[Judaic] Nechushtan: The Bronze Serpent Monotheism abhors graven images to such an extent, that it has often tried to impress upon its followers the erroneous belief that the deity and its image are one and the same. Actually, in all polytheistic religions, the image is only the god's representation and temporary dwelling place, though it is endowed with special powers by the deity. The god or goddess generally has a separate permanent dwelling place, be it Olympus, Valhalla, the sky, the sea, or as in the case of the original Yahweh, a fiery active desert volcano. Judaism does not acknowledge any god but the Lord, who has many names (God, Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, etc.) but only one presence. Many images of gods and goddesses were left from the early days of Judaism, before monotheism was complete. The Bible, which was written when the Jews achieved strict monotheism, regularly denied their existence as deities, and rationalized them in any way possible. They include the Cherubim, w...
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