I believe God is creative, the most creative actually and the greatest artist ever. His works speak of this every single day. I believe He wants us to be creative as well, He did make us in His image.
We talked about some pictures in class like the ones by Chagall and some paintings of Jesus. I do not think people should take art so lightly. Yes we should appreciate beauty because our God appreciates beauty but we must also be careful not to sin for the sake of art. It is easy to become defensive about art and say that Christians are too judgmental but the truth is not all art is good whether or not the artists had good intentions or not.
Exodus 20:4 - 5 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."
Whether or not paintings of Jesus are good or bad I do not know, what I do know is that I personally do not buy such paintings to hang on my wall. Why? Well I personally do not see the use in getting those pictures. Also I do not think we should be so hasty to draw pictures of God and Jesus simply because of who they are. Angels are a different case but when it comes to God, we respect Him and honor Him as God, a God that can't be described so easily.Drawing God is a big deal. The things we know about God are revealed to us, we do not get up one day and say God is who He is simply because we say so or because of how we feel He is. Like I artists might have had good intentions but sometimes intentions aren't enough.
Some people worship these paintings or carvings. Some knowingly and some unknowingly. Why risk sinning like that for the sake of art.
Does having a painting of Jesus help you pray better or concentrate better? Some people might say yes. This is very dangerous (Professor Leeper, I know you would've a lot to say about this now). I think it is dangerous because according to Exodus 20:4-5 we must not make any image,whether of heavenly things or earthly things, to worship. Whether or not it helps you concentrate is not the point. The Bible says not to, so why go against what the God that you claim to worship says. We all can experience God personally, His Word assures us and Jesus Christ made this possible years ago when He died for us and was raised to life for us. So if anyone has a problem connecting with God there is probably something the person needs to work on from within(this is not a bad thing, for we all have things we need to work on from within, it is all part of our faith journey). The person should also talk to good mature Christians who can help them and above all ask God for help. A picture should not replace God in your life. This seems so extreme but it is what gradually happens when people put images and forms out to help them 'reach' God.
Also I do not particularly like the paintings and sculptures of Mary. Yes this is art and again I know the artist had 'good intentions' but it is taking it too far when people begin to picture a human being as a god or someone with the power to save. It is not scriptural. Would you the say I hate art ,which is one of my callings by the way, simply because I do not appreciate some that are against what I believe in?
Yes art is about expressing oneself but should not be an excuse or a path to sin. If it means we look critically at some art works then so be it.
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