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The Claims of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy  /  Images and Prayers to Saints  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 6
Origen says, “It is not possible at the same time to know God and to address prayers to images”; if that statement is even partly true, what might it reveal about how God intends faith, prayer, and “walking by faith not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7) to function in Christian life?
Another way to ask: Origen says you can’t truly know God and pray to images at the same time. If that’s even partly true, what does it say about how God wants faith and prayer to work—especially “walking by faith not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7)?

Direct Answer Based on the transcript, Origen’s statement implies God intends prayer to be direct, God-centered trust rather than visually mediated devotion; “walking by faith not by sight” supports worship that lifts the heart to God instead of anchoring prayer to material objects.

Support from Transcript:

  • Origen: “It is not possible at the same time to know God and to address prayers to images,” making the issue about knowing God, not merely external style.
  • He says Christians reject images because they fear “degrading the worship of God and reducing it to the worship of material things.”
  • Clement similarly says the law teaches wisdom by “abstinence from visible images” and invites us to the “maker and father of the universe,” passing from “things of sense” to “spiritual objects.”
  • Bercot lists 2 Corinthians 5:7 (“walk by faith, not by sight”) as a text early Christians relied on.
  • He emphasizes early Christians “cast their eyes upward to heaven when they prayed,” rather than directing devotion to “walls, wood, and stone.”
Discussion Follow-ups How do physical helps (art, symbols, atmosphere) cross the line from aiding focus to shaping dependence? What practices help you pray more “by faith” rather than by sensory support?

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