US citizens urged to leave Russia Monday morning...
💥Rocky IV Flag?💥
This is supposedly to avoid wrongful detention... but why now all of a sudden? The timing is... strange.
As a Russian Orthodox Christian (currently going to a western rite mission church here in ye good ol' USA), I would argue that the view point on "idolatry" as an interpretation of icons in the church is a new-age Christian one (post-schism, definitely, although I'm no historian on exactly when icons were ousted -- with the creation of the protestant church, maybe?).
To be clear: I grew up in a variety of different Christian churches (Lutheran, Episcopalian, etc), and I wasn't sure about the icons within Orthodox churches either, at first. But before dismissing the very idea of icons, there are some truly amazing resources out there to explain the beauty and love involved in icons, iconography, and the veneration of icons. It is not idolatry in any way.
I do agree with the sentiment, however, that many should visit an Orthodox church! Whether OCA, Greek, Antiochian, Russian, western rite or eastern, or a monastery -- we exist in many forms and enjoy visitors immensely! Just don't expect many chairs available to sit in during service...
Likewise, thank you for responding! 'Idolatry' means that you worship an idol as though it is God. That does not occur in the Orthodox church. My comment was to impart some balance, as your description of the Orthodox Christian faith came across (to me, at least) as if it were cultishly ritualistic, which couldn't be further from the truth.
To your other point, you are right: I'm not making a comment on living in Russia, nor have I been to the church there. The history of the Orthodox Church in Russia is not a kind one, although I think there's a lot of hope associated with Putin's (current) good relationship with the Church. My fingers are crossed that this continues!
What might interest you: there is a book, "The Icon: Window on the Kingdom" by Michel Quenot, which details iconoclastic arguments in small albeit decent detail. It's well worth your time, if you're curious about the various back-and-forth within the church over divine imagery (and what led ultimately to the proclamation of the legitimacy of icons and their veneration by the Ecumenical Council of Nicea II. Again, I'm not a historian, so I apologize for any inaccuracies.)
This is a good starting point for the point of view I'm coming from, although I'm not trying to change your mind nor is this a perfect description: https://www.orthodoxroad.com/iconography-and-idolatry-part-1/
https://www.orthodoxroad.com/iconography-and-idolatry-part-2/
It's all very "Orthodox Christian", so it might be difficult to understand. Not because understanding it is difficult, but because it's a matter of faith and which path we're on. Without being Orthodox Christian, it's difficult to orient oneself to Orthodox thinking (which is, of course, true in reverse). To that end, I am still learning.
In order to follow this verse the way you are interpreting it: never, ever, ever make a prayer request to any person. Only pray to God and nobody else should ever pray for you. I don't think you believe that.
A prayer request is literally all we're doing when we "pray to the saints". Literally the same thing as the old phrase "I pray thee" as in "could you spare a cup of sugar, I pray thee".
We never call her "the Madonna", but "the Mother of God", or often "the Theotokos" = "God-bearer".
And where have you ever seen a statue in an Orthodox church?!