10 Commandments: Images and Idolatory

The first church I attended was Anglican. It was a 'bare' church.  The altar was just an empty table with a 10-inch cross on it.  I loved the simplicity, and the idea that God is so awesome, that no physical image is fitting enough to depict or represent Him.

Hence when I learnt that in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), the second specifically mentioned that "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness...not worship them..." I accepted this commandment completely.

But then, as I read the Bible, in Exodus 25, not many pages after Exodus 20,  I was confused why God asked his people to make 2 golden cherubim and placed them inside the Ark.  Now this is obvious against the 10 Commandments.  (How do cherubim look like anyway?)

And in Numbers 21:8, God ordered Moses to make a bronze serpent, so that those who had been bitten by snakes could 'looked to the bronze serpent, and lived'.

But never mind the confusion.  The Ten Commandants are very clear.  There are always. things in the Bible that I do not understand.  Let the inconsistencies be.  After all, I am a Christian because of Jesus Christ, not because of the interpretations or some inconsistencies in the Bible.

Then I came across this explanation in http://www.catholic.com/blog/tim-staples/did-the-catholic-church-change-the-ten-commandments. I think it makes sense.  I am no longer confused.

Apparently, someone sub-divided one commandment into two.  Someone mistakenly used too many fullstops instead of commas.  Read carefully now --- Exodus 20:3-6 is just 1 commandment - worship God, no others, no idolatry.  Because you shall have no other gods before Me, hence you shall not make for yourself an idol of any likeness...

Hence we Christians do not have to worry too much about having physical images, as long as they do not become 'idols'.

Yet it is still good practice not to place 'any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth' in churches and other places of worship.  They could be a source of distraction for some of us.

Christianity and Reincarnation

For a long time, the many anecdotal stories of reincarnation aroused my interest.

Separately, as I read the Bible, the occasional passages suggesting cases of past lives aroused my interest even more.

For example, the words of Matt 17:10-13 explicitly stated that John the Baptist was Elijah.  The disciples interpreted it this way, and I interpreted the verses this way too.

Furthermore, the Bible did not explicitly state that there is no such thing as reincarnation.

Please refer to the article "Reincarnation in the Bible" in http://reluctant-messenger.com/reincarnation-bible-verses.htm  

This article appeals to me because it gives samples of many parts of the Bible that suggest the phenomenon of reincarnation.  It's explanation tallies with my own logical conclusion relating to Matt 17: 10-12, Matt 24:34, Job 1:20-21, and other verses.  Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist." (Matthew 17:13)

Why the Catholic church threw out the doctrine of reincarnation in the earlier years (AD 553, The Second Council of Constantinople?), and why most other churches subsequently adopted the same idea, I don't know.

Little did I know some other writers also observed this anomaly too; and in their studies, concluded that reincarnation may be is a 'lost doctrine' in most Christian churches.

I finally reasoned out why the prophets in the old testament talked to the people about prophecies that would be fulfilled in hundreds and thousands of years down the road.  (I mean, why would my generation bother if someone predicts the world would split into 2 halves in 20,000 years time?  Long long time after my generation is gone.) Such prophecies are meaningless unless this same generation would be there, in another incarnation, at the time the prophecies are fulfilled.

It appears possible that souls could be reincarnated until such time when they accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Redeemer.  And upon that acceptance, they no longer need to be reincarnated again.  Perhaps you have other conclusions,  but do read the article quoted above.

"...For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." 2 Tim 1:12

Judaism and Reincarnation

The subject of re-incarnation has always intrigued me.  I have written about this topic in my earlier blog postings.

To me, this is an important topic.  Reincarnation is a prevalent belief in Chinese, Indian, and other religions.  So far, the Bible seems to indicate, and has hinted, that the belief of reincarnation is prevalent in the old and new testament too.  (I will explain this in other blog postings.)

I researched on whether Judaism is supportive of the idea of reincarnation.

I read several articles on the internet relating to Judaism and Reincarnation.  Most articles agree that Judaism is supportive of the idea of reincarnation.

Following is a good article. http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380599/jewish/Judaism-and-Reincarnation.htm (There is another scholarly article on Wikipedia which is more difficult to read.)

How prevalent is the Jewish belief in reincarnation today? How does it differ from the Asian belief? What do the Rabbis think of it?

The root of the word "Torah" is the verb "to instruct". Torah's primary function is to teach us how to live Jewishly, in harmony with G‑d's will. As such, the basic levels of scriptural interpretation lead to a practical understanding of mitzvot and related Jewish values.

Many Jews are surprised to learn, or may even wish to deny, that reincarnation…is an integral part of Jewish belief…
The Torah, however, is a multi-layered document. Many of its deeper levels of interpretation are not readily accessible; and they may not lend themselves to obvious, practical application in daily life. As such, these more esoteric aspects of Torah are not of interest to significant segments of the Jewish population, including some rabbis and scholars.

Consequently, many Jews are surprised to learn, or may even wish to deny, that reincarnation - the "revolving" of souls through a succession of lives, or "gilgulim" - is an integral part of Jewish belief. But this teaching has always been around. And it is firmly rooted in source-verses.
Examples abound. Ramban, one of the greatest commentators on the Torah (and on the Talmud), and a seminal figure in Jewish history, hints several times that reincarnation is the key to penetrating the deep mysteries involved in the mitzvah of yibum (the obligation of the brother of a childless, deceased man to marry the widow). In his explanation of Gen 38:8, he insists that Yehudah and his sons were aware of the secret of reincarnation, and that this was a major factor in their respective attitudes towards Tamar.

The responsibility lies with us…
The Jewish understanding of reincarnation is different from Buddhist doctrines. It in no way leads to fatalism. At every point of moral decision in his life, a Jew has complete free choice. If not for freedom of choice, how unfair it would be of G‑d to make demands of us - especially when reward and punishment is involved! Reincarnation does not imply pre-determination. It is, rather, an opportunity for rectification and soul-perfection.

The holy Ari explained it most simply: every Jew must fulfill all 613 mitzvot, and if he doesn't succeed in one lifetime, he comes back again and again until he finishes. For this reason, events in a person's life may lead him towards certain places, encounters, etc., in ways that may or may not make sense. Divine providence provides each person with the opportunities he needs to fulfill those particular mitzvot necessary for the perfection of his soul. But the responsibility lies with us. At the actual moment of decision in any given situation, the choice is ours.

One of the ways in which heaven maintains our ability to exercise complete freedom of choice is by not allowing us conscious knowledge of previous incarnations. Consequently, it might seem to some people that there is little practical benefit in being aware of this doctrine. Furthermore, many scholars contend that these mystical concepts can easily be misunderstood, or carried to erroneous and misleading conclusions. We can therefore understand why this and similar subjects are only hinted at in scripture, and why some knowledge and a great deal of determination are often required in order to gain access to this information.

For an in-depth English treatment of the Jewish doctrine of reincarnation, see the running translation and commentary of Shaar Gilgulim on KabbalaOnline.org. (For the first article in the series, "Gate of Reincarnations", click here).

"Whimsical Midnight Silhouette"  Painted by me.