Is Venerating Icons Idolatry?
When I was first looking into the Orthodox Church, I was a bit puzzled by the veneration of icons, not having a real context to know what it really meant. So, like a good Protestant, I did a Biblical word study on the acts of veneration in the Bible to help see how it was used in the context of worship and otherwise. I originally wrote this back in 1996, but have updated and adjusted it since then a few times. – Reader Timothy Copple One of the most difficult things for Protestants to grasp when considering Orthodoxy is the veneration of Icons. The immediate reaction of many is that it is worship, or at least borders on worship of the Icon rather than simply honoring the Saint depicted. After all, most Protestants do have pictures and do use them to remind them of people, yet they do not bow to them or kiss them. It is the bowing and kissing of Icons that seems to cause the most problems. Protestants see in these actions a “worship” of the item. There are two questions to answer concer
