any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
So making fish statues are ok, but don’t worship a fish statue as an idol. I don’t see an issue with making a likeness to something as long as you’re not worshipping it
Apologies, I misunderstood your question. I do wonder if you’ve seen how Catholics treat such depictions. I’d say they worship it or at least use it as an idol.
No, it clearly says: “You shall not make…”, and then adds the reason at the end. It seems God doesn’t even want you making it for any reason, because you might use it to worship. Banning images eliminates the temptation.
I’m not sure that’s the interpretation that Catholics go with, and I don’t think they idolize the statues they make. Either way the qualifier, as I’m reading it, is that they make the thing to worship the thing.
So making fish statues are ok, but don’t worship a fish statue as an idol. I don’t see an issue with making a likeness to something as long as you’re not worshipping it
Apologies, I misunderstood your question. I do wonder if you’ve seen how Catholics treat such depictions. I’d say they worship it or at least use it as an idol.
“The only moral idol is my idol.”
No, it clearly says: “You shall not make…”, and then adds the reason at the end. It seems God doesn’t even want you making it for any reason, because you might use it to worship. Banning images eliminates the temptation.
We’re dealing with at least two intervening languages and generations of oral history here. Nitpicking semantics isn’t terribly useful.
I’m not sure that’s the interpretation that Catholics go with, and I don’t think they idolize the statues they make. Either way the qualifier, as I’m reading it, is that they make the thing to worship the thing.