'Iconography' outside the Church

[David Galloway]

I am wondering if it would be considered sinful or in bad taste to depict a non-Orthodox person in an icon. Aside from Roman Catholic saints pictured in icons, I have seen icons of Gandhi and John Coltrane. They are depicted with "halos"(it is late and I forget the Greek term) showing sanctity.

It just seems strange to many of us who hold icons so dear to see them used for purposes outside of that for which they were created. I'd love to hear opinions on this issue and canonical texts if they apply. Thank you.

[Nik Stanosheck]

I would say yes. If icons with halos are to be of saints only, then icons of the heterodox would be wrong. Sorry that I cannot give you the canons. God Bless!

In Christ,
-Nik
The ROCOR Cafe (http://www.ROCORCafe.com)

[Wallace Justin Miller]

Oh, I imagine that it would not be very good to do these things. I know what you've seen. I've seen these as well, in Roman Catholic bookstores. They have "icons" of Gandhi, "Lion of Judah", Caesar Chavez, and others that are very non-canonical. Of course, they also had vestments, with wheat designs on them, for women. Interesting lot, those Romans.

[BrentRollings]

Here is a link to an icon of Martin Luther King Jr. Even though he was a great man, I don't think he belongs on an icon.

Brent Rollings

http://www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/gmk.html (http://www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/gmk.html)

[M.C. Steenberg]

Here is a link to an icon of Martin Luther King Jr. Even though he was a great man, I don't think he belongs on an icon.

For those who read by email, I include a copy of the image to which Brent Rollings referred.

From a cursory examination of the website which distributes this image, it is clear that the notion of Orthodox iconography is far from them. In the world of sacred imagery, what looks like an icon is not necessarily an icon...

INXC, Matthew

[demetrios karaolanis]

ghandi for instance though was a hindu, an icon of a pagan? these are reveared christian images if they are made of not just non cannonical people, but of all out pagans what will become of iconography? even though ghandi was a good and peaceful man he was not a christian and not a saint of the church and therefore does not belong there on an icon as was stated already.

[Rev. Hieromonk Averky]

It seems to be a new fad to paint "icons" of secular, non-Othodox, or even non-Christian persons. while in the worldly sense, they might have lived good and decent lives, it simply is not possible to potray them in an iconographical manner.from the Orthodox point of view. Since all icons are a reflection of Christ, and since the saints, as St. Ignatii Brichaninov says, "express in themselves daily, the Holy Trinity," and since the Hoy Spirit can only reside where there is Truth, then non-Othodox people cannot achieve that sanctity which would put them in the same spiritual realm as St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, The Great Martyr Catherine, or St. John Maximovitch. One can hardly think of Harvey Milk, a slain homosexual city councilman as either a saint or a martyr. It is for God alone to judge his soul, but how coul one list him as among the saints? Each generation of mankind has produced its heroes, great generals , great rulers, and so on, but it is the province of Christ's Church, the Holy Orthodox Church alone to set aside those who are to be venerated as saints. The memories and lives of great en and women most certainly can be respected and held up as a good example, but the appelation "saint," is in another realm completely. It is a rather curious phenomenon that people have such high opinions of themselves ; "I am a very spiritual person," is often heard, and people write books and go on television to discuss their "Angels,' who are some sort of demi-gods, but usually these people never mention God, or Christ!..

[John Simmons]

Here is all you need to know about the future of the Episcopal Church and Iconography:

dancing saints (http://www.saintgregorys.org/GodsFriends/Vol8/No2/Dancing_Saints.html)

John