by Filidh » Sat Sep 21, 2013 4:15 am
well, there's a difference between a symbol that's used as an identifier and an idol.
a symbol essentially acts as a nametag, in that it says "we who bear this symbol believe in the idea of x", x being the symbolbearers' worldview.
symbols like that are easy ways to differentiate between certain things, such as an iron cross being a nametag that says "i fought with great valor and risked my life for the homeland".
but attributing things to it that shouldn't be attributed to it, such as the idea that waving a flag with a certain symbol in battle will bring victory, is idolatry, because symbols don't bring victory, only god does.
the chirho is a good symbol because it says, to me anyway, "i, who bear this symbol, believe that christ yahshua is the everliving father come in the flesh and risen, and that we, the tribes of israel, are his chosen folk".
but the symbol itself is just a nametag, or perhaps a belieftag. it's a few lines on a piece of paper that, by itself, don't mean anything. symbols only have as much power as we give them, likewise with statues.
and while symbols are useful as nametags, we shouldn't give them any power, because believing that they hold power is false, because how are a few lines and shapes able to hold any power? how is a statue made of metal and earth able to bring victory?
god does that, not anything else. that's the difference in using symbols as nametags and making symbols, statues, images, and so on as idols.
i realize that i said in the 'ci symbol' thread that the chirho is powerful, and i meant that. but i should elaborate: it's powerful because it's simple to draw and gets the message across. it's a nametag that's really easy to read. the swastika was also a nametag that was really easy to read, and because it was so simple and easy, it was able to be a counternametag to the hammersickle.
but attributing any actual spiritual qualities to an image, a statue, a symbol, is idolatry.
and finally, keep in mind that himmler, bormann, goering, rosenberg, and many others went directly against the camp of hitler and goebbels in promoting idolatry, paganism, atheism, and occultism, cultimating in the betrayal of hitler by himmler and goering.
we must correct the errors of those who came before us in the same way that the inventor of the rifle had to correct the errors of the musket. that doesn't mean we reject them, it just means we build off of them.
real name's trevor