In Christianity, the Use of the Crucifux is Idolatry

I kind of begged pro to change the definitions of idol and idolatry so we can bring some semantics into the debate about them. The words in the bible don't always comfortably translate into English so I thought it only fair, but now I don't think it's as important. I think a good ideal is to start out with the dictionary definitions and amend them as necessary to align with the bible. The more boring parts of the semantics can be handled by me and con in the comment section, if he wishes. I'd also like to point out that not every mention of idolatry in the bible actually mentions the word idol or idolatry, but with a little common sense we can see that is what the verses are discussing. Please keep that in mind as the debate progresses. Definitions (can be amended to fit with intended biblical meanings)Idol- 1. an object of extreme devotion. 2. a representation or symbol of an object of worship. . http://i.word.com...Idolatry- this would obviously be idol worship. Those definitions are a good starting point and will grow and change as we examine the words of the bible. The Bible Speaks for it's Self. I haven't left myself a terribly long time to write my arguments, but I think my case is pretty straight forward so it shouldn't be necessary. Exodus 20:4 NIV "You shall not make for yourself an idol 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" When this passage was written and many others it seems that the writers of the Bible either had great insight or it was divinely inspired. The crucifix isn't merely a cross it's a cross with the figure of Jesus on it. It's an image in the form of something in heaven "Jesus". So we got the image part down, but what is worship? Worship means to deeply revere as defined by my opponent. Now the word revere essentially means to have deep respect for. . http://i.word.com... There is no question that Christians have deep respect (revere, worship) the crucifux. If it wasn't revered the image wouldn't be over the alter in so many questions. People are bowing down at an alter with the image of A bloody Jesus on the cross, and remember bowing down is one of those things that Exodus 20:4 told us to watch out for. In 1973 when the exorcist was released. Christians were outraged when they saw a young girl masturbate herself with a crucifux . For Christians to see an image they so deeply revere desecrated was extremely offensive. . http://www.complex.com... To say the Christians in general don't deeply revere the crucifux would be absurd. I think the fact that Christians revere the crucifux is self evident. Acts 17:29 NIV "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by human design and skill. " This is another warning that we shouldn't worship images of God or Jesus. It goes against current church values, but it is idolatry to make an image of Jesus and to show it the deep respect it's shown. This verse pretty much warns against making an image at all. Does anybody think that the man/demigod whatever he is to you showed deep respect for any image? He revered the word of God and that is all. There. Is a reason why you don't see Jews making graven images to put in their place of worship. They follow the laws of Moses and understand that creating an image of Moses or God and putting it up in a place of prominence in their place of worship is idolatry. I want to point out another story as well. When Moses went to the mountain too to receive the 10 commandments, he was informed by God that one of his men had made a golden calf as an idol. The Jewish people believed in Yahweh and the golden calf was representative of him, just as the crucifux is a representation of Jesus. God said that the Jews had broken his covenant, by making an image to symbolize him. ( Waaler, Erik, The Shema and the first commandment in First Corinthians: an intertextual approach to Paul"s reading of Deuteronomy, (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen Zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe) ISBN 3-16-149833-X p. 95) Sorry for keeping this so short.