The Idolaters and the Iconoclasts

I am a fan of Susan Stabile’s daily reflections at Creo en Dios. See here. Today, she reviewed a book by Christopher West that I do not plan to read, but she does call attention to an interesting section involving West’s discussion of idolatry and iconoclasm: “West suggests that without a new way of seeing, we tend to lean in the direction of either “worshiping the physical world as idolaters, or rejecting the physical world as iconoclasts.” He explains

“’The full-blown idolater views sensual pleasures as man’s be-all and end-all and dives in headfirst. The full-blown iconoclast views all that is sensual with suspicion and flees into a “safe” dis-incarnate “spirituality.” The idolater seeks his comfort in “mere flesh.” The iconoclast in “mere spirit.”’

“West’s discussion of both the temptations toward, and the dangers of, imbalance in either direction is very good. I also think he is correct that, as between the two, iconoclasm can be more dangerous in the sense that it ‘more readily passes for religious “success,”’ because many people erroneously think that ‘rigorism in bodily matters equals holiness.’”

Comments

[Robert Hockett]

Thanks, Steve - this is both very helpful and very timely.

All best,
B