Movies about Jesus violate 2nd commandment?

[Pergamum]

Well SROPER,

there's the rub... does Scripture forbid making images of a man? He took on human flesh, which is able to be pictured. The Scriptures say not to picture anything in heaven, earth or under the earth....for the purpose of bowing down before them.

The Decalogue forbids idols, but not representational art. So, I am trying to figure out how much and what is exactly forbidden.

Your analogy does not hold.

In fact, under your logic, you should take on the muslim stance of forbidding ALL representational art. All things in heaven, earth or under the earth should be forbidden since somewhere someone out there might be tempted to worship them...


There's no harm in searching into the limits of a matter. It is all part of my process of searching deeper into this topic.

Have a little patience man, maybe you have already arrived, but I am still on the road looking for the exit sign.


How much wine must you drink before you are drunk. Sipping a little, it might be argued, is to take a few steps in the direction of drunkenness, and so we had better teetotal away since we should not be asking, "How far is too far..."

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

there's the rub... does Scripture forbid making images of a man? He took on human flesh, which is able to be pictured. The Scriptures say not to picture anything in heaven, earth or under the earth....for the purpose of bowing down before them.

Yes, but the man Christ Jesus is also God; therefore, a picture of Christ is a picture of God and thus violates the second commandment.

 

[Pergamum]

From the PCA History site it appears the some have held to the WCF and allowed for images of Christ for teaching purposes:

RECOMMENDA TION
1. That the 159th General Synod recognize that Exodus 20:4-6 does not forbid making and using pictures of Christ for purposes of instruction, if such pictures have as their chief interest depicting events in the in-carnational life of Christ.


Does theWCF allow for any such leeway?

 

[SRoper]

Well SROPER,

there's the rub... does Scripture forbid making images of a man? He took on human flesh, which is able to be pictured. The Scriptures say not to picture anything in heaven, earth or under the earth....for the purpose of bowing down before them.

The Decalogue forbids idols, but not representational art. So, I am trying to figure out how much and what is exactly forbidden.

Your analogy does not hold.

In fact, under your logic, you should take on the muslim stance of forbidding ALL representational art. All things in heaven, earth or under the earth should be forbidden since somewhere someone out there might be tempted to worship them...


There's no harm in searching into the limits of a matter. It is all part of my process of searching deeper into this topic.

Have a little patience man, maybe you have already arrived, but I am still on the road looking for the exit sign.


How much wine must you drink before you are drunk. Sipping a little, it might be argued, is to take a few steps in the direction of drunkenness, and so we had better teetotal away since we should not be asking, "How far is too far..."

I'm just suggesting that your line of questioning is not helpful at this time and is not going to get to the heart of the issue. I don't see how my comparison would mean I would forbid all representational art as I'm not in the no kissing, holding hands, or dancing before you're married crowd. I made the comparison because it is my observation that those who aren't convinced of the principle prefer to argue about the gray areas. Now there is a time to start drawing lines. If a man is convinced that fornication is wrong a discussion about what is permissible with his girlfriend could be profitable. However, if he is still thinking that the seventh commandment merely prohibits coitus with another man's wife then what is the point?

If you are convinced that we should not make images of God then perhaps we can draw some lines, but from what you have written I don't think that is the case.

 

[Pergamum]

I admit that I do not know where the lines are...hence the reasons for the questions.

 

[SRoper]

That's fine, I just think you are getting ahead of yourself. If you still have serious doubts that the second commandment forbids making an image of God for any reason (not just for worship), then it would be more profitable if we start there.