Idolatry is bad, not so idol worship.
An idolater makes a fetish of his idol. An idol worshipper sees God even in a stone and therefore takes the help of an idol to establish his union with God.
Every Hindu child knows that the stone in the famous temple in Benares is not Kashi Vishwanath. But he believes that the Lord of the Universe does reside specially in that stone. This play of the imagination is permissible and healthy.
Every edition of the Gita on a book-stall has not that sanctity which I ascribe to my own copy. Logic tells me there is no more sanctity in my copy than in any other. The sanctity is in my imagination. But that imagination brings about marvelous concrete results. It changes men’s lives.
I am of opinion that, whether we admit it or not, we are all idol worshippers or idolaters, if the distinction I have drawn is not allowed. A book, a building, a picture, a carving are surely all images in which God does reside, but they are not God. He who says they are errs.
Mahatma Gandhi
1 comments:
Idols appear in many forms. A statue is an example of the expression of the artist in the field of fine arts. The artist would have learned the skills from a seat of learning or from tradition or out of interest. In the work the artist's own ideas and that which the artist has learned come together to make the piece. A picture or impression goes through a similar process. A statue can be part of a wider piece to show other aspects but more often these other points are shown through picture. When the statue or picture is to be animated then the process goes into the field of performing arts. In this a whole manner of props and extras can be employed.
The theme for statues, pictures and plays can be religious, political or for entertainment.
In the religious context one can take on a feeling of glamour and pride. In the political context one can take on the feeling of grandeur and sense of purpose. In the context of entertainment one can take on feelings of pleasure and mirth.
Graves, tombs, places where notable people have rested and the ilk are centres of reverence. There is much decoration and fanfare at these places of saints and scholars with traditions specific to the place. Visitors learn of their lives, contributions and legacies.
In general folk may have keepsakes that are in some way a reminder of something special to themselves. These may be decorative with picture, shape or inscription. These can be for religious or personal reasons to be worn or kept in a living space for usage or for memory.
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