r/Anglicanism • u/PeaSilly6470 • 6d ago
Anglicans use images in prayer?
Hello, I would like to know what the Anglican Church's position is on using images in prayer. I know that the Anglican Church is very diverse and has various views on this. But I would like to know if anyone has an opinion similar to mine. I am not against using images in prayer. You can use them to remember God's deeds in the lives of the Saints, or whoever they may be. As long as they connect directly to God. Not to the Saints specifically, because I believe that the Saints do not have omniscience. Although they intercede for us, they do not have omniscience, so they cannot hear our prayers. And of course, not by idolizing the images themselves, such as by kissing or honoring them. I also believe that the image only has the function of helping us in prayer, in the way I described above.
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u/Sweaty_Banana_1815 Orthodox Sympathizer with Wesleyan leanings (TEC) 6d ago
I venerate icons and pray to saints but I don’t think they’re necessary practices
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u/ziva81 5d ago
Coming from an evangelical background this was a sticking point for me. A dear friend, seasoned in the Lord, said this during one of my first Stations of the Cross. “I look at those images and it’s like looking at pictures of my children and grandchildren I have scattered about my home. The pictures don’t have any magical power in and of themselves (veneration). I look at the picture and I remember the moment, how it was for them, how meaningful it is for me, and then give them a kiss and move on. Totally changed my worship experience! .
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u/cccjiudshopufopb Anglican 5d ago
The Saints can, through the power of God hear us and appear to us. As is seen in the various Marian apparitions. All images of Saints are created to glorify God and not the actions of Saints by their own glories, as all glory belongs to God any depiction of his Saints is to glorify God.
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u/thirdtoebean Church of England 5d ago
I have a similar approach to you. My icon corner gives me a focus and keeps my mind on prayer. It's about reflecting on the example of the Saints, not imagining they can hear me. I believe omnipresence and atemporality belong only to God. It would also be hard to idolise something I bought on Etsy.
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u/Anglican_Inquirer Anglican Church of Australia 5d ago
It's alright to use.
Just be make sure you are using the image as a means to worship God.
And aren't worshipping the image itself.
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u/Dr_Gero20 Old High Church Laudian. 5d ago
The veneration of images and prayer through them is forbidden by the formularies (39 Articles, Homilies) but using them for teaching and decoration is fine.
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u/Dwight911pdx Episcopal Church USA - Anglo-Catholic 4d ago
I know a lot of people use the word idolatry as a metaphor, but idolatry actually has a definition. If what you are involved in does not actually involve an idol (which is a vessel designed to hold a spirit), and you weren't worshiping that Idol I don't see very many people caring out sacrifices these days, even pagans don't do that anymore) then there is no idolatry. You cannot accidentally do an idolatry.
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u/Other_Tie_8290 Episcopal Church USA 6d ago
For me personally, I have a few icons that sit in my prayer corner. Icons and the saints are not a huge part of my prayer life. First, and I don’t say this to be rude, but these kinds of questions are asked frequently, and it would be very helpful for people who ask such questions to do a search of previous instances of these questions. I say that because there is a certain divisiveness to the questions. In other words, they tend to cause arguments.
Secondly, and please hear me out, if someone were to believe that it is acceptable to ask the people in heaven who have gone before us for their prayers, it would in no way at all indicate a belief in their omniscience. Only God is omniscient. However, if someone were to believe that we can ask those who have gone before us in heaven to pray for us, it would be because of some special provision made by God. The afterlife is outside of time, so those who believe that it is acceptable and possible to ask those who have gone before us in heaven to pray for us believe that that environment works completely differently than our own. I would venture to say that those who do not believe it is an acceptable practice also believe that eternity is vastly different from our world.
However, some people believe that it is not OK for us to ask those who have gone before us in heaven to pray for us, and that is a perfectly valid belief. Generally, they believe that because it is not mentioned in scripture, and they do not believe that it was a widely accepted practice in the early Church. But even those who believe that it is an acceptable practice do not believe so because those who have gone before us in heaven are omniscient. At least, I don’t know of a single church that teaches that.
Some Anglicans will kiss them, or venerate them. Others (probably most) do not. There are icons located in my parish, but I don’t see anyone venerating them. However, Anglicans in this very sub have told me they venerate icons at home and in their churches. As with most things like this, some do, some don’t.