Tag Archives: iconoclasm

Does the Bible Advocate Book Burning?

It appears so. After Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus, and won numerous converts, the Book of Acts says, with approval, that there was a book burning (19:19-20 KJV): Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books … Continue reading

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Contemporary Iconoclasm: Jesus Statue Beheaded in Boston

Jesus beheaded! What would Freud say? Here’s the Boston Globe this morning: [P]olice are looking for the vandals who knocked the head off a statue of Jesus outside a Roman Catholic church named for Mother Teresa. The Rev. Jack Ahern of Blessed Mother Teresa … Continue reading

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Muslims in Libya Destroy Cases of Demon Liquor

With the Islamist Ennahda Party winning the elections in Tunisia, we discover that freedom for Tunisians will not include freedom from religion as a human option (and so will not be freedom at all). And here are Muslim men in Libya repeating the phrase … Continue reading

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St Paul Meets Jehu: Is Quran Burner Terry Jones a Blasphemer or an Iconoclast?

I’m not sure blasphemy (a word from the Greek blasphemos, meaning “evil speaking”) is the right word for what Florida pastor Terry Jones did. To my mind, blasphemy has two levels. The first is honest and conscientious expression of non-Orthodox opinion. If I … Continue reading

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Are there Bible passages that endorse book burning and iconoclasm?

Yep. After St Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus, and won numerous converts, the Book of Acts says, with approval, that there was a book burning (19:19-20 KJV): Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, … Continue reading

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Should John Calvin’s Theology Be Decoupled from John Calvin’s Geneva?

Something that I’ve noticed about Evangelical intellectual culture is a certain nostalgic fond spot for John Calvin. Philosopher Alvin Plantinga, for example, calls himself a Reformed Calvinist. But I think, before adopting John Calvin’s theology, that it might be useful to … Continue reading

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Monotheism “depends on the circumstances in which it finds itself”: Robert Wright on King Josiah and the Evolution of God Belief

At Salon.com today, Robert Wright offers his take on King Josiah, the severe monotheist and zealously iconoclastic (that is, idol destroying) king in the biblical Book of Kings, as well as the evolution of Hebrew monotheism to a kinder, gentler form … Continue reading

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The Line Between Blasphemy and Iconoclasm: Why PZ Myers Crossed It, and Why Atheists Should Take Him to Task for Doing So

The right to blaspheme religion—as well as mock irreligion—must be vigorously protected.   This may seem like an uncivil statement, but it is actually the opposite.   Nothing could be more corrosive to human interaction than the inability to express … Continue reading

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Pissing on Baal’s Temple, Burning the School of Socrates, Breaking Icons in Calvin’s Geneva, Blowing Up Buddhas, and Desecrating Crackers: Why PZ Myers Should Apologize—and Why He Probably Won’t

Iconoclasm is the destroying of what is held to be sacred by others. And given the disturbing history of iconoclasm throughout human history, it raises the question of how troubled thoughtful people should be by the University of Minnesota biologist, PZ Myers. … Continue reading

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