The second commandment reads, "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the..."
Many of you will know that I"m a keen photographer and have more than 65,000 images on my Flickr site. I've taken photos since I was a kid and appreciate the beauty and the scenery, the people, and the moments I often capture.
One of the reasons we have to be careful about imagery is highlighted in the 10 Commandments. God says not to make imagery so that we bow down to them and serve them. In other words, having a photo of an elephant is ok, but making it into an idol is not ok. Having a sculpture of an angel is ok, but bowing to it is not. Sensible.
Thinking about bowing and/ or serving, I consider the images you might see on your televisions or YouTube feeds today. Some of you have seen a video that went viral of police in Australia, but the context is missing and the scene has nothing to do with anything in 2021. Such is the case of a video (an image) taken out of its context that we ascribe to the category of 'truth' and thus 'bow' to it.
Even today a clash between some gang members and police in Sydney's west may well go viral as well. Without context, it could appear that the police are simply keen to brutalize some non-offenders. It's the whole story that is missing and who these men are and why they are going into police custody that fills in the gaps.
Some avoid this problem of imagery altogether by saying we should have no images at all. Among those are certain sects of the Amish and some ultra-Orthodox Jews. Of course, like with Bing Lee, everything is negotiable. For instance, even though Lubavitch Jews officially refuse to allow themselves to be photographed there are hundreds of official photos listed on their website. And they then make a big deal about 3-dimensions vs 2-dimensions in the unpacking of the 2nd commandment.
And this is from a Lubaticher rabbi in Canada.
"People who interacted with the Rebbe during his lifetime walked away feeling empowered to reach their fullest potential; not to be satisfied with past accomplishments or to be lured into mediocrity. By virtue of his holiness and sensitivity, the Rebbe was able to activate the inner spark in people he met, and inspire them to have an eternal flame burning in their hearts, to grow and grow, then grow some more.
When a Chabad family hangs a picture-- or several pictures-- of the Rebbe in their home, they are making an effort to invigorate themselves with the Rebbe's message, and instead of seeing how they appear currently and superficially, they want to see their soul's potential and strengthen their resolve to actualize it all." (https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/614937/jewish/Why-the-Rebbe-pictures.htm)
So having an image, which is inspirational in the Chabad house, is acceptable. And thus it is different than the inspiration of the Catholic prayer beads or the Greek icons in their parish church. 2-dimensional vs 3-dimensional. If only the Lord had been so clear on Mt Sinai.
Obviously the problem is played out in what we call worship, idolatry, the bowing down, and serving the other gods. But how you respond to television and youtube imagery may well be at risk if you get my drift.
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