Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Idolatry & Image Worship
The prohibition or acceptance of religious images is a flashpoint across traditions. The Abrahamic faiths strongly prohibit idolatry, while Hinduism and Buddhism use images (murti, rupa) as aids to worship. These differing stances reflect deeper questions about how the infinite relates to the finite.
Across the World's Religions
Christianity
- Praktik
- Prohibition of idol worship; icons debated (Iconoclasm)
- Key Text
- Exodus 20:4-5; Acts 17:29; 1 John 5:21
Islam
- Praktik
- Shirk (associating partners with Allah) — gravest sin
- Key Text
- Quran 4:48, 112:1-4
Judaism
- Praktik
- Avodah zarah — prohibition of idol worship
- Key Text
- Exodus 20:3-5; Deuteronomy 4:15-19
Hinduism
- Praktik
- Murti puja — image worship as a legitimate path to God
- Key Text
- Bhagavad Gita 12:5; Agama Shastra
Buddhism
- Praktik
- Buddha images (rupa) as objects of veneration, not worship
- Key Text
- DN 16 (Mahaparinibbana Sutta, stupa veneration)