter HisHomeMaker
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You find the full expression of Christian faith within Anglicanism.
In my part of the church (evangelical), you won't find many people bowing to created things, but in other wings of the church these practices are more common.
Obviously, idolatry is not good - but not many people will view nodding to a cross as this.
In my part of the church (evangelical), you won't find many people bowing to created things, but in other wings of the church these practices are more common.
Obviously, idolatry is not good - but not many people will view nodding to a cross as this.
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M
MacNeil, D.
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Bowing to the Cross is common what we do, as a sign of profound respect.
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- Nov 1, 2010
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Did I start something? That was not my intent. I am just trying to understand.
I am a 10-year member of an Anglican church; I was raised in the United Church of Canada. My husband was raised in an Anglican church but went to a community church for a number of years before coming back to the Anglican church with me when we became engaged. We are both aware that most members of the community church and the United Church I attended did not bow to the cross. Further, Hubby's community church group did not have a cross because it was in a hotel banquet room. Now he feels it may be idol worship to bow to the cross. I'm not sure.
I am a 10-year member of an Anglican church; I was raised in the United Church of Canada. My husband was raised in an Anglican church but went to a community church for a number of years before coming back to the Anglican church with me when we became engaged. We are both aware that most members of the community church and the United Church I attended did not bow to the cross. Further, Hubby's community church group did not have a cross because it was in a hotel banquet room. Now he feels it may be idol worship to bow to the cross. I'm not sure.
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It is not idol worship to bow to the cross. Do not worry about that.
If he wants to do that, then fine. If he doesn't, that is also fine.
I worshipped for many years in an Ecusa church and was probably the only member that did not genuflect or make the sign of the cross and I did not grow horns. I was also the only one to raise my hands in worship when they very occasionally played some decent music.
If he wants to do that, then fine. If he doesn't, that is also fine.
I worshipped for many years in an Ecusa church and was probably the only member that did not genuflect or make the sign of the cross and I did not grow horns. I was also the only one to raise my hands in worship when they very occasionally played some decent music.
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wayseer
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What is idolatry?
Idolatry is where the symbol becomes the object of worship and not the object of the symbol.
Or, as the Dali Lama said, 'The finger pointing at the moon is not the moon'.
In this case idolatry involves worshiping the finger and not the moon.
The whole purpose of the Anglican liturgy is symbolic in that it functions to point the way towards God. Jesus may also be understood as a symbol of God.
Recall the passage in 2 Kings 18:4 where Hezekiah smashed the bronze serpent which Moses had erected during the Wilderness experience because it became the object of worship, not Yahweh.
So, Yes, our images, liturgy and symbols can become objects of worship, as can the Bible, and therefore idolatrous, if we do not recognize what is the purpose of those objects.
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The Seventh Ecumenical Council of the undivided Church dealt with the issue of the veneration of religious art in general and ultimately decided that as long as the artwork was used to give glory to God it was a good thing. There is a distinction between honoring an object for the sake of the object, and honoring an object because of what the object represents. The historic Christian view is that honoring religious art (including the cross) is a good thing as long as the honor given to the object is ultimately directed at what that object represents.
It is similar to how we revere the Bible. If it were not for the divinely inspired meaning of the text, the Bible would be just another book. However we give respect to the book because of the meaning of the words that it contains.
An easy read on the subject is by St. John of Damascus "On Holy Images."
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Radix and Wayseer, your posts were both very helpful to me. Many thanks for your efforts to bring me to clarity.
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CatholicAtHeart
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Bowing To Created Things Is Not A Form Of Idolatry But A Mere Sign Of Respect To What Is Shown, Be It A Cross Or An Icon. It's A Form Of Worship ( Not That We Worship Man-Made Things )
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You are dreadful, upsetting everyone like this.
In my church most but not all bow when the cross goes by. Some genufleflect some bow, some cross themselves to the altar and some just sit down.
Some kneel in prayer and some stand, that's off topic but I have started standing when the rubrics do not say stand or kneel but just "stand". I'm often the only one doing that unless a priest visits and sometimes they stand during prayer too, or visitors who arent' so conditioned to plonking down the kneelers the minute "let us pray" is said lol.
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Ah, missed the "on the wall" part. There's been much discussion as to whether people who bow towards the altar are bowing to the cross or to the altar/reserved eucharistic elements. My tak is that it is not to the cross but to the altar.
I don't bow or genuflect when I sit down because it feels awkward, having grown up presbyterian and methodist. But if I do go up to read I bow towards the altar as do the acolytes, priest, etc.
Naomi doesn't have pews and probably doesn't have an altar inher church so who knows what they do when they sit down? Probably find a place to put their coffee and their bible
haha
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Naomi doesn't have pews and probably doesn't have an altar inher church so who knows what they do when they sit down? Probably find a place to put their coffee and their bible
We have a table with fair linen cloth (no candles), and we sit in chairs. The chairs all have a NIV bible in the back of them.
We do have an altar, but we don't like it so it is covered up (we weren't allowed to remove it). We don't reserve sacraments.
No takeaway coffee (the sacrilege!)
When you arrive in church, you take your news sheet (and service sheet if you want one), and plonk your coat and bag down in a seat to reserve it. Then you circulate, doing lots of mwa-mwahs, before the vicar calls everyone to order about 2 minutes after the official start time.
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We have a table with fair linen cloth (no candles), and we sit in chairs. The chairs all have a NIV bible in the back of them.
We do have an altar, but we don't like it so it is covered up (we weren't allowed to remove it). We don't reserve sacraments.
No takeaway coffee (the sacrilege!)
When you arrive in church, you take your news sheet (and service sheet if you want one), and plonk your coat and bag down in a seat to reserve it. Then you circulate, doing lots of mwa-mwahs, before the vicar calls everyone to order about 2 minutes after the official start time.
Sounds just awful!
If your church were in the US the "chairs" (very short pews for 1) would have cupholders for your lattes that you just bought at the coffee cart in the lobby -- er, narthex.
What is a news sheet?
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- Nov 1, 2010
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Naomi, is your church group in a non-church space? Do you feel that a less formal, less "churchy" space keeps the focus on people and worship and away from things? I would love to know more. Hubby really misses his community church (far away) for these reasons. He is bothered by all the stuff in our church. Our church is becoming involved in the Fresh Expressions movement and I think that may be just what excites Hubby.
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