Comparative Theology · Common Ground
No other gods, no carved images
Handle with care. Some Christians distinguish veneration from worship. Hear that answer out before replying.
In short
- 1.Exodus 20:3-5 forbids other gods and bowing before images.
- 2.Islam keeps this command literally in its houses of worship.
- 3.Ask gently how the command is applied today.
The claim being examined
The first two commandments forbid worshipping anything besides God and making images to bow before.
The Islamic position
Islam preserves both commandments without exception, which is why mosques contain no images and no statues.
Analysis
The prohibition of images is repeated across the Hebrew Bible and was observed strictly in Second Temple Judaism. Christian use of icons and statues develops later and was itself the subject of the Byzantine iconoclast controversy.
From the Qur'an
Qur'an 22:30
So shun the abomination of idols, and shun false speech.
From the Bible
Exodus 20:3-5
Lo yihyeh lekha elohim acherim al panai
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image... you shall not bow down to them or worship them.
Read it in their BibleSources
The Holy Qur'an · The Bible (NIV / KJV) · Common Ground collection
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