The spate of edifying monuments being erected by Christians all over the world to honor Jesus Christ are growing daily in number and scale. The latest of such human gratification of self-ability is the Christ the King Jesus statue in Swiebodzin Poland, courtesy of a catholic priest, 78 year old Sylwester Zawadzki.
The statue which took five years to complete, at a total height of 167 feet, now dwarfs both the Rio de Janerio Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue at 125 feet and the Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia at 133 feet, which use to be the tallest of such Jesus statues in the world in that order. The statue weighs 440 tons and is visible from Highway A2 linking Warsaw and Berlin.
Icheoku says what an awesome work of art that the Polish were able to put up at Swiebodzin; but queries whatever happened to the biblical injunction 'thou shall not make any image in my likeness?' Or perhaps the argument could be made that it was his father, God the Father, who abhors and forebode image being made in his name and that baby-Jesus later turned adult-Jesus at 33, would not mind being honored in such manner? Being the affable guy he was and still is, Icheoku believes that Jesus Christ wouldn't mind that his statue is now the king of all statues in the world, including New York's Lady Liberty at 121 feet high as well as the other Jesus statue at 133 feet high Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Further, the biblical injunction was purpose-specific that such images are not worshipped if made, so it appears from reading the scriptural lines that it will be ok to still make images provided they are not worshipped in place of the only living God who is both jealous and not entertaining of any rivalry or of divided attention whatsoever. The injunction in specifically mentioned "an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water under the earth" for purposes of worship (Exodus 20:4-5; Leviticus 26:1). So plus minus it is either you make an image and not worship it or you do not make any image at all; so God left the choice to humanity which the Polish people have so far exercised and made their 'Christ the King' statue. Deuteronomy 5:8, 27:15 says "cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. so it appears that the Polish are safe from this curse as they did not keep their Christ the King statue in secret but set it high up in a public place where it is very visible.
Contextually, these passages are dealing with the same subject matter - an admonition against worshipping of images as God does not want people bowing down before such images and worshiping them as God or God-alternates. Provided these statues do not become objects of worship, being public artifacts to which the general populace could become familiar with and thereby risk falling into their idol worship, it appears to be ok for what they represent - a reminder and memorial of our Lord Jesus Christ. So it would appear ok and appropriate to have an image made of anything and anybody including Jesus Christ provided it is not worshipped in any form as God or God-alternate. Therefore the Christ the King Jesus statue in Poland as well as others in Brazil, Bolivia and elsewhere are sanctioned by God, provided humanity does not mistake them for God himself or his son and bow down to worship them. So once this fine-line is isolated and distinguished, then it is ok to have the 164feet Christ the King Statue in Swiebodzin Poland as a God approved edification of his son, Jesus Christ.
But the jury is still out on the appropriateness or otherwise of the project and whether the $1.7million spent on this statue was money well spent or could have been used in a more profitable venture like building schools or feeding the Polish hungry? But the priest behind the construction of the project seems to have his own secret agenda to take Europe back to Christ as according to him, "He will be the greatest teacher of the faith and Europe needs preachers like Christ". So through this, all those Islamists trying so hard to Islamize Europe has been put on notice that Christ the King is watching their actions and will not allow them take over his continental Europe. Icheoku says, luckily too, Poland is not America where the ACLU would have shut down the project on grounds of secularism arguing that such gargantuan Christ the King is a an unfair propagation of Christianity above other religions in a public place. Finally, what would the crusading Islamists say or do with a towering Jesus Christ keeping his watchful eyes over their activities in his Poland, albeit Europe. Icheoku says this edifying statue is a bold statement that rapid Islamization of Europe would not be tolerated by Poland and stopped at Swiebodzin Poland's watershed!
The statue which took five years to complete, at a total height of 167 feet, now dwarfs both the Rio de Janerio Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue at 125 feet and the Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia at 133 feet, which use to be the tallest of such Jesus statues in the world in that order. The statue weighs 440 tons and is visible from Highway A2 linking Warsaw and Berlin.
Icheoku says what an awesome work of art that the Polish were able to put up at Swiebodzin; but queries whatever happened to the biblical injunction 'thou shall not make any image in my likeness?' Or perhaps the argument could be made that it was his father, God the Father, who abhors and forebode image being made in his name and that baby-Jesus later turned adult-Jesus at 33, would not mind being honored in such manner? Being the affable guy he was and still is, Icheoku believes that Jesus Christ wouldn't mind that his statue is now the king of all statues in the world, including New York's Lady Liberty at 121 feet high as well as the other Jesus statue at 133 feet high Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Further, the biblical injunction was purpose-specific that such images are not worshipped if made, so it appears from reading the scriptural lines that it will be ok to still make images provided they are not worshipped in place of the only living God who is both jealous and not entertaining of any rivalry or of divided attention whatsoever. The injunction in specifically mentioned "an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water under the earth" for purposes of worship (Exodus 20:4-5; Leviticus 26:1). So plus minus it is either you make an image and not worship it or you do not make any image at all; so God left the choice to humanity which the Polish people have so far exercised and made their 'Christ the King' statue. Deuteronomy 5:8, 27:15 says "cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. so it appears that the Polish are safe from this curse as they did not keep their Christ the King statue in secret but set it high up in a public place where it is very visible.
Contextually, these passages are dealing with the same subject matter - an admonition against worshipping of images as God does not want people bowing down before such images and worshiping them as God or God-alternates. Provided these statues do not become objects of worship, being public artifacts to which the general populace could become familiar with and thereby risk falling into their idol worship, it appears to be ok for what they represent - a reminder and memorial of our Lord Jesus Christ. So it would appear ok and appropriate to have an image made of anything and anybody including Jesus Christ provided it is not worshipped in any form as God or God-alternate. Therefore the Christ the King Jesus statue in Poland as well as others in Brazil, Bolivia and elsewhere are sanctioned by God, provided humanity does not mistake them for God himself or his son and bow down to worship them. So once this fine-line is isolated and distinguished, then it is ok to have the 164feet Christ the King Statue in Swiebodzin Poland as a God approved edification of his son, Jesus Christ.
But the jury is still out on the appropriateness or otherwise of the project and whether the $1.7million spent on this statue was money well spent or could have been used in a more profitable venture like building schools or feeding the Polish hungry? But the priest behind the construction of the project seems to have his own secret agenda to take Europe back to Christ as according to him, "He will be the greatest teacher of the faith and Europe needs preachers like Christ". So through this, all those Islamists trying so hard to Islamize Europe has been put on notice that Christ the King is watching their actions and will not allow them take over his continental Europe. Icheoku says, luckily too, Poland is not America where the ACLU would have shut down the project on grounds of secularism arguing that such gargantuan Christ the King is a an unfair propagation of Christianity above other religions in a public place. Finally, what would the crusading Islamists say or do with a towering Jesus Christ keeping his watchful eyes over their activities in his Poland, albeit Europe. Icheoku says this edifying statue is a bold statement that rapid Islamization of Europe would not be tolerated by Poland and stopped at Swiebodzin Poland's watershed!
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